A harmonious blend of family, friendship, and culinary innovation brings Taiwanese delights to life, proving that multi-hand collaboration can still yield delicious results.
I f there’s one thing we know about effective business ownership and management, it’s that you can find great success when you have five people in charge… said no one ever. But somehow, Yikou Café and Bakery is making it work.
Owners Sonia and Peter met working together at another café in London and, over time, developed a dream of opening their own place that could provide the Taiwanese treats that Sonia missed from home. When a place opened up in Peter’s South London neighbourhood, the stars aligned. Together, their families formed the perfect powerhouse team, with Sonia and her pastry chef sisters Mia and Katie creating the Taiwanese confections and bubble teas while Peter and his brother Kiran roast and curate the coffees.
The making of Yikou soon became a community project, with a collection of friends and family bringing their expertise to help the café come together. A friend from Hong Kong executed the interior design and created their logo, while another French pastry chef friend came on board and helped develop the pastry recipes. Ten months later, Yikou opened its doors. While it is surprising to learn that such a cohesive space had so many hands involved, the familial, community vibe is apparent from the moment you walk in.
‘Yikou’ means ‘one bite’ or ‘one mouthful’ in Mandarin. From the concept to the offerings to the tables Peter bought at a secondhand shop down the road, every detail at Yikou is incredibly well-considered. Even the logo, which may look fairly simple upon first glance, is actually made up of the Mandarin character for the number ‘one,’ with a Taiwanese mountain range from the sisters’ hometown drawn in, and underneath is the Mandarin character component for ‘mouth’ underneath it with a bite taken out. And as the owners say, it will only take ‘one bite’ for you to want another.
Utilising special flour imported from France, the croissant base is the same for many of Yikou’s pastries. And clearly they’re doing something right, because they’re in the running to win the UK’s best croissant award. But don’t be fooled—no two treats are the same. They have a core menu that never changes, along with rotating offerings so you can patronise regularly and never get bored. They have the classics, like a plain croissant and a pain au chocolat, but they also have their own unique options, like kimcheese, miso black sesame, and matcha almond croissants.
Each croissant has that classic flaky, crispy, buttery airiness, but with its own spin. The miso black sesame is soft and delicious with a hint of savoury that keeps you coming back for more. The matcha almond is sugary and luscious, but make sure you’re a true matcha lover because it does have that unmistakeable grassiness that you either love or hate—fortunately, I loved it. The taro with almond streusel is flawlessly balanced, with a slight earthiness that blends with the naturally sweet nuttiness of the taro root.
The two most unique bites of the day had to be their signature ‘kimcheese’ croissant and their bolo bun. The kimcheese croissant is filled with kimchi, cheddar cheese, and a chilli oil bechamel. While definitely funky, the flavour is not aggressive or overpowering in the slightest. The kimchi adds a delightful, punchy crunch that’s mellowed out by the velvety cream sauce and complemented by the tangy cheddar. The bolo bun, also known as a pineapple bun—not for its flavour, but for its yellow, cross-hatched appearance—comes classic but with a croissant dough twist. Typically, a bolo bun comes with a cookie-like crust with a layer of bready dough inside and a custardy filling. At Yikou, the bread layer is replaced with their masterful croissant dough. This creates a symphony of creamy, doughy, and crunchy all in one bite, with a mildly sweet yet addicting flavour.
Not to be missed is one of their signature fruity iced teas, which strike a perfect balance between sweet and sour. While I didn’t taste the coffee this time around, I have no doubt it’s delectable given the level of care that goes into it, with Peter and Kiran partnering with a local roastery to create their very own exclusive blend.
Frankly, I would come back for these pastries even if the owners had thrown them at me and then kicked me right out. But the cherry on top of this bakery is their top-notch hospitality and warmth. With five business owners working together, especially layering on the sibling dynamic of it all, things could go horribly wrong. But at Yikou, you can truly feel the passion that every single owner has for what they do, and you can see the joy and pride they take in their work.
