London's best breakfast at Golborne Deli

I'm on a mission to find the best breakfast in London and I need you to help me. For me, there can be fewer more satisfying events than a slightly lazy, unhurried Saturday morning over a good breakfast, preferably with the sun on my toes or some other exposed part of my body. It is a thing to be cherished. Granted, this doesn't happen often in London (at least the toe bit) but we had some stunning weather recently and I suggested to Mr B that we skip the cereal and go out for some eggs.

There's a couple of decent brekky options near me. Within striking distance of my place I quite like Raoul's in Maida Vale, although it can be a bit of a scrum to get a table there if you are not up with the sparrows. More recently, I've started to go to the Golborne Deli. It's a short bike ride from home and is located at the top end (or bottom end depending on your perspective) of Portobello Road. It's on the part of the street where the tourists seem to baulk at venturing any further. That's good news for me as I can usually grab a table without any problem.

The breakfast menu isn't substantial at the Golborne Deli, and I always tend to gravitate to the scrambled eggs.  For the bargain price of £8.90 you get some beautiful daffodil-yellow scrambled eggs, served on a toasted ciabatta and topped with a few slices of salty grilled pancetta. With this comes a coffee of your choice and a fresh juice, usually orange, apple, lemon or grapefruit. Can we rewind? It's £8.90. And the coffee is pretty good too.

Like I said, there are other items on the menu, such as toasted panettone with custard, or porridge, but I can't go past these eggs. They've never been overcooked and the chef usually delivers extra runny eggs for Mr B. You can also buy the eggs by the half dozen if you feel like recreating the experience at home.

The service is always warm and friendly. The room has a few communal tables and some interesting art on the walls. It's a lovely relaxed way to start the day. The menu also extends to lunch and dinner options too, but I've yet to get down there for that. It's on the list though.

When I'm down the Golborne Road, I generally walk up to the Lisboa Patisserie for fantastic Portuguese tarts and cakes to get a few nibbles for later in the day. My closest fishmonger is also on the street. It's where I got the octopus for the stew we made a few weeks back. It's also nice to browse the bric-a-brac for sale too, without the crowds which congregate around the corner from Pizza East onwards.

So for me, this qualifies as London's best breakfast. Sure the food might not be the most luxurious or refined or unique. But for me a great breakfast is not just about a good scrambled egg, although it's high on the list of priorities. It's also the service, the location, the environment and the price. Golborne Deli is not fancy by any stretch, but it hits so many right notes I'm pressed to think of better. But let me ask you. Where is your favourite place to breakfast, or dare I say, brunch, in London? What defines a good breakfast for you?

All this talk of ideal breakfasts remind me. I should tell you about the times I've eaten at the Choux Box (insert laugh here) in the modest seaside suburb of Kingscliff in northern New South Wales, Australia. The breakfasts on the footpath opposite the bowls club are something I look forward to whenever I visit my family there.
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