6/9/16 - updated with details of exclusive London products including the Welsh rarebit croissant (pictured)
Dominique Ansel Bakery is one of the most popular bakeries in New York - and a great deal of that is down to them creating the behemoth donut/croissant mash-up, The Cronut®. And now they're coming to London.
It was announced on Instagram by Dominique Ansel himself - who'd been over here sampling Barrafina, the Hind's Head and The Clove Club.
Now we've got some more details on what to expect. In addition to the Cronut ®, DKA, cookie shot and frozen s'mores are some London exclusives:
- Banoffee Paella – an upside-down Banoffee pie made in a paella pan. The pan helps to caramelise the bananas, concentrating the flavor in lieu of the traditional raw bananas. And with the crust at the top, it doesn’t get soggy.
- Eton Mess Lunchbox – Inspired by Korean lunchboxes (where the different ingredients are shaken up to create a sort of Korean fried rice), the Eton Mess Lunchbox features strawberries made of mousse and jam, mini meringues, fresh basil, a bit of black pepper and fromage blanc, all served in a clear box for you to shake it up.
- “After The Rain” Mousse Cake – inspired by the moments just after the rain combines pear, ginger, and jasmine flavours. On top of the mousse cake sits fresh leaves of lemon balm with jasmine “raindrops” gelée. A hidden ladybird is below one of the leaves and the base has a crispy finish with praliné feuilletine.
- Salted Honey Tart – paying homage to local honeys, this tart showcases the contrasting taste of two honeys and is designed by the shape of roof shingles. It is finished with sea salt milk cream and almond frangipane.
- Welsh Rarebit Croissant – with Guinness Worcestershire cheddar béchamel, whole grain mustard and fontina (that's it above)
Apparently, we can also expect to see new exclusive creations made from local British ingredients. He says he's "in love with the blend of cultures and the spirit" of London, which inspired him and his team to come up with a range of new London-only pastries. "London not only gives us access to the ingredients across all of Europe, it will also be a chance for us to learn quite a bit along the way.”
Their amazing chewy cookies will be coming over here as well as all manner of sweet and savoury goodness that you can see on their New York Menu here.
The bakery on Elizabeth Street
As for the shop itself, the Elizabeth Street building features the bakery on the ground floor and the pastry kitchens on the second with pastry fanatics able to gaze into the open kitchens. The seating area features hi-top tables for those wanting a quick bite, and cosy banquettes in the back of the space for those staying longer.
Better still there's going to be a courtyard complete with a fully retractable roof (clearly someone told Dominique about the English summer) plus a vertical garden with seasonal plants and fresh herbs that they'll be using in the menu.
Dominique Ansel Bakery is opening 30 September 2016 at 17-21 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP. For more, follow them on Twitter @DominiqueAnsel.
Welsh Rarebit photo by Evan Sung.
