PAUL - bakery/cafe

[Louisa]

Anyone know what they are like? I've heard talk of them coming to Lordship Lane. Never been in one or seen one for that matter.

Louisa.

[LondonMix]

They are French. They have a few in central London. In Paris you find them at the train station but here they try to position themselves as a bit more upmarket. Think nice baguettes, soups, salads, French pastries and macaroons etc.

Do they have a location in mind or are they still looking?

[neilson99]

It's like a French Greggs isn't it?!

[Louisa]

Well a few people have mentioned to me the 'Soup Dragon' premises, and on the southwark planning application site it does mention change of use from A1 to A3, so that's the only likely place I can think of currently. But thats been spoken about in length on another thread in the business section, so who knows. Unless someone else knows differently?

Louisa.

[ontheedge]

They're the only place I know that do chouquette, air filled tiny Choux pastry which feels like zil calories but probably millions

[neilson99]

Its a bloody outrage! Out of town chains threatening the livelihoods of LL's independent cafes? Probably undercutting them with their high quality, good value produce served in a customer friendly manner!

Perhaps James Barber will start a campaign against this?

[Louisa]

Apparently there's on Northcote Road? Checked their website and they're hardly a multinational chain, and they've got a limited number of outlets in the UK. Sounds good though!

Louisa.

[uncleglen]

We don't have to patronise them

[Alex K]

I should be delighted if Paul were to come to Lordship Lane.

[Penguinpost]

Paul would be a fabulous addition to the Lane! It needs another quality cafe down there.

[Jah Lush]

There was one at Canary Wharf when I worked there. More bakery/cake shop that sells coffee too than a caf?. I'm sure you'll think it a bit poncey when you see one Louisa.

[Earl Aelfheah]

LondonMix Wrote:

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> In Paris you find them at the train

> station but here they try to position themselves

> as a bit more upmarket.

There's one in Waterloo station.

[Applespider]

More upmarket than Greggs/Upper Crust and less upmarket than Gails/Le Pain Quotidien

[Louisa]

Applespider Wrote:

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> More upmarket than Greggs/Upper Crust and less

> upmarket than Gails/Le Pain Quotidien

Fits perfectly into the demographic then, because Dulwich Village already has a Gail's.

http://www.gailsbread.co.uk/?CategoryID=301#dulwich

Louisa.

[Monkey]

East Dulwich is becoming a French person's dream. EDD, Gail's, Paul... Bliss.

[neilson99]

France, Spain, Holland, Japan, UK, Marocco, Lebanon, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman - Bluewater, Canary Wharf and Waterloo. Not multi national - just inter-continental! And yes a limited number outlets, if you number outlets in the 100s as any kind of limit.

Good produce, great marketing all done to a proven and winning formula - let's not pretend it's a chi chi little French patisserie though! It's Starbucks by another name.

[Applespider]

Louisa Wrote:

> Fits perfectly into the demographic then, because

> Dulwich Village already has a Gail's.

I know... I cycle past on my to work and have been known to stop for a lovely warm treat (cinnamon bun or a muffin) on the way. It does make me chuckle when I'm standing there in bike helmet etc ordering a takeaway muffing and they offer me a coffee. Um... not entirely convinced how safe it would be cycling down the road drinking a latte!

[Jeremy]

Surely this is a Louisa wind-up. Following on from the newly found admiration for Pret-a-Manger.

I actually think Paul are perfectly fine, but we don't exactly have an obvious gap in the market for somewhere to get a coffee and a croissant.

[Annette Curtain]

Posh + very middle class + quite dull

Visiting in-laws wearing faded pastels and smelling of violets will like it

Meh

[StraferJack]

If you ARE going to have a coffee and pastry shop chain thingy, at least Paul have some claim to pastries and bread which are much better than Nero/Starbucks etc?

Nero coffee isn't bad but their pastries are pap

['bout now]

Everything is ?6-12

[StraferJack]

And you have to eat it on the street. Standing up

[Louisa]

John exactly I can think of far worse examples of chain shops, and judging by their website they are not at all widespread across London or the rest of the country.

Jeremy it's not a wind up at all, just a rumour I had heard from a few friends one of whom had spoken with a person employed at one of the branches. It may well not come to anything, lets face it, as pointed out already, this area is hardly a coffee/bakery desert. As for the location I just guessed the former 'soup dragon' premises purely because of the change of use for the shop on the southwark planning application.

Louisa.

[StraferJack]

I always get a tingle when Louisa calls me by my first name

[edcam]

I have a friend who worked for them and they treat their staff abominably, so I never use them. They're also criminally overpriced.