"Spasia Dinkovski spent the early days of lockdown dedicated to perfecting börek — her favourite treat made by her Macedonian grandmother — before launching Mystic Börek in August 2020 as an Instagram-only drop business where customers would meet her at designated tube stations around London to collect one of her giant, glistening, golden flaky phyllo. These crispy-oil slicked pastry behemoths, layered or spiralled, bulging with fillings such as locally sourced lamb merguez sausage, feta, apricot and confit spring onion, were an instant hit, and by March 2021, Mystic Börek had moved into a professional kitchen, with demand continuing to exceed capacity. Amidst a menu of aggressively savoury, salty, punchy flavours, there is one sweet pie: a tres leches börek that combined Dinkovski’s favourite dessert, this time made by her mother, with her love of börek. This ludicrously rich creation consists of a light sponge soaked in three milks (condensed milk, evaporated milk and double cream) rolled up in filo pastry and baked. Next, the entire börek is drenched in double cream and caramel and left to soak overnight, before being finished with a dark, slightly smoky salted caramel and a flurry of rose petals. Served straight from the fridge, ice cold, crisp pastry shards floating on a sea of cream and caramel make for a joyous layering of textures and temperatures, this really is as decadent as it gets." - Emma Louise Pudge
