In the summer months, I love to go for a walk down Princes Dock Street towards the Marina, admiring brightly-coloured fish as they lazily swim in the quay. On these sunny days, with water lapping around you, Hull feels like it’s been transported to the Mediterranean.
But on these happy days, I’ve also been guilty of walking straight past one of Hull’s true hidden gems for eating out: Patisserie House at 17 Princes Dock Street. Nestled opposite Princes Quay Shopping Centre’s eastern entrance, its stylish, unbostrusive signage had slipped under my radar.
I made amends one afternoon, shortly before the May Day Bank Holiday. The weather was glorious – hotter in Hull than Barcelona – and people were already getting the beers in at neighbouring bars, soaking up rays on the sun-drenched quayside.
Walking up the steps of Patisserie House, I noted it claimed to be ‘dog friendly’ which will be good news for the growing legion of dog-people who like to include their pooches in everything they do.
The interior was beautiful, like walking into a designer’s living room. The walls were a soothing, grown-up shade of blue and the furnishings were dark, natural wood.
What immediately caught my eye was the front counter. I had done my homework and learned this treasure trove of treats – artisan chocolates, tarts, pastries, and cakes – were all homemade. Patisserie House also conducts lessons for those who want to roll up their sleeves and learn how to make their own.
I ordered two open sandwiches with homemade bread and two homemade tarts. To drink, I chose a decaff americano and a standard americano coffee.
The sandwiches were served on neat little boards and sprinkled with fresh herbs and flowers – a very pretty presentation. I’d picked the bruschetta and it was a delightful medley of zesty tomato and balsamic vinegar.
You can definitely appreciate the quality of the homemade bread. It is something in the dense crumb, the superior flavour, the way it toasts so well.
I don’t eat fish, but the smoked salmon and cream cheese open sandwich went down a treat with my dining companion, as did the chocolate hazlenut tart which was praised for its sophisticated depth of flavour.
To my great joy, the decaff coffee actually tasted like coffee beans rather than a sad imitation. It went beautifully with what I had picked for my sweet treat: a bakewell tart which was equal parts jammy and nutty and 100 per cent delectable.
I’d definitely return to Patisserie House and I have been inspired to try one of their baking lessons.
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.