Nordic Bakery, Soho

Behind a heavy wooden door off Soho’s Golden Square, the Nordic Bakery provides a cool little haven. Everything in here is of typically Scandinavian design – clean lines, subdued tones, and a total absence of muddle.

The signage is simple Helvetica and the furniture is the vision of several Nordic designers. It gives the illusion of spaciousness - a pleasant illusion, of course, but it does mean the Bakery fills up quicker than you might expect. Weekends are particularly crammed, with many people opting to just take their food to go.

The food itself is as back-to-basics and unpretentious as you might expect from Nordic food. There’s a range of Scandi-style savouries and desserts on offer: all of them have a kind of rough charm.

Sandwiches are open-faced and all on traditional Finnish dark rye bread. Our (unusual?) favourite is the one with vinegary pickled herring and a smooth mustardy mayonnaise, but a close second had creamy brie cut through with tartness of lingonberries.

Dessert-wise, the blueberry upside-down cake is creamy enough to be a clear winner, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Bakery’s main draw: its famous cinnamon buns. Warm from the oven, sweet and just light enough (no Cinnabon monstrosities here), they’re perfect fuel for anyone who’s been hiking over fjords – or zigzagging through the West End crowds.