La Grande Bouchee

Great little deli on ‘bouche’ street — yes, there are three delis/​cafes with ‘bouche’ in the name here, so far this is the best ‘bouche’ I have tried. The ‘mighty’ ‘bouche’ if you will.
Excellent lunchtime baguettes, although rather confusing to order a bespoke one since they keep all of their ingredients in the back, so you really have no idea what is available without deconstructing the pre-​made menu.
They certainly aren’t afraid of quantity either, I had a chicken escalope, bacon and cheese baguette which required a reasonable amount of hefting to eat.

La Grande Bouchee is a little French delicatessen. I think it’s run by just a few elderly men who seem lovely and only have a very a slight touch of that annoying French superiority about them. When I’m browsing I often see then giving away free mini cakes to the children that pop in, although I haven’t received one yet (maybe that’s because I’m not French, but I’d like to hope that it’s because he thinks I’m simply too old for free treats).
It’s only a tiny shop with a mini deli counter, but the food is good and you can always find something a little different here along with the usual selection of cheese and cold meats. Today they were eager to show me the fresh white truffles new in this week and although I did take a sniff of the tiny container as it was wafted it in front of me (dear god, delicious) it was slightly out of my price range at £75 a truffle!
The sandwiches on the other hand are good value. For the same price as a slimy supermarket triangle (around £2.50) you can get a huge hunk of fresh baguette filled with cheeses, pates and meats. I used to grab a great combination of avocado and crispy bacon with freshly ground pepper on the way to the tube, but after once finding a horrible black hair in mine, which completely put me off, I’m afraid to say that I wont be buying one again.
I’m a sucker for traditional touches and I just think this place is a little gem. It has the sort of air about it that makes you think that they’re using the old fashioned cash register, which is rather cute, out of preference rather than for show.

We patronized this Parisian-​style delicatessen several times when we rented an apartment nearby during one of our visits. They have a nice selection of cold meats, cheeses, and baguettes for sandwiches, an assortment of prepared salads to accompany them, and pastries for dessert. It’s one-​stop shopping for a gourmet lunch.