Been on Instagram lately? Of course you have. Social media is taking over our lives – so where else should we look for ideas of what to do and where to go? No matter what you’re into, the celebrities, bloggers and social influencers using the app have your back – they know the trends and hotspots before they’re even trends and hotspots. The Instagram hotspot that everyone’s currently talking (aka posting) about? Peggy Porschen’s cake parlour.
Located in London’s Belgravia, the parlour was opened by award winning cake designer, Peggy Porschen, in 2010. Porschen’s cakes have been enjoyed by thousands and praised by many. Fans include Kate Moss, Elton John, Stella McCartney and Madonna and Vanity Fair described her cupcakes as ‘the best cupcakes in the world’. With its millennial pink exterior and exquisite - some may say extravagant – décor, the parlour has become the go-to location for bloggers and Instagrammers from around the globe and experiencing the so-called magic for myself has been my personal mission for a while, now. And a mission it was.
My first thoughts? How on earth am I supposed to find this place? I’ve planned a route (thanks, Google Maps) but the parlour is located in more of a residential area – and that’s enough to throw you off, but once you’ve navigated yourself to the Ebury Street area, it’s easy. The pretty pink exterior is unavoidable. And so is the queue of coffee, tea and cake lovers waiting to gain entry to the place that has been dubbed the mecca for Instagrammers and bloggers. It’s the kind of queue that’s small but mighty. I’m thinking, ‘it’ll only be a twenty-minute queue – not even that’ … reality check: it’s more like two hours. It’s Valentine’s Day, it’s raining and I can’t feel my fingers but my spirits are kept up as the front of house makes his way up and down the line, chatting with visitors and taking the inevitable Instagram snaps in the doorway of the parlour.
Upon entry, I’m faced with a bijou interior with six vintage-style bistro tables, a wall of bookshelves filled with Peggy’s cookbooks and gifts and an array of cakes on the counter. When it comes to ordering, I settle on the fluttering hearts vanilla cloud drip cake (a Valentines special) at £7.95 per slice, and a simple latte at £3.60.
The cake, as cliché as it may sound, must have been sent from the heavens. It’s light and fluffy – and it looks ridiculously pristine. The Insta-obsessive inside of me doesn’t want to put even a dent in it. I’m not even joking when I say I’ve taken near enough a hundred photos of it. Pink and white horizontal stripes curve around the slice, with a chocolate topping artistically dripping down the side, complete with a pink – would you expect anything less? – swirl and edible love hearts placed delicately on top. The texture is firm but soft, fluffy but nowhere near flaky – the perfect consistency.
The coffee? Almost as delicious but, let’s face it: that cake is hard to beat. I’m not really a big coffee drinker but the Peggy Porschen latte is definitely a step up from your basic Costa Coffee latte, that’s for certain. It’s equally as pretty as the cake - a sugary brown colour complete with a delicate stencil design in the centre. It’s the perfect consistency and the flavour is well balanced – but then again, it’s only a latte.
The service at Peggy Porschen’s is second to none - there’s a collective cheerfulness that’s infectious. The staff’s mission is to make your Peggy Porschen experience the best it can be – and they’re speedy at it, too. The cakes, obviously, are irresistibly good. I have a feeling I’m going to be dreaming about them for a long time. In fact, I’ve not even paid the bill and I’m already mentally planning my next five visits to the parlour.
Yes, the outing is an expensive one. It’s near enough £15 (including a tip) for a coffee and a cake – probably not great for someone living on a budget like myself. But then again, what would you expect from somewhere just a stone’s throw away from the Queen and the Made in Chelsea lot? And the queuing-for-two-hours-for-entry situation is kind of annoying, but guess what? I’d do it all over again. Fifty times over. Those cakes are what dreams are made of. And I’m sure my Instagram followers would agree.
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