Dr Watts of 221 Bakery Street, I presume? If there were such a thing as a culinary detective, Tarte Bakery & Café’s owner, Chloe Watts, would fill that role beautifully. Aside from wordplay, Chloe shares Sherlock Holmes’ passion for sleuthing.

“I’ve never just eaten a dish and said, ‘oh that was lovely’, I’ve always studied what the flavours were in it and what the flavours did to the dish,” she said.

“I moved to London for a year, mainly to travel around Europe and experience food.” 

“I saved up for that specific purpose. I knew that way I could go to a restaurant and order more than one dish and not be tight.

“I’d order three mains and two entrees, and they’d look at me like I was unwell and on my way out. My whole table would be full of food, but I’m so intrigued by flavours that I wanted to try everything. It’s all these intricacies that you don’t know unless you travel and taste it for yourself.” 

Upon arriving in London, her quest began with an order of Turkish eggs.  

“I had seen it in a [Facebook/Instagram] photo, so I specifically sourced out that café – and loved it. I took a photo as I knew that someday I was going to have my version of it on my menu.

There were also annual trips to New York.  

“I’d stay with my cousin in SoHo. We’d go to the local cafés and just absorb all these ideas.”

A standout was the omnipresent Cruller.

Unlike the Insta-famous soft donuts at her previous café, Paddock Bakery, Crullers are made with a delicate pastry dough that is deep-fried making it crispy outside but pillow-soft inside.

“On a recent trip to the states with my fiancé, we had one, and I realised, “That’s it! We’re going to do Crullers, and they’re going to be Tarte’s signature donut.

“It’s these things that are exciting to offer. Somewhat familiar but not necessarily accessible. Different but safe.”

The café itself is a homage to those adventures. French-bistro chairs and tables sit in front of a very SoHo-esque slate-grey exterior with large folding glass windows. Century-old brass handles open the door to a sun-drenched snow-white space punctuated by repurposed antique keepsakes. It’s a little slice of New York on the Gold Coast – re-imagined Chloe’s way.