For 14 years, two different but excellent delis have formed the backbone of neighbouring communities, writes Ruth Gorb

There must have been something in the gastronomic air in 1991. Two delis, each superb in its own way, opened within a mile or two of one another in NW3.
And 14 years on, Giacobazzi’s in Fleet Road and the Belsize Deli in Belsize Village are both not only thriving but have become part of the foodlovers’ landscape.
Walk into Giacobazzi’s and you are transported to a small neighbourhood shop in Italy. The salamis, cheeses, good smell and the pasta coming straight from the kitchen have something to do with it, and then there’s Renata, with a smile and an exuberant welcome enough to warm any Italophile’s heart.
She is the quintessential Italian woman with the voice of north London. Her parents left an Italian village near Parma where nothing grew except potatoes and mushrooms (and the wild boar ate most of those) and had looked for work first in the city.
Her mother worked as a lady’s maid in Florence and her father in a restaurant. Finally they came to London, running a café in Camden Town and then in Kentish Town where Renata was born.
She went back to Italy and it was there she met Raffaele Giacobazzi. They started their life together running a pizzeria in her parents’ village.
“Too quiet for us; three bars, one grocer, one hairdresser and a church. And so much bureaucracy – we wanted to do things the English way.” Their enthusiasm took a knock when they applied to open a restaurant in Fleet Road and Camden Council turned them down.
There were too many restaurants, the couple was told. But they had found premises they liked, the old Scourfield’s general store that sold everything from oranges to umbrellas, and decided to open the sort of food shop that reminded them of what was best at home in Italy.
Raffaele, who had trained as a chef, was delighted to have his own kitchen and set about producing what Renata calls their “native food” – egg pasta, some plain and eight with different fillings. “I know it’s good. Our family would kill us if it wasn’t right,” she laughs. He makes soups, sauces – “crab sauce is the one he made me on our honeymoon” – and has a passion for chargrilling. His lasagne, aubergine parmigiano or pasta with porcini can be ordered specially, but there is always some ready for tired commuters to take home.
Everything in the shop is Italian. There are 10 different olive oils from all regions – the Siciliana, Renata says, is peppery and “divine”.
There are Italian salamis, cheeses made in Italy by Raffaele’s uncle, and little cheeses made by small producers in Piedmont delivered fresh every week.
The only non-Italian product, says Renata, is the bread from the bakers which supplies the Orient Express. “We sell what we know because we know what it should be like. And it’s paid off.”
The two delis present different philosophies, but both have paid off.
Far from staying firmly with one national style, the Belsize Deli is dramatically international. There are two owners: Napa Woolston comes from Thailand, Jose Teles from Madeira as does Joao the chef.
All of them worked originally at the Rosslyn Deli under the leadership of Noel Belier, who could not have been more French.
When they decided to set up on their own, they took their French know-how to the shop called Ken and Marie, which was Polish. They could not let down all the Belsize Village regulars so the herring in cream, Polish salami and cheesecakes (cooked by a Polish lady) had to stay.
The Belier/French influence, however, was strong. The new Belsize Deli quickly became famous for its cheeses, and rightly so. There are some 100 varieties, all of them arriving fresh from France every Thursday, and all of them, miraculously, in perfect condition. I defy anyone to find a better Vacherin (when in season) anywhere else in north London.
The home-cooked food has grown steadily in popularity. Everyone in the area knows that the Belsize does the best cooked-on-the-bone ham in the business, and six whole hams are consumed every week. If you are lucky, you catch it warm from the kitchen.
The coleslaw is made with their own mayonnaise and the celery remoulade has just the right amount of mustard. Customers cannot get enough of their puy lentil salad, their stuffed vine leaves, the seafood salad and the fishcakes. The place is a mecca for non-cooks – take home English shepherd’s pie or steak and kidney, or Turkish stuffed aubergines.
For anyone caught hungry in Belsize Village at lunchtime, there’s hot homemade soup and made-to-order sandwiches.
Napa’s eyes roam around the shelves. Don’t forget Hungarian, she said, and South African, and German... “And people come in especially on Tuesdays for our Ukrainian rye bread.”
n Giacobazzi’s Delicatessen is at 150 Fleet Road, NW3. Call 020 7267 7222 for details.
• The Belsize Village Delicatessen is at 39 Belsize Lane, NW3. Call 0207 794 4258 for details.