Full English in an Italian deli may seem mildly absurd

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But we discover they could teach us a thing or two about our national breakfast

There’s something gloriously indulgent about going out for a leisurely late morning breakfast. Whether you’re meeting friends or enjoying a much needed bit of ‘me time’ over the Sunday paper, breakfast is the ideal accompaniment.

With coffee chains dominating much of the café scene along the main stretch of Chiswick High Road, it’s easy to feel as though the authentic neighbourhood café is a thing of the past. Not so.

At either end of Chiswick Highroad there are still some brilliant local cafés which succeed in tempting locals away from big name competitors. At the Hammersmith end of the Chiswick Highroad, just at the point where the Highroad merges with King Street, it’s still possible to revel in the delights of the neighbourhood café.

One of the perks of writing restaurant reviews is that it’s considered perfectly acceptable to dine alone. With this in mind, one lazy late Thursday morning, I ambled up to the Caffé Divina Delicatessan on King Street in order to put their full English breakfast to the test.

The concept of ordering a full English breakfast in an Italian deli may seem mildly absurd; however, having sampled the best breakfast the Caffé Divina Delicatessan has to offer, I suspect the Italians could teach us a thing or two about our own national breakfast dish.

The service at the Caffé Divina Delicatessan was swift and friendly. Telling myself that the vast quantity of calories I was about to consume was all in the name of research, I opted for the full English washed down with orange juice. I was a little disappointed when the juice arrived in a plastic bottle, but in its defence I have to say that it was one of the freshest bottled juices I’ve tasted.

A little while later, as I was absorbing the café’s tranquil atmosphere, the patron spotted a regular who had just entered the café and greeted him with a phrase I sensed he must repeat often: ‘Hiya. Will that be the usual for you?’ I was sold already.

When my breakfast arrived it became clear that I wouldn’t need to eat again for some time. I felt more than a little gluttonous as I tucked into two eggs, a grilled tomato, two sausages, plenty of beans, a generous serving of mushrooms, two grilled rashers of bacon and two buttered slices of toast.

Caffé Divina Delicatessan’s grilled English breakfast is an extremely tasty and healthy (or healthy-ish) take on a breakfast dish which is so often served in an unappetising pool of grease. The bill came to £5.50 which, given the size of the portions and the welcoming aura of the café, was worth every penny.

Lucy Metherall

August 29, 2007