Baker & Spice

Before I agree to meet you for a lunch date, please note I suffer from a crippling Fear of Missing Out. The problem is I never want what’s on a menu, I want everything on it, but not exactly. It might involve mixing and matching, starters to mains, or having a side as start, or even, just having the cheese. In advance I appologise.
I do respect the craft and the curation of a skilled chef and if you want me to experience your totalitarian menu where nothing can be adjusted, then don’t expect me to adjust my ratings when I think that I’d turn up the flavours, some.
You may think, to help me decide it may be useful to perhaps send me the menu before our lunch date, or got forbid make me pre-​order. Never make me pre-​order.
Send me a menu and ask me to preorder my food for your life event and yes, I’ll RSVP, come to your party but I may like you less whilst I chomp down on a Suffolk ham terrine with loganberry compote, which I’ve been anticipating the taste of for the last 63 days.
So what can a contrary difficult to please person like me have for brunch at a Bakery and what can I have here?
Eggs any way I want them? Sometimes yes, but today, I don’t know.
Pancakes with an array of teeth shattering sugary toppings? Organic Golden Syrups? Agave, even, fresh exotic fruits like the curiously tasteless dragon fruit, perhaps chocolate ganache with bouncing blueberries? Probably not today.
What about Muesli or a glorious homemade granolas? Nope. Definitely not, if I can pour it out of a box at home, or I’ve woken up in a bed that is within slipper wearing distance and this cereal is part of a buffet and breakfast is a tsk inducing experience as I see people stuffing pain au chocolates into their backpacks, no.
Pain au chocolates? Enough.
Let the inner rumbles of my hunger haunt me, let my indecision scrape at my empty stomach.
In a particularly indecisive mood during a brunch date; my date tucked into eggs florentine, a girl nearby comparing swathes of fabrics and tweeting their thread counts, pushed a grape around a plate and let a perfectly good cappuccino go flat until the chocolate had turned into a hard disk on the cooled milk. A gentleman nearby loudly cracked a financial times blowing crumbs of a perfectly crisp Almond Croissant from his plate all over his waistcoat, where I’m sure no doubt, flecks of sweet pastry would be found in his pocket watch pocket weeks later.
This place is a local haunt «where everybody knows your… «, preference of non-​dairy milk.
After noticing a varie-​Tea of Suki Teas that could be blended with ice and mixed like a cocktail, I was sold on the concoction of Apple Loves Mint which cooled my clammy neck as I felt flustered and hot with any calamitous decision I was about to make about food and had absolutely, no more time to stall on my order.
After our waitress had given me more than a moment, a few minutes more and even allowed me a final check at the desk just to make sure I wasn’t making the wrong choice, I spotted the average person’s midweek elevenses favourite.
Octopus.
A large plate of, sliced, firm but tender tentacles trimmed into medallions. Light and lemony dressed in an impossibly sweet nutty olive oil and finely chopped parsley to garnish.
Yes!!!
Served with a side of perfectly al dente fine, fine green balsamic beans. I had met my Waterloo in Kensington.
I still took a bite out of my dates, almond croissant. What? It was just to make sure! He offered!
I’d give them 5 stars but with porridge at £6, I’d be there all day making up my mind on what to put on it to justify that (and no amount of Dragon Fruit/​Ham/​Tahini compote would do that!)

Ok, so I don’t usually write reviews but I believe that what happened to my girlfriend and I when we went to Baker and Spice makes the review worthwhile. We arrived at 3pm and first thing we were told was that their system was down and they were only taking cash payments. One of the waitresses directed me to the nearest cash point (10 mins away walking) so while I went there my gf sat down in a table and waited, by the time I got back (3:20pm) and tried to order, they said they were no longer serving brunch since the chef had left (even though the menu clearly says they serve brunch until 4pm) one male waiter was prudent enough and apologised for not letting us know in advance, he then left and I was able to see how when he explained the situation to the manager, she literally just shrugged her shoulders, put on her sweater and went out of the restaurant. We were truly disappointed of the service and I still cannot believe how someone without any sort of tact or even customer service skills be in charge of what appears to be a pretty good place to eat. We ended up going somewhere else, after paying for one juice we had ordered because of course, they were not attentive enough to say it was on the house for the trouble they had caused us (like any other restaurant with decent customer service would have done)

I came to Baker & Spice looking for pain au chocolat, and boy was I surprised. I walked in and the place was very busy with families there for breakfast and some solo people catching up on the news with coffee. I walked over to their pastisserie and found a huge selection of pastries. Of course I couldn’t get just the chocolate croissant. I got that, a pear danish, and a chocolate cookie. There was a girl working there who was very attentive and came to help me bag my items (even though I could have done it myself).
The pain au chocolat was buttery with a soft chocolate filling. Very scrumptious.
The pear danish was also tasty, and large so I split that with my family. It wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked and tasted more like just a cheese danish but it was still very tasty.
The chocolate chip cookie was crunchy and not too sweet. So good!
My only jist is I wish they something to cover the pastries with because I noticed a few fruit flies around the pastries. For me, it’s just not very appealing to watch little flies sit on what I’m about to eat.

Was a little early for a group meeting and luckily ran across this little gem. Lots of salad choices: I ended up trying the sweet potato, sunblush tomato and fennel. Was yummy — dressed well and colourful.
The staff were busy but friendly and I liked the fact that there was a lot of produce to explore on the shelves. Not my usual neighbourhood so I probs won’t get around to visiting again but lovely spot :)

Die Atmosphäre beim betreten des bakers and spice ist so gar nicht snobbi wie der rest der Gegend-​dafür schon einmal ein grosses like. Gemütliche Einrichtung im italo-​french deli style. Ist es etwas voller werden die tische grundsätzlich geteilt. Die cinnamon buns sind einfach göttlich und auch kaffee und der rest des angebotenen essens sind frisch und lecker. Wer hier nichts findet dem ist nicht mehr zu helfen ;) einziger wehrmutstropfen sind die preise… für sussteile auf dem Niveau ist es mir das aber definitiv wert. Die hat nicht jedes deli. Bei den Hauptgerichten gibt es anderweitig genausogute und günstigere alternativen. Trotzdem fünf sterne! Da definitiv ein Lieblings laden!

We’ve eaten here several times. Great spot for delicious & relaxing breakfast, as well as people-​watching. Awesome Croque Madame is served on yummy thick bread (it could be thinner, actually). Perfect cheese & sauce. Good eggs.
Great, crispy French toast. Husband likes it with honey.
Husband enjoyed the traditional English breakfast, though it was huge!
Eggs Benedict is ok, not the best I’ve had. Sauce just wasn’t perfect and bread was too thick and too sweet.
Tea service is awesome.
Try the almond lemon pastry too. Delicious!
Dark haired waitress is really nice.

I love Baker & Spice but NOT this branch. Go to the one in Selfridges. This one closes at 7pm but the staff was obviously frowny and not-​stoked when we rocked up at 6. The few salads left: red cabbage slaw, artichoke with olives, red beets in vinagarette, looked amazing but tasted like they were dressed in salt dressing (if there were to be one. The beef lasagne was awesome but not amazing enough to compensate the salt salads nor one more star! One last thing about the staff: clearly they were rushing us out giving us a 10min warning of closing when we were obviously nearly done with our meal. They should have earlier closing times rather than hinting us to leave.

Really delicious croissants, at a price… but probably worth it.

Warum stehen auf der Karte knapp sieben verschiedene Saftsorten aber zur Auswahl stehen dann nur Apfelsaft und Apfelsaft ähm née wirklich nur Apfel!!! Das lustigste war das die Bedienung die Problematik zw. «Karte und tatsächlichem Angebot» auch nicht wahrhaben wollte. Ok dann halt Apfelsaft! ;o) Die Auswahl an Kuchen usw. war gut aber irgendwie hat es mich trotzdem nicht umgehauen.

Wow! Best bakery around! You must try it!

This little gem filled with lovely yumminess is not only a fantastic bakery, but offers savory prepared salads and dishes to eat in the cafes small space or for take away.
There are many temping treats all baked on the premises, with the usual favorites of croissants and muffins, fruit tarts, and a selection of artisan breads. I am partial to their delicate cocktail cheese biscuits in flavors such as Parmesan, and jalapeño cheddar. Be warned that once you have their zesty Lemon Drizzle cake, none other will ever do.

1) At work I was drafted in as an amateur (cheap) stylist on a food shoot — the very trendy (expensive) photographer demanded an array of photographic comestibles from Baker & Spice.
2) My friend Mark works in the food industry in Cape Town, South Africa. On a recent research trip to London Baker & Spice was top of his must see list.
3) On their website Baker & Spice have a section offering catering on private jets.
The above gives some idea of what the B&S experience will be like — some, but definitely not all.
My photographer was probably thinking less of visual aesthetics than of her stomach. As gorgeous as they are, B&S creations focus more on superb (largely organic) ingredients and technique than on visuals. The food is appetizing, no doubt, but in a slightly hippy, good-​earth, bountiful Mother Nature home-​made sort-​of way. Dainty chi-​chi cupcakes you can find elsewhere.
I somewhat fancied a slice of blueberry cheesecake — although it looked huge and generous, I was slightly nervous it would turn out to be disappointing stodge. The risk was escalated by the vertiginous price of a slice — second mortgages required.
I needn’t have worried. This was the Platonic ideal of cheesecake — although my relationship with it was savagely carnal and all-​too-​brief. Rich and smooth and yet deceptively light, the creaminess was set off by the tartness of the blueberries. Addiction at first hit.
The service amused me. The staff seemed to regard the shop/​café as their personal space and accommodated customers’ needs grudgingly. While we were there two of them gossiped loudly about an absent colleague.
For those of us on average wages, go there for a treat. For those of us with private jets, go for it!

I had a really great cappucino and an excellent piece of carrot cake here once and have since sampled some of the more savoury options from the the deli display — quiche, smoked salmon etc — and while the food and atmosphere (very low-​key at this branch, with high stools and counter space which I like) have never let me down, the prices are a bit of a sucker-​punch.