Arôme - Covent Garden
At a glance: When French Patisserie and Asain-inspired nuance fall in love make a bakery baby.
Visit for: Banging croissants and the closest you’ll get to legal crack - Honey Butter Toast.
Ordered: 1 x Apple Miso Tart, 1 x Honey Butter Toast, 1 x Pain au chocolat, 1 x Flat White (£16.50)
Location: A two-minute walk from Covent Garden station. Swerve Long Acre for the calm of Mercer Street.
I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve had to return 3 times to secure the bag, so to speak. That’s likely a me problem. Showing up to a coveted bakery 4 hours into the trading window. By noon, Arôme is occupied. A minimalist capsule wardrobe-clad line snaking down the pastry wonderland display case.
Despite its popularity, there is a prevailing ethereal calm inside. Bustling, but everyone here knows what they need to be doing and how to do it. No panic. No chaos. An incredibly well-oiled (read staffed) machine. Needless to say, the Honey Butter Toast has sold out. If I’m willing to wait 20 minutes there’s a pre-order list for a fresh batch. Third time really is a charm.
Part of Arôme’s allure is the perfect marriage of Eastern and Western flavour profiles. A clean cut, minimal interior of wood panelling and cool white. The open kitchen is a window into the pristine, serene, smooth jazz engine room of this bakery. There’s a constant flow of people in and out, pre-orders of Honey Toast piling up at the counter.
A flat white in hand for the wait, I do the head-down, Airpods-in table nab. A disappointed young couple, just too slow, craning their necks in hopes of an available perch. This game isn’t for the weak or overly polite. A line of tables and banquettes span out along the wall of glass. Depending on the time of day you may have to hustle some tourists to land a table. The perfect stop-off for coffee and a catch-up or solo mid-day treat.
10 minutes later, “Honey Toast for Rachael” is up and I relinquish my seat for the next eagle-eyed patron. Generally, one should judge a bakery by the quality of its croissants. Arôme serves up a variety that is nothing short of breathtaking, whatever your unique brand of poison. My particular brand happens to be anything encasing chocolate.
Pain au chocolat and Apple Miso tart secured for later (again, read the tube journey home) the hefty slice of Honey Butter Toast is undoubtedly worth the wait. A thick slab of pillowy soft Shokupan bread ( A Japanese-style milk bread) enveloped in butter & honey, caramelised and crunchy. Think Creme Brulee’s sexy breakfast food cousin. This is a legal crack, yours for £4.90 and minimal threat of jail time.
If you can look past the occasional wait, the influencers of the world and the certainty that you’ll be leaving with more than one baked good - you’re in for one of the most gratifying pasty experiences this city has to offer. Get yourself a slice of baked sunshine. Thank me later.