City Treats

There is absolutely nothing I like better than to walk around a city, especially London, on a sunny afternoon, stopping only to have a sweet treat break.

 In the very heart of Soho you can find respite from the traffic and people in Italian Bakery, Princi on Wardour Street. On entering you are greeted with the smell of fresh baked bread and coffee and an incredible display of pastries are housed in a glass and marble case.

This is what I ended up getting, quite honestly it is THE best mille feuille I have ever scoffed. Crispy sweet pastry sandwiches thick and luscious French pastry cream scented with vanilla, then to give the pud stability a spongy layer of vanilla cake is added, then it is topped with apricot-jam-glazed strawberries. Seriously this is food porn at its finest.

www.princi.co.uk

Now, these aren't great pictures, granted, but just imagine; it's a cold February evening, you're out to dinner with some friends at Gilgamesh in Camden. You enter a tiny doorway and immediately walk up moving escalators in high heels when you are greeted by a woman wearing all black, she takes your coat and offers you a seat in the sunken bar where pink lights create deep shadows from the frescos. The walls are clad with panels of bearded Syrian warriors and their horses - a perfect synergy between nature and opulent luxury. 

You finally get to your table and are presented with the most perfect miso glazed sea bass - you eat the lot even though you know you are about to go out dancing shortly. My friends opted for the giant fruit bowl for dessert (see pic), clever; I on the other hand had other plans...


Deep and dark in colour it was coupled with a blob of white lusciousness, it was a steaming chocolate fondant with cold Madagascan vanilla ice cream, I knew then that dancing was doomed and that the evening was being completely and unreservedly given to that amazing mound of chocolate gooeyness - and I was happy.

I have made them at home from a Gordon Ramsay recipe and I have to say, they were just as good, perhaps I will discuss them in later blog.

Another chocolate haven is Cocmaya. Pretty much everything is made fresh; the bakes, cookies, chocolates and marshmallows.There are four store fronts in London, one is a stall in Heathrow Terminal 5-worth the flight just for that, but my favourite is in Porchester Place, a ten minute walk from Marble Arch tube and Oxford Street.
The store front reminds me of a delicate English tea room, white and pink, it looks elegant and girly, but when you walk through those doors you see an array of chocolates laid out on a long wooden table, much like I imagined in the book Chocolat.

During special holidays Cocomaya create limited edition selections of spiced and flavoured confectionary, and various adorable heart shaped biscuits are often on display for Valentines Day. Their pumpkin ganache truffles are obviously great for Hallowe'en or as a gift for American friends for Thanksgiving. Some chocolates are given more subtle hints of flavour with tea infused milk chocolate and they have even created a cola flavour. I love the salted caramel filled truffles and their praline is just unbelievable.

A trip to Cocmaya really is an amazing way to end a day of shopping, or any day for that matter, in the City.