Parisian quality delights Stoke Newington
An authentic French café in Stoke Newington? Formidable! Overlooking Newington Green, La Belle ?poque showcases the skills of proprietor Eric Rousseau, a prodigious pâtissier-chocolatier-confiseur-glacier.
Before opening La Belle ?poque, he trained in Paris and worked all over the world.
Eric is the first baker in Britain to receive France's official 'Artisan Boulanger' certificate.
He makes fortnightly trips across the Channel to buy the twenty types of flour that produce dozens of different loaves, including that elusive 'proper' baguette, as well as supplies of chocolate and gourmet goods, including cassoulet and confitures, truffles, foie gras and escargots.
Weekends always see queues of Stokies waiting to take home the hand-made croissants and other Viennoiserie.
But 'eating in' at one of the tables in the light and airy shop area, or in the darker back room, will show Eric's obsessive attention to detail.
Croissants come with Beurre d'Isigny and miniature pots of French jam.
Accompany them with a genuine café au lait.
Lunch brings a daily changing choice of quiches (with or without a green salad); mixed salads; Bouchées à la Reine, vol au vents stuffed with mushrooms; and Croques Monsieur, made with the classic béchamel filling, rather than being the usual ham-and-cheese toastie.
At tea time, cakes, tarts and gateaux are extravagant in both design and engineering.
Eric's signature creation is the 'Belle Époque' itself: Cuban chocolate mousse with a crème brélée centre filled with Grand Marnier and orange fondant.
You can even sign up for one of the regular courses and polish up your own baking skills.
La Belle ?poque
37 Newington Green, N1
