Reviewed
Aug 03

Maison Blanc is a great patisserie. You only need to walk past to see people with their noses pressed up against the glass, looking hungrily at the piles of chocolates and pastries at the Vienoisserie to know that this is a place where people come to indulge. Never one to turn down the chance, I went for breakfast in the Salon du Thé. The Salon is at the back of the shop, past all the counters of cakes and breads. There are arty photos of gateaux on the wall, all icing swirls and inedible looking chocolate sculpture. The whole place is actually quite arty, a place that constantly reminds you that every mouthful is something to be savoured because it's just so special. I ended up feeling simply uncomfortable and self-conscious on their hard maroon chairs and marble effect tables.

You also need to be craving a quite serious sugar hit before you go; the hot chocolate is bittersweet, dark enough to take the edge off the sugariness and creamy enough to make you swoon (£2.70 for a pot). I added a Pain aux raisins aux amandes (£2.25) to this, a huge butter pastry swirl with juicy raisins and flakes of toasted almonds. I think the icing sugar overkill was to disguise the fact that it was actually slightly overcooked at the edges rather than for taste or even aesthetics, so the whole thing left me on a bit of a glucose high, far more so than my usual marmite-on-toast affair. Nevertheless, it was fantastic. It is rich, but that's why you're there, right? My breakfast buddy opted for a Grand Cappuccino (£2.50) and her early morning caffeine requirement was adequately sated, with just the right amount of froth and chocolate to keep her happy. A croissant aux amandes (not so sugary or burnt) brought our total to around £7.50, which doesn't seem too unreasonable.

If you want to impress someone but can't quite stretch to dinner, drag yourself out of bed and make a breakfast date - it opens at 8.30am. Alternatively, you could just buy the necessaries (the patisserie opens at 8am) and make it breakfast in bed. Maison Blanc does not sell just sweetstuff however. The sandwich menu is impressive if a tad pricey. The Bressan sandwich is a baguette filled with roast chicken, sunblush tomatoes and roquette for £4.45, the Normand is filled with brie, apple and cider confit and mixed leaf (£3.75) and the Tarte Provencale is stacked with emmental, fresh tomatoes and herbs (£4.95). Eat in or take out, Maison Blanc offers some of the very best in bread, patisserie and sandwiches.

Abby Chicken