Lazy Claire Patisserie
Northern Ireland has never seen anything like Daniel Duckett’s Lazy Claire Patisserie. In a world of conservative domestic baking, Mr Duckett is the professional patissier par excellence, the Dominique Ansel of the Castlereagh Road, a wizard, a true star. Mr Duckett’s stunning creations look like works of art, and that is exactly what they are. The skills, dedication and sheer amount of time and effort required to make such a perfect pommier, such a sheenful croissant, such a soulful Paris Brest – and his thrilling riff on that classic, the Paris Brazil – is testament to a baker who is determined to be his best, and to give his best. Mr Duckett pays extraordinary attention to all the details, from the hot chocolate with 70% dark chocolate and Madagascan vanilla, to the carefully confected coffee, to the sultry tones of French radio playing in the shop, as you dream of and plan your new Rive Gauche lifestyle. Lazy Claire is an oasis, a refuge, and one of the most exciting destinations in modern Irish food.