Konditor & Cook

When a sign proclaims that within a venue you’ll find one of London’s finest hot chocolates… you enter. Lovely hot chocolate and an amazing pecan brownie proved the perfect mid-​shopping stop. There’s only a few seats, but I’ll be back for takeaway goodies soon — the cookies and cakes on display all looked wonderful.

The name comes from the fact the chef trained as «konditor» (pastry cook) in Germany. I have always gazed lovingly at their great looking cakes displayed by the window.
I was in the area for another café, but they were full. In my quest for something sweet I happily decided to give this K&C a go, but chosing this venue for my first try was a mistake as (even though there ARE tables outside and a single one inside) it’s more like a take-​away. The only table inside was occupied by a couple of guys doing nothing, and for the first minutes we sat outside in the coldest wind (almost blew my cake box away) till the duo decided it was a good time to leave and we quickly snapped up their seats.
We were told they didn’t have any clean plates or cutlery left (even though the place wasn’t full) and the cake was served in a paper box with a plastic spoon. That was a bit of a mood killer. The tea came in a mug and good grief, it was AWFUL. I know it seems a bit mean to take one star of a review because of a cup of tea, and I do admit that it could have been an one-​off dud — but seriously, as I force my mind to relive that ghastly experience I feel tempted to take yet ANOTHER star. Who dumps a teabag inside a cup of tepid milky water? In the great land of tea? The drink obviously never brew, tasted like death in a mug and I left 80% of it.
As for the cake: a really nice lemon number. Great sponge and filling (a *tad* on the too sweet side, but it wouldn’t pose a problem at all had the tea worked, as it would’ve balanced the sweeteness out). The prices are OK and the staff amiable and smiley. I felt like trying other flavours, but definitely not there.
If like me you don’t really do take away cake (it gets home all deformed and smeared) and believes cake in a box + awful tea in a mug detracts from the experience, I’d look for another branch to get your K&C fix. Hoping they’ll have plates. AND a employee who can get a brew right.

I love Konditor & Cook. They make the most delicious cakes in London, if not the world, and they are so, so bad for my waistline and wallet.
I’ve not had a bad cake from any of their shops. Their mince pies rank among the best in the UK and are, in my opinion, the best in terms of value for money, particularly if you get a dozen of them. I’ve seen people walk into the shop, pay for a mince pie and devour it on the spot.
Their brownies are amazing as well and you can get them in four flavours: chocolate chip, Fudgepacker, Curly Whirly and, my ultimate favourite, Boston brownie, which comes with tart cranberries baked in and offset the sweet richness of the brownie perfectly. If you buy three brownies, you get one free, and, that, as you can imagine, is absolutely terrible because I simply have to get four every time I buy brownies in order to maximise my pound.
My latest discovery has got to be the mixed berry tart. I love berries and K&C’s berry tart tastes as good as any of the finest berry tarts I’ve ever tasted in France. It’s so damn delicious that I’m salivating now just thinking of it.
So, if you’re on a diet, do yourself a favour. Don’t walk by this store. Don’t come in. Don’t try a free sample. You’ll regret it. And there’ll be less cake available for me.