Brunch / ££ / 6/10

After mentioning Delilahs in an earlier review I was motivated to try eating there – brunch is one of my favourite meals and a quick look at their menu decided it. There was something for The Northerner and enough sweet stuff for me. Before we walked in I knew I would have the granola and the french toast, 2 courses are allowed at brunch. We asked about breakfast booze and went for the sparkling wine – we were on a limited window of having a happy 7 month old in the pram.

Delilahs has a special place in my heart, it is a BEAUTIFUL building, it has a glass roof that means the whole place is filled with the muted light that makes somewhere feel really special. The majority of the floor space is taken up with counters and produce that usually see me spending far more than I should on ‘picky bits’. There’s a central ‘bar’ for diners and drinkers covered in kilner jars filled with delicious treats. The warmth of the decor is mirrored in the quiet buzz from the mezzanine floor. Sod museums, if I could accidentally spend the night somewhere it would be here.

Onto the food, The Northerner ordered the Bacon, sausage and egg brioche roll and I stuck to my sweet tooth with the granola and french toast. If I was a millenial I would probably say ‘breakfast booze hits differently’ at this point; but I will simply remark that fizzy wine pre 12.00 really DOES take the edge off. My french toast arrived piled high with very crispy, streaky bacon, shiny with maple syrup and the ‘toast’ had a lattice of crispy, metallic egg. The first couple of mouthfuls set off fireworks, I could feel the sugar and salt having a party with the fizzy wine. As I ate more though I realised the toast element was a brioche roll, the sweetness began to overwhelm me a little and I ended up eating more bacon. Half the brioche roll was left, my blood sugar was raging.

I mistakenly thought I could rely on the granola to balance out the sweetness of the french toast. It is advertised with sour cherries and yoghurt but the quantities meant I had quite a lot of the sweet granola, covered in the sour cherry syrup (which had a delicious cough linctus taste) and not enough yoghurt to balance it all out. I didn’t manage more than a couple of mouthfuls before calling it a day as my tongue fizzed with sugar.

The Northerners roll (although badly photographed by me) fared better. The sausage and bacon were high quality and cooked well. He also struggled with the brioche roll, wanting a completely savoury breakfast and once the filling was finished he discarded the rest of the bun. Our table looked like a brioche graveyard. I struggled to give the breakfast the score I have as I feel so much goodwill for Delilah’s. If it ever shut down I would be gutted, it is a gem in the city. I will likely go back now I have been reminded of how much I love the building and will try their lunch offering and leave the sweet tooth at home.

Family – There are a few tables on the ground floor but the majority of seating is on the mezzanine floor which isn’t suitable for prams. The menu is aimed at adults with lots of rich options and nice drinks. Save this one for a lunch or brunch without the kids.