La Maritxu Connaught

Best Basque Cheesecake: London's Hidden Gem

Ah, La Maritxu! Nestled somewhere in the bustling heart of London, it's the kind of place that is whisperingly quiet yet trendy, draped casually with just the smallest hint of pretense. You won’t notice any grand displays of gastronomic bravado here: the place specializes in one singular item - the Basque cheesecake - which might either ignite your mood like a sweet love affair or leave you wondering what all the fuss was about. There's indeed something delightfully minimalist yet chic about an entire menu trimmed down to one indulgent offering with a few top-up coffee options in attendance. I can see what the fuss is about - the cake, velvety and rich, invites comparisons to melted ice cream and yes, does indeed tip-toe beautifully across your tastebuds. It's not overly sweet; it seems perfectly balanced amidst a crescendo of flavors.

The setting is as described: diminutive, with seating that's part elusive myth and part prized throne fight; a location minimal in chairs perhaps to favor standing and strolling gently along with one's paper plate perch. There’s a quaint and humble charm to shuffling around delicately to evade the congested seating puzzle, but cue longish queues as the talks of this oven-confection have swept through social media sofistcrawl faster than you'd polish off your portion size. As for the coffee, the reviews oscillated between decent enough to forgettable—which, with some handcrafted fizz reminiscent of stones tossed effortlessly into caramel offers—just wide eyed pulls towards the dessert your lasting fixation. Boasting smiling staff who seem intent on refining their budget Cordon Bleu approach to interpersonal pleasantries—whether the muffins sound appealing or just pretty cakey— leaving me incrementally closer to feeling almost entirely as if cocooned in a gourmand’s meditative trance. — Milo Tastemaker