In the sterile, high-ceilinged lobby of a corporate office block near White City station, the twee Butterscotch Bakery – complete with cutesy DIY porridge bar and spread of precious cakes on mismatched floral china – is a pleasant surprise.
The American-style baked goods – red velvet cupcakes, banana bread, snickerdoodle cookies, peanut butter brownie bites etc – were another distraction. There was a fresh, pleasant sweet’n’sour aftertaste in the blackberry buttercream cupcake frosting (moan-inducingly good) and the cake itself was moist and crumbly all at once.
But despite its most charming efforts – including a moody singer-songwriter playlist – the corner-coffeehouse ambiance felt forced and out of place in this modern complex. The savoury menu wasn’t doing it any favours either: an Instagram-ready turmeric latte was disappointingly flavourless, and a chicken, brie and avo toastie (made with E5 Bakehouse sourdough) not only took an age to toast but also tasted ordinary at best.
If you’re touring town for bakeries, you may find the corporate vibe offputting. But if you’re a sweet-toothed worker bee in this otherwise spartan bit of town, you’ll probably rejoice at having Butterscotch in your ’hood.