When the lockdown started 4 months ago in December, this is where my obsession of finding the best pastry began. I mean, if we can't go and dine in a restaurant, what else can we look forward to right?
So rewarding myself with delicious pastries has been my ultimate excuse for dragging myself out of the house and achieving that daily step count goals.
So I'm gonna share with you my fave pastries in London:
I've honestly lost count on how many times I've been to this place. I would just blame it on its location that is so close to my place (only 30 mins walking distance!). And half of the time I'd find it with a long queue outside of the store. So getting there early is a safe bet!
Pophams offers an innovative spin on traditional viennoiserie baking techniques. Here are our faves:
Where: Islington, N1 8PF | Hackney, E8 3NJ
When: Tue-Sun 8:00-16:00
What to get: Bacon & Maple Syrup (fave!) (£4) | Marmite, Schlossberger & Spring Onion (£4) | Pain Au Chocolate (£2.8) | Everything that they have really!
This French-influenced boulangerie & patisserie offers a range of delicious flaky pastries. I love their Palmier (£2) and Kouign Amann (£3.5). The last time I was there I was lucky enough to get my hands on their last piece of Hazelnut Pain au Chocolate (£3.95)!
I tried one of their unique bread too – Croissant Loaf (£6), it's like a croissant in a shape of bread loaf... oohh I feel so fancy eating that!
When: Everyday 8am-6pm, plenty of time for you to visit!
What to get: Palmier (£2) | Hazelnut Pain au Chocolate (£3.95)
Now I'm sure you'll easily find this as they have quite a lot of branches across London. I've only tried their Cinnamon Bun but it genuinely blew my mind! It is not like your usual cinnamon bun where it's dough-y, the texture of this one is flaky and crispy like croissant. So I would highly recommend for you to try this.
Where: Across London
When: Each branch varies, please check their website.
What to get: Cinnamon Bun (£2.7)
Speaking of cinnamon buns, these guys are a go-to if you are around Notting Hill area (even if you're not, please make way to visit them!). It's amazing how they started this during the first lockdown at their home kitchen and it thrived so well that they decided to open their own shop in Notting Hill!
They serve a lot of flavours, from the traditional sweet one to a savoury one. I've tried their original one, Blueberry Cheesecake, and their hot dog one. And nothing disappoints me!
Where: Notting Hill, W11 1JA
When: Everyday, 8am-6.30pm
What to get: Cinnamon Buns (all of them!)
Still talking about cinnamon buns, this Swedish bakery has 6 locations across London. Their knot-shape bun is not only pretty to look at, but to devour as well.
Where: Shoreditch, Kensington, Covent Garden, Notting Hill, Fitzrovia, High Holborn
When: Each branch varies, please check their website.
What to get: Cinnamon & Cardamom Bun (£3)
Another nordic bakery is this Danish inspired coffee shop just 10 mins from High St Kensington. Hjem [ˈjɛmˀ] means home in Danish.
I was walking around the neighbourhood and noticed a huge line up in front of it. And if you must know something about me, is I have FOMO which means I need to know what is this queue about! So my husband joined the queue while I was trying to find out what it is. And we got one of their Cardamom Buns and Cinnamon Sticks which was amazing!
When: Everyday, 7.30-17.30
What to get: Cardamom Bun, Cinnamon Stick
Meaning "coffee house" in Tagalog, Kapihan is a Filipino bakery located in Battersea. I would suggest to come early in the morning or be prepared to join the long queue.
We came at 11 but they already sold out most of their breads. So we ended up trying their Spanish Latte and Bawang Boy, which was a garlic bread filled with cream cheese and then soaked in a confit garlic and herb butter, which was obviously delicious!
When: Tue-Sun, 8.30-2.30pm
What to get: Bawang Boy (£4), Pan de coco
There is another Filipino bakery in Kentish Town from the people behind Mamasons Ice Cream.
We actually came to try their famous Corned Beef Sando (£7.5), which is out of this world! It is like a Japanese Croquette sandwiched in soft bread so it gives that beautiful texture contrast.
We also tried their Brown Sugar Taho Boba, however it was a bit too sweet for my liking. We wanted to try their Ube French Toast but they did not have it when we were there. I guess that means I have to come back another time which I will!
When: Everyday, 9-5pm
What to get: Corned Beef Sando (£7.5)
Rinkoff bakery is a family run business that was established in 1911, which means they have now been producing speciality bread, cakes and rolls for over 100 years!
We tried their famous Crodough (a hybrid of Croissant and Doughnut) and it was one of the best cronuts I've ever had! It was so crispy yet still soft and so so so delicious!
When: Sun-Fri, 8-5pm | Everyday 8-6pm
What to get: Crodough (£3)
This newly reopened bakery is located in the heart of Marylebone. We had a chance to visit them and tried their pastries. They have absolutely one of the prettiest Pain au Chocolates and savoury Croissants and they were so flaky and delicious!
Their service was excellent and very accommodating too! We visited when it was not allowed to dine inside yet, but they were so kind to lend us plates and cutleries for photo purposes only. And after the styling session, they kindly gave us a takeaway bag for us to devour outside.
When: Everyday, 8-6pm
What to get: Pain au Chocolate (£4), Egg salad Croissant (£3.5)
*I was invited at Boxcar, but as always all opinions are my own.
Comments