It used to be that if you wanted to order from pastry delivery service Pantry’s Best, you’d have to order a whole pie. It was a big commitment for a sugar rush, even considering their sterling reputation for top-notch pies using fresh fruit, nuts and imported chocolate. Thankfully, their first physical location sells by the slice.

However, the mission to track down the store might have weak-willed pie hunters wishing they’d opted for delivery: the café isn’t visible from the street, tucked away on the third floor of a compound. The cafe sports only a few tables, discouraging anything more than stopping by for a slice of pie and a coffee. But do their store’s pastries hold up against the slices of heaven they deliver to order? We put the store’s confections to the test.

Apple pie

Pantry’s Best used to be called Pie House not too long ago, and for good reason – they make phenomenal sweet pies. Their apple pie is divine: the crispy, crumbling crust holds up a filling of soft apples seasoned with cinnamon. It’ll give your grandma’s recipe a fair fight.

Red velvet cake

Good luck sharing this beauty. Layers of delectably creamy cake are sealed in a lovely, thick cream cheese frosting. The cake is lighter than the dense, tangy hunks you’d get with a textbook red velvet, but the silky layers in this lighter version still satisfy a sugar craving.

Chocolate cupcake

You can’t make a good cupcake on good icing alone, a fact that’s painfully obvious here. While the smooth chocolate ganache dressing on top is fine, it sits atop a dried-out cake that cries out for more butter. Few of the seven other options are any better– especially considering the high price tag.

Carrot cake

What happened here? The carrot cake is a big miss: an insufficiently moist slab that even a smearing of tangy frosting can’t fix. The few raisins and nuts buried within only served to remind us how boring this cake really is.

Address: Third Floor Ritan High Life 39 Shenlu Jie Chaoyang District 朝阳区神路街39号日坛上街3层92-93

Source: timeoutbeijing.com