Tuesday 27 September 2011

Lusseau - The French Food Shop, Marmion Road, Southsea





Lusseau (named after the owner Marie Lusseau) is our newest food shop offering up an array of French delights, and has been open for four weeks now.   How exciting to have such a shop in our midst!   There are not enough independent deli/bakeries in Portsmouth, and whenever I visit Brighton, I always come home with a sense of envy at their infinite food scene, but Lusseau brings us that step closer to their ranks of sophistication. Lusseau is a smart independent store offering the likes of baguettes, patisseries, cured meats, cheeses and other French groceries.  Soon to be added to this list are wines too!  Their Ethos is to source only from quality French suppliers.  Marie has a kitchen upstairs which allows her to bake the fresh bread dough, and tells me she makes other delights too (which sell like hotcakes on a Saturday, so get in quick) such as cherry tarts and flan patissier.  Today was just a stop off to see how things are coming on, but I promised to be back on Saturday to make a purchase, and the rosemary bread looks like it will be making it’s way into my home for sure!

I wish Marie much success in her new venture. 

**UPDATED 1st February 2012  Lusseau is now a Delicatessen and not a French only food shop! Spanish, Italian, English and French produce! It also sells coffee and sandwiches**

Lusseau – 106 Marmion Road, Southsea, PO5 2BB
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm

28 comments:

  1. Ooh!! Think I shall be paying a visit at the weekend!!

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  2. I am french, and I can say, It is not really good french food for this price. It is expensive

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  3. It is a shame it is not made in house, delice de france seem to be the supplier when I passed recently, they are all frozen from the UK. Why not stay true to your adverts and actually make it all in house. The tarts are twice the price of similar products in waitrose.

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  4. I called last week to see this new shop but it sells all stuff, english stuff as well. It has stuff this is also sold locally like sandwich, chocolate, it seems very expensive also. I am french but do not think I will go there. Shame.

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  5. Just to keep you updated, Lusseau is now a Delicatessen and not a French only food shop! Spanish, Italian, English and French produce! It also sells coffee and sandwiches as requested by our regulars. Lusseau is doing extremely well, thank you to all our lovely customers!

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  6. All this update so I decide to go look at this shop. I am a foodie and watch food blogs all the time. This is a strange shop looking at the posts, it was french now it is everything but why would they sell the same stuff other local shops sell at lots more money. I looked and saw all the things in waitrose, they have chocolate near a chocolate shop they have coffee near cafes they have sandwiches near cafes what do they sell that is different tho?

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Amanda - perhaps the diversifying is a sign of the times, a way to keep afloat! Not saying it's right, just that maybe that's why it's happened. I have not been back since my first visit, but enjoy reading peoples comments.

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    2. Hello Celina. I would be great if you could update our page because it is sending the wrong messages to people. The shop has completely expanded, because we are doing very well as we sell produce that cant be found anywhere else!
      Thank you

      Marie and Lucile

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  7. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my comments. I do not also think it is right to copy others so close by. I do not know if others are unhappy but if I had a business close by and they were copying me I would be very unhappy. This is not the good way to do business.

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    1. Amanda you cannot write such critics without having been in the shop!
      We do not compete with any other shops, what we sell cannot be found anywhere else, even waitrose!
      If you think we are too expensive just go to iceland!

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  8. I haved lived locally for years, I have visited Lusseau and agree with posts from Amanda. First this shop was French which I thought was the whole point, then its changed. If they are doing so well why expand to copy other business's that are nearby?, which they are doing and more is appearing...its very confusing.

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  9. If you read my post you would have seen that i did visit your shop. I think you are a very rude lady. Do you mean you sell the same products as iceland? You seem to be turning into a little sweet shop and a cafe, now iceland too?? You do sell products that I can buy in waitrose, oat cakes, biscuits, crisps, tinned french veg, all at higher prices. I do not comment unless I have visited somewhere, why should I? When you were french you were different and special now you just seem confused and vindictive. sad

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    1. I was surprised to read Lusseau's comments back to you Amanda, could be quite damaging to their reputation!

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  10. Wow! Agreed, this is one shop I will not return to, what a terrible way to respond to the public & your customers.

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  11. First time i come across a food lover blog where actually it seems more like a food hater blog! Lusseau is a delightful shop, in which you can do all your shopping avoiding any other food store with excellent service from both ladies. Quality food and beautiful shop.

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    1. Hi Peter, thanks for your comments. I allow people to express their views freely, and we are all entitled to our opinions. This blog's nature is a positive overview of our local area, and you will find very little negativity by myself (the blogger)in my reviews.

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  12. perhaps then the the ladies with 'excellent service' should think how they speak and reply to people. Everyone is entitiled to their view (which were good to begin with until Lucile replied so rudely)

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  13. Interested in the shop and what it stocks but rubbish web site won't even let me get to the "Contact Us" email form no matter what browser I try.

    It looks as though the owners read this blog so a question : Do you stock Lait Ribot ? If you do then how much ?

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  14. My fiance and I regularly shop at Lusseau, and we very much enjoy visiting and purchasing product from the lovely ladies. The fresh food is devine, but you have to be quick as it sells very quickly! We are not British, and really do appreciate some good customer service which you do not see enough of in England. Keep up the great work ladies.

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  15. I think this shop very good value for money, you cant compare it to a high street chain like "Waitrose" thats just rubbish. It does lovely food, lovely bread and cakes. The wine is VERY good for the price and you can easily compare that to other shops if thats what you are into and Lusseau will still provide the more superior wine.

    It upsets me too see so much negativity to a new business especially in these hard economic times.

    And people are entitled to their opinion but an opinion doesn't mean its right.

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  16. This is a "food lovers blog", If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all ( my mother taught me that )


    Grow up

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  17. It is very funny how all these people are anonymous!! I have visited and would like to say that I did not have an opinion regarding the ladies until I read Lucile's answers to a customer - what a nasty lady. However I would like to say that the shop is very full but really needs more cold meats and pate selection to be classed a deli. I did try the pastries but would like to see home made ones as in Albert Road at Casa de Castro, all made from scratch in house rather than frozen and just baked off as in supermarkets of all types. I agree there are a lot of sweets and chocolate there, too much for a deli but perhaps they are hoping to take some trade from the shop a few doors away. I think the shop is okay but do wish it had been french but just stocked more french stuff rather than diversifying so soon. So more meats, olives and salads please and I will shop with you more often. Thank you.

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  18. To the comment if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all. Maybe you should tell Lucile this looking at the above. But you do miss the point of a review - it invites comments whether they are good or bad, it wouldn't be very true if you just banned anyone who didn't like the shop. I think lots of the above are relevant. The shop is very pretty but they are treading on the toes of other people very close by and if I was one of the traders being copied I would be very cross indeed. Ladies decide what sort of shop you want to be before you add anything else.

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  19. you can't have a go at these folk for 'copying' other shops nearby. how often do you see a pub directly across from another? How often do you see similar restaurants all in the same area (albert road), this is the competitive nature of business.....
    its a shame this post has descended into the farce that it now is, and honestly i don't blame Lucile at all. Look at the comments being made, and as the blogger has pointed out, this is supposed to be a positive review of what is on offer in the local area.
    In keeping with that philosophy, i will say that i have visited the shop. Some thing i liked the look of, some i didn't. Some i had seen before, some i hadn't. Some items looked a tad pricey, others reasonable. I came away having spent around £15, and had some lovely additions to our weekend dinner party, where Lusseau was spoken about in high regard

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  20. The service has been very good when I've been there.
    As for the stock, it would be great if they could specialise but surely in the current economic situation this would be very difficult.
    I think it's great if there are businesses like this springing up in Portsmouth. I'd prefer to shop there than any Supermarket, just wish there were more.

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  21. I have visited Lusseau a number of times and have been quite taken by the very helpful staff and selection on offer.

    I wish all at Lusseau the best of luck.

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  22. If I lived in Southsea, rather than visiting, I would shop there regularly.
    Because I am located in West Yorkshire it is my great good fortune to be close to quality food. I can choose, for example, between quality sausages, between quality curries, between fresh quality ingredients.
    The bakers win awards. The Otley chocolatier entrances everyone. The butchers have a long list of named suppliers. To earn the accolade of 'Champion Pork Pie'' the butcher must be good.To earn the accolade ''UK Curry Capital'' the curry houses have to excel.
    I regularly visit Portsmouth. I would always recommend the fish markets, but Portsmouth and Southsea were shackled to the supermarkets. No longer.
    The quality of the choices that can be made are more explicit, the lines are clearer.
    First with the chocolatier on Marmion Road, now with Lusseau next door, products can be found that are not to be found elsewhere in Portsmouth and Southsea, products that are exciting.
    The very best of luck to them.

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