Makrout el Louz @ Maison Princess
124 Aigburth Rd, St Michaels, L17 7BP
The people of Liverpool have fallen in love with giant pastries. Those who might once have winced at the thought of spending any more than quid on a croissant from the Lidl bakery section are now lining up to drop serious wads of cash on trays of tiramisu scrolls and salted caramel cruffins.
And who can blame them — between Bake Sale, Mon Petit Chou, Pastille and now Suburbs on Allerton Road, the city centre and South End have some of the most delicious patisserie you’re likely to find on this side of the English Channel.
When Maison Princess opened just a five-minute walk from Lark Lane (in the shopfront once occupied by Japanese katsu restaurant Sutikku) my first thought was; will there be space for another bakery in this part of town? But proprietor and patissier Rafah has done something special — not better, just different.
Where the king-size bakes of the new breed of patisserie are made to be torn apart and shared, the tarts, buns and gateaux at Maison Princess are just for you. They’re the dainty treats of a boulangerie counter, finished in a couple of bites.
The traditional flavours of the viennoiserie - strawberry, pistachio, lemon - predominate. The eclairs, as delicious as you’ll find, are filled with crème pat rather than Biscoff.
The cakes are not the only thing that sets Maison Princess apart — there’s also the selection of Algerian sweets. Frilly paper cases containing sugared towers as gloriously ornate as any eaten by the characters of The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Sweets made variously from ground walnuts and pistachios, drenched either in honey or rose-scented sugar syrup. Some are decorated with flowers made from royal icing, others with candied fruit.
The pick of them all is the Makrout el Louz, a diamond-shaped lump of sweet almond paste, soaked in orange blossom water and covered in a blanket of powdered sugar — like a stollen turned up to 11. Rafah’s were named the best in the world the year before last (in 2024 he had to settle for the silver medal).
People in Liverpool may have fallen in love with giant pastries, but I think there’s still space in their heart for something small and sweet from Maison Princess.
