A brand new patisserie that promises to bring the 'joie de vivre' opens its doors in Glasgow today.
Valaria, the all-new location from the brains behind Six by Nico, is situated at 333 Byres Road in the city's West End and will open to the public at 12pm on Thursday, February 16 after weeks of teasing on social media.
The French-inspired cafe will be serving up a selection of croissants, fresh macarons and eclairs amongst other sweet delights, with each treat being made fresh that very morning.
Daily Record writer Nicola Roy headed down for a first look before it opened to speak to Nico Simeone, founder and CEO of the highly successful Six by Nico restaurants up and down the country. Here's what's in store if you want to pay a visit.
Before even setting foot inside, I knew I was about to be blown away thanks to the gorgeous floral display adorning the entrance and the welcoming seats outside that make you feel as though you could be in Paris.
And the interior itself couldn't be more impressive - the place is painted in warm pink and pistachio green hues with vintage-inspired accessories and more floral displays hanging from the ceilings amongst the soft pendant lamps.
As beautiful as the decor is, it wasn't long before my eyes were drawn to go to to the glass counter full of lavish-looking baked goods. Luxurious and glossy offerings line the cabinets - creamy eclairs, tarts and artisan choux pastries were plenty, as well as breakfast goodies such as almond croissants and pain au chocolats.
I was lucky enough to get to sample some fresh macarons, which were light yet luxurious - the salted caramel in particular was exquisite, but they also come in several other flavours such as pistachio and passionfruit.
They were perfect paired with a cup of Valaria's house-blend coffee, unique to the bakery and responsibly sourced from Brazil and Columbia with flavour hints of dark chocolate, hazelnut and candied mandarin.
Valaria is the latest venture by the team behind concept restaurant Six by Nico, started by founder and CEO Nico Simeone.
The eatieries are known for their inventive dishes and tasting menus which change every six weeks based on a new idea.
It's the first time the team have opened up a bakery, but Nico has made it clear how excited he is about the venture.
He told the Record: "It's something we're really looking forward to - we've not done it before.
"It kind of keeps in with our ethos, in terms of it's a product that we can constantly create, reinvent and not be stale with the same thing all the time.
"It's something I'm very excited about because of that - because we use new products constantly, use new techniques and can be really creative with it."
Fresh-baked goods are at the heart of Valaria, and each one is prepared in the morning by a hard-working team.
Nico added: "We're really passionate about it - every day we're keeping the quantity of stuff small so that once it's gone, it's gone."
With so many options to choose from, picking just one delicacy from the selection may seem like an impossible task - but according to Nico, the croissants are an absolute must-try.
He said: "That's the thing that took a lot of work. I didn't actually think it would be that hard but it's the thing we've invested in the most equipment-wise. We really wanted to do that ourselves and make that product from scratch."
The patisserie definitely felt like a touch of luxury, and with its opening, your coffee and cake pick-me-ups will be elevated to new levels.
Valaria opens at 12pm on Thursday, February 16, and will be open from 8am-8pm seven days a week going forward.
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