If there are two things that Shivas Howard Brown knows a lot about, it’s pastries and music.
Howard Brown is the founder of Friendly Pressure, a specialist speaker studio that has decked out venues such as Bradley Zero and Nathanael Williams' hi-fi music bar, MOKO. As a speaker guy, he’s a self-identified audiophile. “Whenever I'm finding a way to listen to music at a higher level than the last time, the whole world bleeds away,” he says on a video call from his native London.
It’s 11:00 am and Howard Brown has already eaten his first pastry of the day, consumed on a park bench after popping into the closest bakery to where his morning meeting was held. He’s currently busy nursing a new batch of fillings — man, you can’t avoid the sweet tooth’s downside — and is working on a custom speaker system for a party that Highsnobiety is hosting at the East London cafe BeauBeaus.
Howard Brown’s Friendly Pressure speaker systems are designed to fill an important gap in the high-end hi-fi industry: “If you're listening to reggae, drum and bass, funk, or house music, no speaker system over a certain price point is really designed to sound Black and soulful,” he says. “I've built my sound system with my ears, heart, and hands to give the best presentation of the sound of London in a pair of speakers because that's what I believe I embody.”
Raised in a musical family in North London with a Jamaican father and Indian mother, his upbringing is reflected in both his speakers and his favorite food: “I think specifically in Caribbean cultures and Indian cultures, everyone's got their sweet fix.”
So, when I asked Shivas Howard Brown to create a personal guide to London, he naturally decided to bring together two of his biggest passions. “It depends where I am at in my life, how many pastries I'm eating, but pastries can often be the best thing in your day,” he says. Below, is a comprehensive list of the best bakeries in London, their finest menu item, and the album to play as you feast on their sweet delights.
The Snappery
What to listen to:
What to order: Pain Au Raisin
The Verdict: "I've had a massive debate with a lot of the local bakers. No one makes a Pains aux Raisin with a slightly custardy center anymore. But The Snapery, they've got it."
Dusty Knuckle
What to listen to:
What to order: Apple Turnover
The Verdict: "Everything at Dusty Knuckle is incredible. I just don't like the queue at the weekend, that's the only thing I don't like about them. Everything else I love."
De Beauvoir Deli
What to listen to:
What to order: Salted Caramel Canelé
The Verdict: "De Beauvoir Deli is located where all the wankers from West London moved to in East. It's got a wanky name, because all the wankers live there — and a couple of my mates as well. The Salted Caramel Canelé is boozy, it's salty, and it's sugary. It's like a Canelé, but with crack sprinkled on top."
Arome Bakery
What to listen to:
What to order: Honey Toast
The Verdict: "Arome Bakery, Honey Toast, the Japanese favorite. There are so many Japanese bakeries in London, but this is my favorite."
Fortitude Bakehouse
What to listen to:
What to order: Fermented Carrot Cake
The verdict: "Fortitude Bakehouse's queue is a joke, so I don't want to get loud about them. But they smash the fermented carrot cake. It comes in a muffin cup and I love that it's disguised as a muffin. Everything about it is amazing."
Pophams
What to listen to:
What to order: Cheese Leek and Marmite Danish
The verdict: "I'm cheesy, and I'm like Marmite, depending on what time of the day you catch me."
Violet Bakery
What to listen to:
What to order: Prune and Oat Spelt Scone
The Verdict: "This is the healthiest thing you could have in the morning that has a good dose of sugar in it. Spelt gives you fiber and the prune also helps the bowels. That's a winner all day."
