Cruffins, Creels and Crubes are not breeds of spaniel. Instead, they are extravagantly redesigned croissants.
Scrolling on TikTok one evening, I was craving something delicious. As if by magic, ‘The Croissant Crawl’ appeared on my feed.
Tik Tokker, @Jezza.Bell, posted his ‘Croissant Crawl’ on 29th January. His video now has 1.3 million views and over 600 comments from obsessed foodies.
It was clear that, like so many other foodie influencers, @Jezza.Bell, had influenced me and thousands of others to try out this ‘Croissant Crawl’.
Figure 1 @Jezza.Bell
So, on 12th February, I used the route provided and my boyfriend and I tackled the list of posh patisseries.
Richoux:
Tucked away in Piccadilly, this decedent patisserie is home to the croissant which is presented in the form of a muffin.
With centuries old history and the Cruffin having a big reputation, it was no surprise that we had to join a queue to enter the coffeehouse.
After ten minutes, we were let into Paris to choose our Cruffin.
Taste:
We chose the strawberry, white chocolate and rosemary Cruffin. Although the white chocolate crème pat was deliciously sweet, the rosemary was too herby for a croissant.
Packaging:
Although the packaging process mimicked that of Rowan Atkinson’s scene in Love Actually, the cellophane wrap provided the finishing touch.
Price:
£6.95 expensive for a croissant but maybe cheaper than a cocktail in Piccadilly.
Score:
6.5/10
Figure 2 and 3 by Megan Hales
Le Deli Robuchon:
This patisserie is a ten-minute walk from Richoux and is home to the Crube created by Joel Robuchon himself.
The queue, as my boyfriend kept pointing out, was incredibly long and consisted of Instagrammers hoping to get a picture of the Croissant shaped as a cube.
Taste:
The vanilla crème pat centre was the best vanilla flavour I have ever tasted and the ratio of filling to flaky, buttery pastry was delicious – perfect for people with a sweet tooth.
Packaging:
The Crube was encased in a white box stamped with Robuchon leaving no question as to where we acquired this famous treat.
Price:
It was £6.95. However, if you add on top the £3.00 ‘English breakfast tea’ that my boyfriend bought and drank in the queue – it was the most expensive croissant of the day.
Score:
9/10
Figure 4 and 5 by Megan Hales
Phillipe Conticini:
The final stop involved a short bus ride from Richoux or a long walk…which might have been smart.
Like the others, the queue was out of the door but was moving much quicker which pleased my boyfriend.
I was most excited to try this swirly croissant shaped as a wheel.
Taste:
The appearance was impressive. I definitely appreciated the oozing chocolatey crème pat as well as the chocolate flake topping. Even though the crème itself was quite bland, the crust of the croissant made up for it.
Packaging:
The paper bag with Philippe Conticini’s logo on let everyone know that I was addicted to TikTok.
Price:
£7.90 which made it the priciest of the day.
Score:
7/10
Figure 6 and 7 by Megan Hales
So, if you are willing to endure some long queues and a moaning partner, I would take on the ‘Croissant Crawl’. And, what’s better, you won’t have a raging hangover the next day.
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