Wenzel's The Bakers in Southampton review: lunch menu scored

The national bakery chain claims it was "born and bread" in London and has expanded to over 100 locations across the UK. 

The Southampton store, which opened yesterday, is the fourth in Hampshire, following Basingstoke, Portsmouth, and Whiteley Village.

This is what our reporters ordered and what they thought.

Maya George - ordered a Biscoff and Nutella croisnut, £3.25 each.

‘They're like doughnuts on steroids.’ That’s how the Biscoff and Nutella Croisnut has been described by its creators, and I can’t say I disagree.

Being the curious person I am, I opted for the intriguing Croisnut.

An amalgamation of the sweet treats we know and love, the Croisnut was a taste sensation.

Built like a doughnut, a very hefty one at that, the Croisnut was quite literally bursting with Nutella.

The addition of the Lotus Biscoff was a nice touch and worked well with the Nutella.

I particularly enjoyed the dusting of cinnamon on top and was reminiscent of similar treats I had eaten in America.

But it was incredibly rich, and I could only manage a few mouthfuls at a time before I eventually emerged victorious and polished it all off.

I don’t think I will ever eat again. But it was worth it. 8/10

James Butler - ordered a chicken katsu baguette, £3.95, and a Belgian bun, £1.30.

My lunch order spanned the globe: a visit to Japan via Kentucky (and Barnsley) for a katsu fried chicken baguette, followed by a stopover in Belgium for one of their famous buns.

The baguette was of the quality you'd expect from a bakery chain - the bread was fresh, the iceberg lettuce and cucumber was crisp and the chicken was crunchy and flavourful.

But the star attraction - that katsu sauce - was used far too sparingly; the tiny drizzle which was present was drowned out by the Southern-fried spices coating the chicken.

In lieu of any other sauce or butter, the only thing moistening the bread was the salad.

If it's because the baguette would be too soggy with more sauce, then why not serve it in a pot to dip instead?

The Belgian bun, however, was everything you would hope for from this bakery classic.

With the entire top hemisphere encased in icing, I knew I was in safe hands before taking the first bite.

Under that glossy exterior, the dough was rich, yet soft and fluffy, with a good distribution of raisins to impart a deeper note of sweetness.

Is it better than Greggs? The jury's still out on that one - but I would go back again based on that bun alone.

Baguette 5/10, bun 8/10

Martina Moscariello - ordered a piri piri chicken and mozzarella panini

Nothing beats a toasted panini for lunch, especially one with stringy, melted cheese.

Piri piri chicken and mozzarella was a good combination, the latter blending nicely with the piri piri sauce.

The filling certainly had a kick to it but wasn't too spicy (possibly thanks to the mild flavour of mozzarella).

I dare say there was a bit too much sauce for my liking.

It made the bread a bit soggy with the panini almost falling apart in places.

I can't fault the flavour though and I would certainly eat it again - ideally with less sauce! 7/10

Timothy Edgley - also ordered the piri piri chicken and mozzarella panini

It really hit the spot. It had just the right amount of cheese and was medium-spiced so didn't blow my head off. 

It was cooked well and is a good choice for a quick lunch snack, but could have been presented slightly better as the majority of the filling was pushed to one side of the sandwich with dried cheese lining the outside. 7/10

Jose Ramos - also ordered the chicken katsu baguette and Biscoff and Nutella croisnut

I agree with James' observations about the baguette - the size was good, and it was all very tasty but there was not enough sauce.

I went in to order lunch for the office, and the staff were really nice and the service was both good and fast. 7/10