With all of the excellent bakeries in Greenwich, you’d think getting a brownie would be easy. Not so, surprisingly. You can’t move for cupcakes these days but I found just three indy bakeries selling squidgy brownies on Sunday.
For me a brownie needs to be dense and a little gooey in the middle. It needs to be heavier than a chocolate sponge. I’m a brownie purist so I don’t want bells and whistles in my brownies (for goodness sake, stop putting Oreos in them), just chocolate will suit me fine.
So which one was best?
Black Vanilla, College Approach
Oh, I truly wanted this one to be a winner. I’ve been excited about visiting Black Vanilla, which just opened last week in College Approach, but I knew when I was buying it that it wasn’t going to take the top spot. It looked dry and it was. It tasted of cocoa rather than chocolate and was actually pretty small – it was too thin to get a decent squidge. And the most expensive at £2.50.
But, to get to the cake counter you have to walk past the ice cream, and that looks phenomenal. I’m not discounting Black Vanilla altogether, I think they’re a fabulous addition to Greenwich and were very friendly when I popped in.
Rhodes, College Approach
They call their brownie the ‘best in the world’ and while the hyperbole irritates me, it was pretty good. It looked amazing. Thick, stodgy, unhealthy. Still soft in the middle despite being flaky on the top. Yep, this is one mighty fine brownie. Surprisingly not bitter despite it being so dark. It was the cheapest as well – just £1.80. Getting anything tasty under two quid is a bit of a challenge.
The downside? Not once have I seen the staff smile in Rhodes. I come here for the cake and I take it away rather than staying. A bit of a chat and a smile wouldn’t go amiss.
The Real Baking Company, Greenwich Market
A firm favourite in Greenwich Market, they were getting reading to close up when I visited. Still, I was greeted with a smile and a bit of a chat (they must have been FREEZING after standing outside all day).
The brownie was £2.40 so certainly not cheap, but worth the money. There was an unusual aftertaste to this one. Cherries, or some sort of sweet fruit. It’s certainly no bad thing. The addition of chocolate chips was welcome, too. You could eat one of these in one go, and be very happy that you did.
Verdict
It’s absolutely a tie between The Real Baking Company and Rhodes. If the staff in Rhodes could crack a smile, they’d just edge it for me. Which means obviously you should try both and make up your own mind.
Who do you think does the best chocolate brownie in Greenwich?
And if you love chocolate, why not check out the chocolate blog from the same publisher as greenwich.co.uk
IMO the best chocolate brownie isn’t even on your shortlist. Its undoubtedly the double choc one from Heaps Sausages in Nevada Street.
Yep, a brownie from a sausage shop!
Perfectly gooey in the middle and nice & thick. And not too big either. Go on, surprise yourself.
J.
ps – I am not Mr Heap…. 🙂
No contest – the chocolate brownies at The Old Brewery, which they assure me are made on the premises. Lovely!
The Real Baking Company! The ladies who sell them are the ladies who bake them!
Where else could you go to discuss what makes a good brownie with the baker?
Hmm, tough one – I think the ladies in the market win for me, although the special brownie dessert that Inside Restaurant on south street do is frankly pretty special!
Ps. I think the brownie you had from them was the one with the raspberry swirl they do? AMAZING
You need to get your behind up to Brockley Market on Lewisham Way – a 5 min walk from Deals Gateway…on Saturdays for the BEST coffee and the BEST brownies…. In fact all the the food served at the myriad of stalls is far superior in my opinion and certainly more useful than Greenwich market food stalls as its less touristy and resembles a French village – check the website for an idea of the yumminess that awaits on Saturdays on the SE10 side of SE4 – http://www.brockleymarket.com/
You need to read the article before you come on here as a sock puppet for your Brockley Market. It says Greenwich’s best chocolate brownie. Last time I looked Brockley was in the borough of Lewisham.
Wow J.Garcia, that’s an unnecessarily rude comment. Given it’s proximity to Greenwich my comment was meant to be helpful for those interested in sourcing good food locally. Your rudeness to a somebody making an innocent comment sums up all that’s wrong with London, mean people. Don’t ever come to Brockley Market, you really wouldn’t fit in. Have a nice life and cheer up!
@PaddyOM – I don’t agree with JGarcia’s tone but his sentiment is correct. Your post sounded like a badly worded infomercial, not exactly innocent. Come on!
@James – it was a hastily typed comment I made at work nothing else, and was meant to be helpful for anyone seeking something new gastronomically and local… I am in no way affiliated to the market if that’s what you are insinuating and just get excited about it because its so awesome. jeez this is hard work
@Paddy – it was helpful, I now know alot more about Brockley Market than I did yesterday. And I don’t need to insinuate anything – I’ll happily say that it did come across like you run that market and were promoting it – not simply answering the question about somewhere to find the best brownie. But I’m off now for a coffee and no prizes for guessing which food stuff I fancy eating along with it. Thanks. 🙂
Paddy
There’s no need for rudeness, but however innocently, you did come across as at least a cheerleader for Brockley, if not the guy who runs the market.