Patrick Killalea has lived a life. He scored a plum gig as a head chef on the island of Sardinia where delicatessens (or gastronomia, as they’re also called) and panino bars are life. If you had to pinpoint the genesis of his long-standing love affair with miscellaneous cured meats, freshly made fromage, pickles and preserves – this is it. Once he’d devoured more cheese than any human should, he headed to London to helm the kitchen at some of the city’s top fine-dining establishments before moving to America to completely immerse himself in the art of smokehouse-style barbecue. Among Patrick’s diverse CV you’ll also find stints working as a private chef for Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, Gwen Stefani, Tom Jones and Rod Stewart, before settling in Sydney, Australia. Not one to sit idle for too long, he opened a smokehouse in Bondi and was one of the founders of Sydney’s insanely popular burger institution Milky Lane, which went on to open a franchise in Surfers Paradise. A hankering for a change of pace and scenery brought him to the Gold Coast, and boy, are we glad it did. Patrick has partnered with Renaldo Robbertse, who was also a franchisee of Milky Lane’s exceptionally successful Terrigal restaurant, to create Joe’s Deli at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre. Named after Patrick’s late father, who Patrick describes as “a great bloke with strong, old-school values,” Joe’s Deli aims to embody those very values with top-notch nosh and warm hospitality.
In some respects, Joe’s Deli is the culmination of Patrick’s global escapades. While the Italians tend to err on the side of refined minimalism, American cuisine, on the other hand, is the culinary equivalent of the expression ‘the more the merrier’. Joe’s Deli takes the best parts of each to create a seriously mouth-watering menu that offers eight deli-style sandwiches including the Original Deli, a glorious combination of salami, mortadella, cured ham, iceberg lettuce, provolone, pickled cucumber and red onion slathered with yellow mustard, aioli and jalapeno relish, and the meatball sub, which is loaded with steamy pork and veal meatballs, Napolitana sauce, parmesan, provolone, pickled cucumber and red onion. Joining the fully-loaded sandwiches are six piadinas, which, for the uninitiated, are super-thin Italian-style flatbreads filled with toppings and pressed until the cheese is gooey, not dissimilar to a calzone. Oftentimes, the sides are merely an afterthought, not here. Round out your meal with some crisp prosciutto mac ‘n’ cheese croquettes with truffle aioli, cold cuts including serves of mortadella, salami and prosciutto and pickles. Those who cannot resist dessert are also in for a treat with Patrick’s grandmother’s Hollywood two-tone cheesecake with liquid Nutella and brulee marshmallow alongside its own house-made ice-cream cookie sandwich that is encased between two freshly baked cookies. Everything at Joe’s Deli is made fresh to order – no shortcuts, no exceptions, just really excellent produce that speaks for itself. It’s old-school values, exactly the way Joe would have wanted it. Wash it all down with the venue’s own preservative-free craft beer or a glass of natural wine, which you can also purchase to-go.
Joe’s Deli officially opens on Saturday August 6. Skip over to our Stumble Guide for all of the delicious details.
