Look, I don’t need to be reminded that if I were to stop spending such a large proportion of my income on expensive coffee and croissants, in approximately fifteen years time, I might be able to buy myself a one-bedroom parking space in Zone 6. But I believe in the significance of the little things in life. The simple pleasures that brighten up my day-to-day existence. And do you know what lights up my life far brighter than the prospect of owning a property does? Pastries, of course.
Now, if you’re even a fraction as dependent on TikTok as I am on carbohydrates, you’ll have most-likely heard about Arôme. The delicious duo of bakeries have taken London (and social media) by storm in recent years with their unique (and utterly scrumptious) baked goods. Co-founded by a French pastry chef (Alix André) and a Singaporean restaurateur (Ellen Chew); Arôme innovatively blends traditional French patisserie techniques with Asian-inspired flavours. And despite a lot of viral spots not quite being worthy of the hype that surrounds them; Arôme somehow manages to live up to theirs in spades. So much so that the bakery has just managed to nab itself a spot on The Telegraph’s recent list of the very best bakeries in London. Not bad, hey?
Arôme Bakery
The team at Arôme bake their fresh, seasonal products in-house daily. There’s an impressive spread of sweet and savoury pastries on offer; each of which fantastically fuses Eastern and Western flavours. Now, I must warn you: you’re going to require an awful lot of will-power so as not to order one of everything. But the great news is that no matter what you opt for; it’s guaranteed to be delicious. Of course, you can’t go wrong with one of their perfectly-baked croissants or pain au chocolats, but we’d highly recommend you snapping up something slightly more out-of-the-box like their Miso Bacon Escargot, their truly beloved Honey Butter Toast, or their oh-so seasonal Apple Sesame Slice.
Popular items do tend to sell out fairly quickly, and you may need to queue to get your hands on something, but it’ll be worth the wait. If you’re one of the lucky Londoners who manages to bag one of the very few tables inside, you can enjoy your inevitable pastry-coma from within the modern and minimalistic space. If you don’t manage to nab a table, though – fear not. Because there are very few things that beat grabbing a coffee and a sweet treat to-go, and heading on an autumnal amble around the city.
So, go forth and enjoy your expensive flat whites and flaky croissants. Buying a house is overrated anyway.
You’ll find Arôme at 9 Mercer Street, WC2H 9QJ and 27 Duke Street, W1U 1LE.
Nearest stations are Covent Garden and Bond Street.