Pan de Vie

Matcha land

Pan de Vie

I am a big fan of anything green tea related, so when Pan de Vie, a pastry shop was launched in Covent Garden, specialising in matcha tea based cake, as well as other pastry that combine Asian flavours with European technique. According to the owner, most of the ingredients are imported from Japan and France. Using top produces to ensure the level of the highest quality. Matcha latte is a must try for any serious Matcha lovers, creamy and rich with a lovely green tea aroma. Unlike many other places elsewhere loading it with sugar, you can really taste the dedicated soft bitterness of the matcha.

Matcha and white chocolate muffin

Matcha and lychee cake

Matcha and lychee cake had a lovely silky texture, lightly sweet with a lovely fruity bitterness. It was clean on the palate with a touch of freshness to the finish. The black sesame mousse cake was as smooth as you can get, the nuttiness and sweetness was at the perfect level. This showcased the great knowledge of the pastry chefs on working out the right balance of flavours, and crafting out eye catching presentation at the same time.

Matcha and black sesame cake

Black sesame mousse cake

Pan de Vie has a wonderful and niche concept, one that I can see it will work and become a very popular place for the Asian communities in London. While price is not cheap (you are looking at £5 a cake), without a question the quality is there and it is just as good, if not better than some of the more established pastry places in London. If you are not into sweet stuff, there is also some savoury Oriental styled bread such as Japanese curry bun and cheesy bacon roll. This is an ideal place for tea or as a dessert joint for an after dinner treat.


Food 3/5

What I paid: 
£10 per head with a latte

Average cost without drinks and services:
£5 per cake

5 New Row, London WC2N 4LH

http://www.pandevie.com/