Philippe Conticini's London La Patisserie des Rêves hit by building delays
Philippe Conticini's new Parisian patisserie is now not expected to open on London's Marylebone High Street until February next year.
La Patisserie des Rêves has been hit by delays with the building works.
Translating literally as "The Patisserie of Dreams", La Patisserie des Rêves is the brainchild of pastry chef Phillippe Conticini and entrepreneur and hotelier Thierry Teyssier. With four shops already open in France, the brand will bring traditional French patisserie "with a modern twist" to the British capital.
Signature pastries include the traditional cakes mille-feuille (layers of light pastry with cream), Saint Honoré (choux pastry, cream and caramel topping) and Paris-Brest (choux pastry with praline cream and praline sauce), as part of the brand's aim to give customers a sense of French childhood nostalgia. The store's décor will echo that of the existing French shops, with a modern, white design and flashes of bright colour.
Alongside its core selection of cakes, pastries and biscuits, it will also offer teas, marshmallow bonbons, nougat, lollipops, nuts and recipe books.
Conticini has worked as a pastry chef for many years, including a stint at La Table d'Anvers restaurant in Paris. He and business partner Teyssier - who has already set up a theatre company, an events company and a similarly-named hotel company Maisons des Rêves - launched the Patisserie des Rêves concept after deciding that they wanted a pastry shop that would recreate the excitement children feel about fresh cakes.