The area around Strand, Aldwych though beautiful, hasn’t been particularly exciting until last year when after an extensive redevelopment the area in front of Somerset House, the beautiful St Clement Danes church, and King’s College London became traffic free. The redevelopment brought many recreational areas, events and of course some new interesting spots. 

On one of my walks around I discovered Toklas bakery. Toklas is a bakery adjacent to the restaurant bearing the same name which has been around for a while and has a really good reputation so I was sure the bakery won’t disappoint either.

On my first visit, I was immediately drawn by the croissants which were laminated to perfection. In my subsequent visits I have tried to resist repeatedly getting their pain au chocolat and try something else from their wide selection of savoury treats as well. They make excellent sourdough sandwiches, crunchy filled-in baguettes as well as soft focaccias. 

The food is obviously the star here but the interior deserves a mention too. I love the retro-European feel of the whole space. Lastly, they have a small grocery selection from selected producers which I always make sure to check out!