What should we know about Bloom's Café?
We’ll always welcome an independent business swooping in to fill space vacated by a chain - Bloom’s Café’s arrival in the Redmond Hill site that was previously a Costa is the kind of changeover we love to see. With pristine white walls emphasising its floral colour pops, and a patisserie range that stopped our scrolling dead in its tracks, this one’s already on course for a lot of Insta and TikTok attention.
What should we have?
Certainly nothing savoury - Bloom’s is pitching itself a brunch destination as much as an eye-catching cake café, but we found everything outside of the patisserie range sorely lacking. The sausage roll (€3.40) was a sad sight, short of any side salad, and all the more miserable on tasting – a fridge-cold centre dulling any taste inside, even as warm pastry alluded to a meagre microwave spin. There went our appetite.
At least the ham and cheese croissant (€6.50) was heated all the way through and had some greenery to cheer things up - praise be for small mercies. Flaky, buttery pastry at least put our expectations back on course for some baking prowess at work behind the scenes, though the dish as a whole could have come from just about any city centre café.
Over-soaked brioche brought the French toast (€12.50) texture closer to custard than we’d ideally have liked – a case of over-egging it. Some will rejoice in the souffle-adjacent style, but for our part this was just too soft and sweet, with under-acidic fruit and a nondescript raspberry sauce offering little reprieve.
But it’s less the brunch (thank god) that Bloom’s has staked its reputation on than its head-turning confections, a dainty selection of picture-pretty patisserie and photorealistic faux-fruit in the Is It Cake? mould. Here we’re on much firmer footing -the painstaking detail of the coconut’s chocolate shell (€6.80) is as impressive as the assertive intensity of real mango within – this is where the talent is.
The pear’s a similar showstopper (€6) with a glazed green shell yielding white chocolate cream within, and a hidden treasure cavity of super-sweet stewed fruit. Slathered over a shard of oat shortbread base, the textures and fresh flavours are a delight, and rendered the sorry savoury plates a distant memory.
Maritozzi are having a moment in Dublin and Bloom’s (€6) have gone in hard with a fast-changing choice of the cream-loaded brioche buns. We were beaten to the last of the pistachio so settled for strawberry instead. The delicate dough is a sweet feast of airy indulgence, so light it might dissolve on contact. We’re keen to see what seasonal variations might be in store here.
The layered matcha cake (€6) is a must-have for die-hard fans of the green tea flavour, so shot through with its intense earthy notes you hardly sense the sweetness. If a little less showy than its neighbours on the shelf, it’s just as much a showcase of a top new baker in town.
Why should I go?
Steer clear of the box-ticking brunch menu and Bloom’s Café’s confections have plenty to merit a visit - their social feed-friendly patisserie picks are more than just pretty pictures.
Bloom’s Cafe
13 Redmond’s Hill, Dublin 2
