I stumbled across this place in Borough market and I'm so glad I did. We got the Bienenstich as…read morerecommended by the owner and it was arguably the best pastry I've had in London. We were already stuffed to the brim from eating our way through the market but I had no issue finishing the cake. It was definitely sweet but not stodgy. My only regret was not going back to get another one. If you're ever at the market please do yourself a favour and grab something from their booth!

I was in the process of leaving London and so obviously I was thinking that I should be organizing…read morea little leaving party at/with/for the office. Yet, I didn't simply want to tell my office mates to meet me at the nearby pub for a drink - that wouldn't be me. Instead I was thinking that I should organize a Farewell-Kaffeeklatsch. Come again? - Well, let me explain. A Kaffeeklatsch is a German tradition from rural Germany and the literal translation for Kaffeeklatsch is "coffee-gossip". Typically, a group of housewives of a given German village would get together at someone's house to eat cake, drink coffee and gossip the hell out of everyone not attending. Moreover, the women would take turns hosting these get-together and trying to outdo the previous hostess by baking an even elaborate cakes or tarts. But back to my funeral cake: I was thinking that since my leaving of London is a sad affair - at least for myself - I should host a Kaffeeklatsch and serve up some traditional German funeral cake. A traditional German funeral is followed by a wake at the local pub where a certain kind of cake is served: Butterkuchen & Bienenstich. The former ("butter cake") is a sort of crumble and the latter ("bee-sting cake") is a cake, which is a three layered flat cake: yeasted dough, followed by a layer of custard and topped with a layer of buttered-almonds. Having said all that, I was in need of some Bienenstich & Butterkuchen. Unfortunately, I couldn't bake it myself, as all my furnitures would already be packed up at that time. And so I started researching German bakeries in London. I ended up calling the German Deli, which I knew from having visited Borough Market. I asked them if they knew anyone who would be able to help me out with my query and the person on the other line put me on hold briefly and passed me on to her colleague from Artisan Foods, who sat at the desk next to her. Having "true" Germans on the phone made me feel good about this and so, without even bother trying their cakes first, I ordered a plate of each aforementioned cakes. I agreed with Susann, the friendly lady on the other line, that I would pick up the cakes at Borough Market. The bakery itself is in Hackney Wick, but they sell their goods on various Farmers Markets around London. The day of my very own "funeral" arrived very soon and I was very excited to share some traditional German cakes and customs with my colleagues. Right on the dot at 15:00 (traditional German coffee-time) I announces that cake has been served in the kitchen...and the herd started to move. It was really fun listening to my colleagues commenting on the cakes. While the Butterkuchen was liked well enough, they really loved the Bienenstich. I'm trying to remember some of their exact remarks and comments, but I can't quote any of them word-by-word. But believe me when I tell you that the words "heavenly", "to die for", "OMG", "can I have another slice" and "where in the world can I get this" have come up repeatedly. All in all, I have to say this was a wonderful funeral...and best of all: no one had to die!

This is a nice little coffee shop / bakery on the high street, you can find a whole range of…read moreartisan breads, cakes and pastries all freshly made and very tasty. They also have a good range of teas and coffees which are of high quality. The staff are always friendly, and they use the wallspace inside for exhibiting the work of local artists which is a nice way to get involved with the local community. The only drawbacks are firstly that it's a bit pricey, but then these places usually are so that's only to be expected. Secondly though, if you're eating in the seating area always feels a bit claustrophobic - quite simply because it is a very small space! I'm not sure if there's anything they could do about it, but it would be great if sometime in the future they moved to a bigger shop and had a more roomy seating area.

Lovely flat white, Portuguese tart and chill vibes. Cute spot, and I'll go again when in that area.read more

I'm normally a huge Bread Ahead fan. Whenever I'm at Borough Market, or see them at any of the food…read moremarkets they pop up at, I always get a doughnut and sometimes some bread, and it's delicious. The doughnut is huge and very comparable to one from St John's. But even though I've been at Stratford a few times since Bread Ahead's arrival, I'm always too full and haven't been able to manage a doughnut, and I really wanted to as they have what sounds like the best hybrid ever - an ice cream doughnut. So finally today I made a better plan and managed one. Unfortunately, my expectations just were not met. The man working was rude and dismissive (for example, I said that I'd never had an ice cream doughnut before, and the man scoffed, half-rolled his eyes, and said "It's just ice cream in a doughnut".) So despite the bad start, I was still pretty jazzed for my treat. But, meh, not really great. The soft serve was nice but didn't taste of much, and the doughnut shell didn't really add anything except a mess of sugar. So next time, I'll get a regular vanilla custard doughnut, and hope it's as good as usual and hopefully give Bread Ahead a couple more stars. Today though, service was a 1.5, and the doughnut only a 2.5.

This little place in the Great Eastern Market section of Westfield Stratford does really, really…read moregood doughnuts. Generously filled, and in a selection of flavours including caramel, honeycomb and fruit jams, they look pretty tempting. And they taste great too - the fillings (which clearly are the star of the show) satisfy a sweet tooth without being too sweet. My favourite is the blackberry jam, with its chunks of fruit. They aren't too doughy and are in fact quite light, and they aren't oversugared. I can't wait for the weather to heat up so I can try the ice cream filled version. They also do a huge selection of bread and other bakery products, which I haven't tried but look delicious. The staff are friendly and attentive, and the outlet is well presented and easy to look around. Everything is clearly priced which is unusual in bakeries a lot of the time. They only lost a star because £2.50 is a little steep for a doughnut in my opinion.

Bestest best experience in London ever .. Food 10/10…read moreService 10/10 Value for money 10/10 Staff 10/10 Clean and warm !! Definitely will come again ** we forgot a jacket and one of the staff was running in the street to give it to us .. Bless him Thanks Horizon staff for nice experience :)

This is the best place for coffee and cake in Leytonstone…read more The staff are very freindly and helpful. They take your tray to your table if you've not enough hands. The coffee is great and the cakes add inches to your waistline as soon as you walk in the door, so be careful! There is also a great selection of savoury sandwiches, falafel etc.

Brutal experience. All vibes and no quality. Delusional pricing, only worth it if you want to pay a…read morepremium for a "scene." Compares unfavorable to the plethora of similar spots in upper Hackney. Unheated small pastries for 6-8 pounds, halfhearted burnt coffee for 4-6 pounds. Service charge but you seat and clean yourself.

An impromptu lunch stop, this place was recommended by our hosts nearby, and a very good…read morerecommendation it is too. From the front, it looks like a cramped small space in a railway arch, but once through the door it opens up, Tardis-like, into a huge area that extends out to one side and through the back to a small garden area. The lunch menu isn't extensive, being limited basically to soup, a main course, or toasties as far as I could see. Breakfast and brunch options are a lot better, but only up until 12. But as it's mainly an artisanal bakehouse, you can't complain. Lunch on this particular day was a veggie dahl number, served with a couple of generous chunks of their fantastic bread, and it was all absolutely yummy. I understand from other reviews that the bread is mostly baked by refugee Syrian women, and it is just amazing. If I lived here, I'd definitely be buying my daily bread from them.

Southbank Centre is really a magnificent example of modernist architecture. It is a great place to…read morestudy. It has wonderful panoramic views on the River Thames. And on Saturdays from noon you can buy Triple Chocolate Cookies just around its corner. The last bit is thanks to Galeta which is a craft bakery selling its produce on the South Bank Market just south of the Cultural Centre. If you take a closer look you will surely appreciate the fresh artisan look of their products. And there is quite a choice - bread, cakes, brownies, cronuts and - what I had the pleasure of sampling today - cookies. If you are a foodie you will probably be familiar with the Great Taste Awards. I was never disappointed by the products awarded with their accolade. Therefore, upon finding out that Galeta's Triple Chocs received their recognition I made a note to track them down. Having done so today I am pleased to report that they do not disappoint. The texture lies comfortably in a sweet spot between snappy and chewy. The taste is just the right balance of sweetness, completely unlike most sugar monsters available in shops. It is still delightful and indulgent, just without the overkill. I am definitely going back to Southbank Center - its such a great study spot. And the views...

Omg. Thank god this place exists. I came across them at the Real Food Market at South Bank and they…read morehad small samples of their salted caramel brownie. I don't like salted anything (what is with this huge salt trend?), but I'm obsessed with chocolate and I love brownies. The brownie samples looked really good - and I am a really tough dessert critic - so I tried it. This.is.a.real.brownie. Yes! London, really sorry to say, is not anywhere close to a dessert haven. The city and its bakers don't really understand great cakes, great cookies ("biscuits"), great brownies, great cheesecake (cheesecake is probably the worst of the list here). But this place gets it. They get brownies. I told the guy it was delicious and for the next few minutes he commiserated with me about how brownies these days are often "cakey" and how that defeats the purpose of a brownie because if you wanted cakey instead of dense, rich, and fudgy, you would just order a cake. Duh. I ended up buying the plain chocolate brownie.This brownie is rich, dense, and NOT sweet. They use great quality dark chocolate and it's very moist. As in carrying it around all day in the cold does not dry it out at all. I haven't tried there other products, but even if they are terrible (which I doubt), I will always eat and recommend their amazing (and completely unmatched in all of London) brownie.

Nice Cappuccino, Beautiful Cakes. This place has orange and…read moreblack deco and a large plate glass window and it feels like your on the Continent. Nice place to go and relax, so don't expect to always have a fast service.

Fun place to treat yourself - and they have the rare liquid chocolate drink that I've been craving…read moresince I first had it in Vienna... The mushroom toast was incredibly tasty and probably the best value dish in the place. I also was really impressed with the Parisienne pastry and the brownie (served warm of course!)... Only the black forest cake was a little let down - it looked beautiful but was coated in a waxy chocolate which didn't feel high-quality at all. Overall the boy and I left feeling stuffed. Really lovely staff and I'd come back anytime :)

Visited on Monday for lunch with my mother. Tough critic…read moreindeed she gave her grilled chicken gravy and veg the home made 5 * seal of approval. Followed by apple crumble and custard she was over the moon n. I had spicy lamb burger and delicious chips.'excellent value for money. Can't wait for planned expansion coming up including cocktail bar.

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!…read more It's a place I have been visiting for a good 7 years now and not once have I walked out thinking 'what on earth was that?'. The food is amazing, the music is great and the best thing of all is that it won't burn your pocket. I can't really think of a downside, If you're visiting East London and find yourself craving for some delicious Mediterranean food then this could be the right place.