London’s Chinatown is to expand its dessert offering with three new outlets due to open this summer.
Japanese fusion dessert specialist Kova Patisserie, authentic Taiwanese dessert brand Meet Fresh and Taiyakiya, a new concept from the people behind Cuppacha Bubble Tea, have all signed for units in the area.
“Kova Patisserie, Taiyakiya and Meet Fresh are all brands that offer a fusion of modern trends with traditions from the Far East, perfectly reflecting our vision for this iconic area of London’s West End,” said Julia Wilkinson, head of group restaurant strategy at Shaftesbury.
Embracing elements of Japanese culture and French patisserie, Kova Patisserie is due to open later this month in a 240 sq ft unit at 20a Newport Court. This is the brand’s third site in London – it is also found in the Selfridges food hall and St Anne’s Court in Soho.
Its signature mille crêpes, made from multiple layers of French crepe with a light custard cream filling between each layer, will feature on the menu alongside a selection of cakes and tarts. These include a matcha tiramisu, souffle cheesecake, chocolate yuzu tarts and a matcha chocolate gateau.
Neighbouring Kova Patisserie is Taiyakiya in a 200 sq ft unit. It will be offering up a range of traditional fish-shaped cakes called taiyaki, savoury croissant taiyaki and taiyaki fish-shaped cones with soft-serve ice cream and toppings.
“Taiyakiya is eager to offer Londoners authentic Japanese flavours, from the traditional flavours to the latest Harajuku trend,” said Emily Foo, co-founder of Taiyakiya.
“As Chinatown is London’s only destination where the East truly meets the West, it is the perfect fit for our brand. Our other concept, Cuppacha, benefits from exceptional footfall on Newport Court so we were confident this is the right location for Taiyakiya.”
Completing the trio is Meet Fresh which will be opening its UK flagship store in a 1,800 sq ft unit at 100-102 Shaftesbury Avenue.
Established in 2007, Meet Fresh has more than 300 sites across China as well as locations in America. The London site will be managed by UK master franchisee Alex Xu, who also owns bubble tea shop Happy Lemon in Newport Court.
The dessert brand will serve healthy desserts made fresh daily, including Taro Q balls (pictured right) – made by mixing taro with water and sweet potato flour – herbal jelly and smooth tofu pudding.
“I can’t wait to bring this popular Taiwanese brand to the UK for the first time, and we can’t think of a better destination for our debut than busy Chinatown London. With unique Asian flavours and an exciting feature that can only be found in our flagship stores worldwide, we are really looking forward to launching our London flagship just in time for summer,” said Xu.
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