A sweet addition to Soho: The Pudding Bar pop-up

It’s cool how even if you’re full to the brim, you can always manage to find room for dessert, right?

Dessert is my ultimate guilty pleasure, so it was with great excitement that I headed over to sample the sweet treats on offer at The Pudding Bar, a new pop-up on Greek Street that’s all about afters.

It officially opens its doors tomorrow (Saturday 19^th July) for three months, and on the menu are a selection of lovely cakes, puddings and dessert wines.

Before I say anything else, I’ve got to SHOUT about the luscious S’more Cheesecake (£7): a spoonful of it takes you straight to cloud nine. It’s so comforting and moreish, plus you get a scoop of nutty peanut butter ice cream on the side. It’s so good that I will be taking my dessert-obsessed friends back just for this.

The Strawberry Eton Mess (£8) is another standout dessert. The meringue is light and crunchy, and paired with indulgent clotted cream, strawberry mousse and zingy black pepper shards, it’s distinctively delicious.

Also on the menu is Earl Grey Panna Cotta (£6) – for anyone who enjoys Earl Grey tea, it’s sure to be a hit. The vanilla-soaked blackberries that accompany it just burst with joy in your mouth.

There’s also Lemon Parfait, with meringue, candied lemons and honey ice cream, and Choux Buns with chocolate cream, caramel sauce and pistachios.

All of the baking at The Pudding Bar is being handled by ex-Gordon Ramsay chef Laura Hallwood, so we’re in good hands.

Café style cakes and coffee and tea will be served at The Pudding Bar throughout the day, but come 6pm, the wine will be corked open and plated desserts, like those above, will be served (and there is an English Cheese Board for those with less of an appetite for sweet stuff).

The brainchild of friends Emily Dickinson and Pete Cawston, and Oliver Whitford-Knight (who used to work with Emily), the idea of a pudding bar was hatched 18 months ago, but only last week did the trio get the keys to the new place. It’s been a stressful few days for the down-to-earth bunch, as the place “really needed some love”, says Laura. It needed to be painted, the kitchen space fixed up and all interior details sorted within 7 days for the opening tomorrow.

It hasn’t been an easy task, as Pete says: “We’ve had some teething issues so far, with the electricians accidentally sawing through the power cable, for example. Touch wood everything now goes to plan. We hope to change up the pudding every few weeks, too.

“We chose a pop-up because looking at the costs of opening a new place, and getting a lease was working out very expensive. This way, we can trial it and see how well it does. If it does go well, it might become a permanent fixture in London.”

The Pudding Bar has a laid-back charm, with mini staircases connecting three small floors (one of which is the kitchen), with wooden tables and benches, and mismatched chairs and crockery giving the eatery a lived-in feel.

It’s the perfect place to catch up with friends over a few glasses of wine or to visit after dinner (it’s open till midnight most days), and its location is really central. There’s always an excuse for pudding…

Find The Pudding Bar at 26 Greek Street, W1D 5DE. Monday-Saturday 7am-midnight; Sunday 7am-11pm. Bookings: 020 3620 4747