The Continental Delicatessen is directly next door to City Bakery, a shop that this one resembles in many respects. But whilst City Bakery has been around for six years, this business has been here even longer... over ten years in fact. There's a key difference between the two shops, (apart from the size... City Bakery is twice as big), and this is that The Continental Delicatessen sells Halal meat and poultry, and was the first to do so on City Road. Fazal Ali, the owner, laughs when he tells you that there are now about ten shops on City Road selling Halal meat, supporting this information with the commercial consequences of operating in a saturated market... "no-ones making money", he almost guffaws... "we're lucky to be just paying the rent". I guess Fazal has room to laugh. Not only was he the first to meet the demand for Halal meat in the area and so enjoyed exclusivity, and the associated financial rewards of being an innovator, but he also has at least one other business on this street alone. Not only has Fazal not kept all of his eggs in one basket where retail outlets are concerned, he is also an electrical engineer, and has worked as one much of his life, only retiring a year or so ago. So! Fazal has made his money and is very comfortable it seems. I'm really glad for him. He's a really lovely guy!
As with City Bakery, The Continental Delicatessen seems to be heavily patronised. There's always a queue at the meat counter, and again, people of all ethnic backgrounds and culturally diverse origins frequent the shop, which I love to see. Although small, The Continental Delicatessen has a feel of a souk or a miniature indoor market that is busting with life and activity. I get the feeling that shops like this do not simply trade their wares, but that they actually go some way towards supporting the community. It feeds the people and they feed it! read more