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Steering clear of low-fat everything, recently opened cake shop and café Pain de Mie provides sweet refuge from the world outside. A soothing pastel palette, pared-back fittings and chill-out lounge music add to the relaxed vibe.
And then there’s the cake and pastry offering – don’t expect couture delicacies shrouded in spun sugar à la ‘The Great British Bake Off’. This spot is big on straight down-the-line Gallic tradition. There’s little clue from the window frontage of what’s available, but once inside, a long wooden counter is anointed with a small selection of flans, slatted apple pastries and buttery cakes.
If you try one thing, make it the apple, grape and cinnamon tart – our gold star went to this crisp sweet pastry flan, baked with warmly spiced sponge and flecked with juicy fruit. Creamy chocolate mousse cake dusted with cocoa turned the dial to maximum on the richness stakes. However, it did cry out for the chill of whipped cream or crème fraiche to cut through the expanse of the dense chocolate.
Another stumble – pear and frangipane tart made with almond sponge would have been a stunner if it wasn’t for a cloyingly sweet glaze that stomped all over the fruity topping.
Pain de Mie means the soft crumb of a bread loaf – however, it’s the pastry and cakes that score over stuffed savoury croissants, croque monsieurs, baguettes and ciabattas listed on the chalkboard. It’s early days yet, and with a bit of honing, we expect kitchen affairs to fold into place.