In case you were wondering, chefs opening takeaways is still A Thing. Morgan McGlone's Nashville chicken is marching right across the country and into the US. Shannon Bennett has just rolled out his first Melbourne burger shop. And now, here's a sandwich-focused deli on Richmond's Buckingham Street, co-owned by Dom Wilton and chef Jason Barratt, a pair of Stokehouse alum.

"We wanted to recreate an old-school sandwich shop with a corner store vibe," Wilton says.

That is evident from the decor that amounts to white tiles, whitewashed walls and concrete flooring, to the menu of five or six sangas.

It's basically an ode to sandwiches you've loved, done with good ingredients. Their ham and cheese toastie comprises mortadella, provolone and mozzarella with tomato chutney in sourdough – a nod to the Italian immigrants who predominantly ran the shops in the '70s. There's Petuna cold-smoked trout in a 5 & Dime bagel with Yarra Valley caviar, beetroot cream cheese and red onion. You can also get a Sicilian-style Nutella-slathered brioche bun with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

There is stool seating for nine inside, 18 outside, with a standing espresso bar churning out Axil coffees. The actual deli service kicks off soon and will sell takeaway cold cuts, cheeses and eggs to go.

Open Tue-Fri 7am-4pm; Sat-Sun 8am-3pm.

Shop 1, 94 Buckingham Street, Richmond, (no phone) hectorsdeli.com.au