Just Add Flour: Cakes and Sandwiches in Sanlitun Soho

It’s not hard to be a cake snob in this city. Where plenty of Chinese-owned joints have failed at pasta and steak, many excel at cake. Add to this figure a number of fantastic European bakeries. From this perspective, Flour is neither particularly exciting nor filling a geographical niche (unlike French-run neighbour, Amandine).

On the bright side, their chocolate-banana-caramel cake (RMB 30/slice) does have an addictive, faintly boozy richness and a fantastic crumb. The same cannot be said of all their offerings, with the mille-crepe cake (RMB 25/slice) both bland and cloying.

Flour’s club sandwich (RMB 32) contained a thin slice of Spam-ish processed ham, bacon flat-charred to death and a sad lack of turkey. Flour executes a couple of sweet stunners (I’d recommend many of their chocolate-based desserts), but do tread carefully.

Also try: Amandine, Cake Bros

Flour Daily 9am-9pm. Store 118, B1/F, Bldg A, Sanlitun Soho, Chaoyang District (5785 3060) www.flourcake.com 朝阳区三里屯Soho A座地下1层118铺

Click here to see the December issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photos: Susan Sheng