Perfect pastries in De Pijp

After a career in marketing for the Antipodean art-house film industry, Kriel enrolled at the Ecole de Boulangerie et de Pâtisserie in Paris and began a new life as a pastry chef. She gained experience at various bakeries, such as the prestigious Pâtisserie des Rêves in Paris and Petit Gâteau in Amsterdam, before opening this, her first shop, in De Pijp. Kriel specialises in cream-filled pastries (think: millefeuilles, eclairs and choux). The light-as-air chocolate eclair, with its hefty hit of Valrhona chocolate tempered by rich cream, and the crispy choux crammed with lemon cream, a citrusy sugar bomb, come highly recommended. There’s also a little window seat where you can kick off the day with viennoiserie, such as pain aux raisins or pain au chocolat, and coffee made with a blend of Ethiopian and Brazilian beans from renowned Amsterdam roasters Lot Sixty One.