Cheese Block

[timtim]

Love the cheeses but what's up with the grumpy staff? The guy, who I assume to be the owner, reminds me of the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld..NO cheese for you today!

[snorky]

In the ole skool traditional nuclear family snorky household we laughingly refer to it is as the "Cheesy C*ck".

The little snorklets literallty roll aboput with laughter every time

[Quaywe]

damn good cheese though. Better than ED Deli.

[snorky]

Quaywe Wrote:

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> damn good cheese though. Better than ED Deli.

Yes.

and their lunch rolls - ciabatta - expensive at ?2+, but fantastic

Oh dear......did I really say this ?

[Louisa]

What a bloody rip off..

[Jeremy]

Is that a roll with cheese in it... or just a ciabatta roll?!

[clare]

Well he probably hasn't got over his wife dying very suddenly a couple of years ago of pneumonia. She used to work in there too.

Mind you he was also quite grumpy before that.

[Chartwell]

It's not that he's just grumpy it's the way that he appears to fix you with a stare of real derision! Not that it seems to have done any harm to his business...yet!

[bailey]

these guys are okay just a little aloof, agreed could be more friendly,

nothing compared to the moody guy from SMBS ( same company ? )

the middle aged unshaven guy, think he's the bossman, now he is

one misantrope and the younger guys are wicked. All a bit strange.

[Paul Holdsworth]

Have you tried talking to these people - more than once? I used to shop in SMBS and the Cheese Block regularly, and found that, once we'd become acquainted, everyone was nice as pie! Do you expect retailers to fake a cheeky chappy smiley attitude with everyone that comes through their door? Go in to either shop on a Saturday and see the big queues, arsy customers and then ask yourself "Could I keep up a positive attitude for every single customer in these circumstances?" Probably not - you'd be too busy trying to get everyone served as efficiently as possible. Midweek, mid-morning - they have time for chat. Otherwise, they're concentrating on getting you served. As for the derisory stare - that just sounds like rampant paranoia.

I can't be the only one who thinks these are the two best shops in ED - can I?

[Jamie]

I have to say I agree with Paul. I love SMB and get on really well with all the guys there. Sometimes they are happy sometimes not. That's life no? Also got offered a free haircut in there last week by Village Hair. Apparently on Tuesday they are short of men for practise so offer free haircuts and acost you if you loiter to much...

Really good haircut actually

[spadetownboy]

i apologise in advance for this but maybe they,re just cheesed off, sorry.

[Jo]

I don't mind grumpy retail staff if the product's good (used to work in retail so I get it), and to be honest I get weirder stares in EDD, where the cheese isn't as good or as varied and they have no samosas. This last one is very very important. Cheese Block samosas rule.

(and yes they are the same company as smbs)

[Chartwell]

There is no doubting the quality produce and as much as I would like to I don't get in there enough to build the relationship with friendly chats. Yes, it must be a real pain to deal with arsey customers but isn't there something in attempting to deal with each customer as an individual for that few minutes that the transaction is conducted? That's not paranoria that's just having a sense that your custom might be valued even if one is not able to get in there mid morning, mid week.

[Ko]

bailey Wrote:

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> these guys are okay just a little aloof, agreed

> could be more friendly,

> nothing compared to the moody guy from SMBS ( same

> company ? )

> the middle aged unshaven guy, think he's the

> bossman, now he is

> one misantrope and the younger guys are wicked.

> All a bit strange.

The middle aged unshaven guy - the other day, he came up to me and started telling me what produce was particularly good that day (he'd been to the market that morning) and having a joke with me. I also once asked his advice about something I wanted to buy and he was really helpful.

To be honest, they're not the sort to shout a smiley greeting to everyone who comes in which can give the impression of aloofness, but if you get talking to them they are really friendly. I suppose just as often as we get aloofness from shopowners, they must get just as much aloofness (and rudeness) from a number of their customers.

I actually find SMB and Cheese Block to be more helpful than East Dulwich Deli, so I will continue to use them (but the queues at SMB on Saturdays do my head in!)

[snorky]

Jo Wrote:

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> I don't mind grumpy retail staff if the product's

> good (used to work in retail so I get it), and to

> be honest I get weirder stares in EDD, where the

> cheese isn't as good or as varied and they have no

> samosas. This last one is very very important.

> Cheese Block samosas rule.

>

> (and yes they are the same company as smbs)

word

[beth]

Love those samosas! Yum, YUM! And nice bread! And fab vege roti wraps! God, you can tell I'm desparate now for any destraction from my work can't you?

[Paul Holdsworth]

Chartwell Wrote:

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> Yes, it must be a real pain to deal with

> arsey customers but isn't there something in

> attempting to deal with each customer as an

> individual for that few minutes that the

> transaction is conducted? That's not paranoria

> that's just having a sense that your custom might

> be valued even if one is not able to get in there

> mid morning, mid week.

I'd agree with you absolutely, Chartwell, if these fantastically popular and successful shops were just setting up - but they're not! They've got more business than they can handle, and they've probably (intuitively) worked out that they're better off just getting on with business at peak periods, spending time chatting when they're less busy, and accepting that if this loses them the business of more, er, sensitive types, then it's not really worth worrying about.

And they're not just the same business, they're FAMILY! So that sudden death was a wife, a mother, and an auntie to the guys working in both shops - and of course, they worked right through it - they've got proper stiff upper lips! I say big it up for independent retailers - they love their customers - they're the best!

And yes, their samosas rule, and so does their astounding foccaccia!

[Chartwell]

I'll continue to shop at the Cheese Block and have long since learnt to expect good produce and efficient service...and should be grateful for that.

[mishadreams]

Cheese block is brilliant, sure they don't go all Yankee on you and fawn when you deign to enter their shop but frankly I can't stand that cheery C**p when it's obvious they don't mean it. We've lived in ED since 1998 and have been going to both to the Cheese block and SMBS for years and have never had any issues at all. the (Cheese Blocks) boss is also a fabulous cook, knows more about all things food/cheese related than most have forgotten and has a remarkable appetite for Lemoncello, which is nice. Personally I don't think EDD does anything worthy of note, poor ingredients, poor staff, poor prices. Just my point of view of course.

[Ant]

Limoncello - blargh!

[mishadreams]

fantastic stuff ! not as good as Grappa but hey ho

[David Mc]

I'm with Ant on this. I have a very sour/acidic-dominated palate and an unhealthy affinity for alcohol but Limoncello is just wrong.