Fred's Deli breakfast review

Lovely food in a smart deli.

33 The Tything, Worcester, WR1 1JL

the deli

The deli can be accessed from The Tything up a couple of steps, or up a small ramp to the rear from Brittania Road. Once inside, we found a smart, modern interior with a light and airy feel. There are tables in four areas. Four tables are at the front of the deli, one in the middle by the counter, three in the back room, and four in the garden/patio at the rear. For our Fred’s Deli breakfast review we chose the back room which has a large skylight letting in copious amounts of sunlight.

The breakfast menu is interesting and varied. There is a full English and a vegetarian option; Eggs Benedict, Royale and Florentine; smoked salmon bagel, a very hearty and tasty Shakshuka; pastries, teacake, and pancakes, and porridge. Porridge is not my thing, but Christina always looks for this on a menu and likes it to be accompanied by fruit and honey which is one of the options at Fred’s.

We went there for the breakfast, but in addition to their breakfast menu is Fred’s lunch menu. It has a mix of sandwiches, flatbread and ciabatta rolls with various fillings, and a daily pasta dish. Catching my eye were the three varieties of pie made by Narraways, a local butcher. Served with mashed potato, mushy peas, crispy onions and a rich onion gravy, it looks a bargain at £7. The three flavours of homemade Scotch Egg look equally impressive.

On to the breakfast …

breakfast

shakshuka

It was the breakfast menu’s Shakshuka that caught my eye when I checked out their website the night before our visit. If you want a full English, or eggs on toast, there are so many eateries that will suffice. But I like to find somewhere with dishes that I haven’t tried – something a bit novel. When ordering the food there was almost a disaster. The waitress said she would check if they had Shakshuka. They did. However, the idea that they may have run out of a dish which makes them stand out from the crowd did not impress.

The dish, however, did impress. Variations of this dish are eaten in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The version at Fred’s Deli consisted of two fried eggs on a bed of mixed peppers and onions, with a hint of Mediterranean spice on a baked sauce of tomatoes, accompanied by flatbread. This is a delicious meal, full of flavour, very healthy, and quite filling.

Shakshuka is traditionally served with poached eggs rather than fried. However, I prefer my eggs fried. Fred’s Shakshuka is a very similar dish to the Menemen I had recently in my Coffee Warehouse breakfast review. The Shakshuka is tomato based, whilst the Menemen goes heavy on the peppers. I loved both dishes.

full English breakfast

Billy chose the full English. Smoked bacon, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans, vine tomatoes, eggs, and toast. It was creatively presented, and Billy said it was very tasty. As he doesn’t drink tea or coffee, Billy once again opted for a cold drink with his breakfast – Fentimans Victorian Lemonade. The lemonade was, according to Billy, quality.

smoked salmon bagel

Smoked salmon and scrambled egg in a toasted bagel. The dish looked good and tasted good. The bagel was crispy on the outside, the scrambled egg was good, and the salmon just right for my taste. When it arrived it didn’t look very substantial. However, despite being the least heavy of the three dishes we ordered, it was surprisingly filling. The accompanying green leaves didn’t look great on their own. It would have been good to have another couple of salad items on the plate.

My Mocha was exactly how I like it. Creamy, with a rich taste and served hot.

menus

around and about Fred's Deli

It is a five-minute walk to Worcester horse races and the riverside. The cricket ground is probably 10 minutes or so. Fred’s Deli is five minutes from both Foregate Street railway station and the Odeon cinema. It is even closer, one or two minutes, from both the Magistrates and Crown Courts.

facilities

parking

The restaurant does not have a car park. There is time-limited, on-street parking on the road outside. The nearest large car parks are Pitchcroft, Crowngate, and Silver Street.

disabled access

This restaurant is suitable for wheelchairs, has a ramp at the rear entrance, and there is a disabled toilet.

children

Children are welcome and high chairs are available.

toilets

The toilets were clean and there is a disabled toilet. The toilets house a baby-changing unit.

take-aways

Take-away food is available.