Cafe Review - Real Patisserie on Western Road

Anyone who knows me will tell you I love anything baked. From cake to cookies, buns to bread I go absolutely crazy for it. So, I took myself off down to Real Patisserie. Well, I say Real Patisserie but there are in fact four branches of the Brighton-based business. I went to my nearest, in Western Road, Hove.

Real Patisserie is not technically a cafe, it is primarily a patisserie and bakery. They sell an enormous selection of French pastries and bread, though the bread is brought in from one of the other Real Patisserie shops as the Western Road premises specilises in the pastries.

However, the shop does have limited cafe facilities. I ordered a chocolate religieuse and a cappuccino. The religieue was a fresh, uplifiting delight. It was made from two choux buns filled with light and smooth chocolate creme patissiere. The two buns were held together with cream and an intense chocolate sauce. Everything married perfectly and no element was remotely substandard. This was patisserie of the highest standard.

The coffee was good. So often, when ordering a cappuccino I'm served a bizarre concoction, a thin milky soup topped with a wig of bubbles. Fortunately, this was not the case here and the air was well amalgamated into milk. The beans themselves were good quality too, ground on the spot.

The service was most satisfactory. Although handling customers buying goods to take home, they nevertheless provided a friendly and effeicient service. The only problem I had was that I ordered a large coffee and received a small one. However, I was not charged for the large and I'm sure if I had complained my small coffee would have been replaced.

I was a little dissappointed in the serving materials. My coffee was served in a takeaway cup and I received my pastry on a polystyrene plate. The plastic knife and fork provided were almost useless and I would definately recommend taking your own metal tools in if you dine here.

Certainly, when compared to Patisserie Valerie over the road, the serving of the food is inferior in every way. The seats are hard jump seats compared to Valerie's squashy leather chairs and Valerie serves slightly superior coffee in china and provides metal cutlery.

Real Patisserie wins on price and range. I bought my pastry and coffee for £4.10 - the cost of one of Valerie's tarte au framboise. Also, while Valerie's cakes are heavenly, they are drawn from a reasonably limited range. Real Patisserie is groaning under the weight of the choice available. And, as an added bonus, Real Patisserie bakes its pastries on the premises so they are as fresh as can be.

All in all, my dining experience at Real Patisserie was fantastic. Although the facilities were a little below par, everything else was superb and the price is unbeatable considering the quality being served.

Overall * * * * - Great food but average facilites.

Food and Drink * * * * * - Simply sublime product.

Atmosphere * * * - The shop was buzzing but the seating was not the most comfortable and the disposable serving equipment was disappointing.

Service * * * * * - Really friendly.

Price * * * * * - Almost unbelievable, very cheap considering the quality of the product.

Would I Go Here Again? - Yes.