Obviously, we still had more room for a dessert after our sunday roast. However, the offering at Aurora didn’t have that much of star appeal to us, so we moved on.
Gelato or cake? We pondered while sauntering along the back streets of Soho. We popped our head in Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton Street to scan the atmosphere there. Mmmm… Not very cosy. Then, we all remembered MAISON BERTAUX!
The terrace tables had been all taken up. So we climbed up to their upstairs tea room.
Maison Bertaux is like a time machine. I have been paying pilgrimage to here for 20 years. And very little has changed. Their formica tables, a patterned wallpaper, paper mache, old photos… Some may describe it as “shabby chic”. But it is more than that. It’s like a timeless gem in Soho.
Outside the window, a string of Union Jacks were swinging to and fro in the gentle breeze. We all felt mellow and serene…

Voila! My fruit eclair. On top of the brimful of cream, a medley of colourful fruits garnishing the cake. Doesn’t it look wonderful?

A large pot of very strong tea, a pitcher of hot water with a strainer and a small pitcher of milk arrived too. In Maison Bertaux, they don’t do latte or espresso or cappuccino, by the way.

When we were leaving, the old man was joking, ‘There will be no more Maison Bertaux soon. Starbucks is coming!’ What an awful thought! Don’t tease us! We bantered.
Maison Bertaux is a beacon in the midst of London. We all Londoners love it.
If anything will ever happen to here, we shall stand here with placards “Maison Bertaux is FOREVER!”