Dominique Ansel takes Cronut 2.0 to London

Londoners who want a Cronut now have a much shorter distance to travel to find one. Dominique Ansel has just opened a new London bakery featuring a retooled Cronut plus several new menu items. Queues are expected to be quite long for the new bakery, located in the West London neighborhood of Belgravia. 

Ansel is excited about his new space, which is much larger than his US and Tokyo locations. In addition to offering fan favorites like the Cronut and the DKA (his version of kouign amann), about one third of the menu will feature the chef’s take on uniquely British items.

The new creations include Welsh Rarebit croissants (stuffed with Guinness Worcestershire cheddar béchamel, fontina cheese, and whole-grain mustard) and a spin on banoffee pie – banoffee paella with caramelized bananas.  For Ansel’s version of Eton mess, the chef instructs eaters to shake up the dish’s clear box “to make a mess”  of the carefully arranged miniature meringues, strawberries made of mousse and jam, fresh basil, and fromage blanc. 

Like his other bakeries, the London location will feature a Cronut flavor of the month. The kickoff flavor is Salted Butterscotch and Cocoa Nib. Those of us without access to any of Ansel’s bakeries will have to make do with recipes from his cookbook, Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes.