Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Rhodes Bakery

Rhodes Bakery

A not so recent excursion out to Greenwich– and I say excursion because the Jubilee line was closed and it took us two interchanges and a bus ride to get there– brought us, through sheer providence to a corner bakery that you could almost pass by unaware if not for the large array of sourdoughs and artisan breads in the window.

Inside you will find shelves stacked with loaves to the tune of granary bloomer, seeded farmhouse and spelt with apple and cider. Along the front window you will also find a small drum of olive oil that you can fill up your own bottles with. Splendid! Then there's a tower of scones sitting atop a glass cabinet and brownies and coconut macaroons on a side table, out in the open and within arm's reach of any swindling fingers to swipe. Restraint is of the utmost while standing near this table. And behind the glass counter are a boastful display of sandwiches, pastries and cakes, whether you're feeling like something sweet or savoury.

Rhodes Bakery

The shop is quite narrow, so there really isn't much room for umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether you should get the pain au chocolate or strawberry tart. Or even if you are contemplating eating in or taking out as there isn't much in terms of seating. And if you do find yourself waffling between snacks, you will end up doing cha-cha moves, stepping back and forth letting more decisive customers pass in front of you. The place looks like it's busy most of the time.

I was yearning for a little bit of cream tea, although they had run out of clotted cream, so that was out of the question. I don't know how I can go back to normal cream with scones when I've tasted the hedonistic delights of pure-fat heaven that is clotted cream. If not for a little bit of tact while in public, I could well be seen eating that stuff out of a tub as if it were ice cream. So instead I decided for something completely different and had the goat's cheese, spinach and tomato tart. And you might be asking why no picture? Well, I scoffed the thing into oblivion even before my other hand could reach into my bag and grab the camera. It was good, and I was hungry.

Rhodes Bakery

So if you ever find yourself in the south east of London, check out this small but formidable bakery. They also have a stall at the Borough Markets if Greenwich is a little bit of hike to get to. They pride themselves in "real" bread and it shows, their repertoire for artisan breads from around the world is quite impressive, from German sourdoughs to Norwegian Northlands cake, which I have yet to try.

And if you, like me, were thinking Gary Rhodes– he was the first Rhodes that came to mind– then you are mistaken. It's actually Michelin-star chef Paul Rhodes who was the brainchild of this bakery that started in 2003 right in Greenwich. So it was an obvious choice to make their flagship store right there.

Rhodes Bakery

Rhodes Bakery

37 King William Walk
Greenwich
London SE10 9HU
PHONE: 020 8858 8995

7 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oh my, look at all those freshly-baked treats!! Divine.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A nice bakery! Thanks for sharing these pictures and impressions with us...

Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

thanks for posting about all these great London places..will find it very useful when I eventually get over there!

Lael Meidal said...

Oh, I wouldn't mind making a trip to London for this...what am I saying?!...I wouldn't mind making a trip to London for ANYTHING. I love that city.

What really caught my eye in our beautiful pictures was all the mince pies. I missed out on them this Christmas, and may just have to make some for a late celebration of the season!

Katie said...

It sounds wonderful. I'll be sure to look it up next time im in London.

Anonymous said...

How I wish I were in London. It sounds simply divine.

Anonymous said...

How funny my husband and daughter were in there last weekend. We stocked up on some divine sourdoughs, brownies and of course a cupcake for our daughter to have in the playground. While is wasn't too busy when we went we know it will be pack once summer hits.