Desserts & Sweets

Oh, it's fancy all right. So fancy we had trouble keeping our allegiances straight.

Elaborate as it is, this fig jam French toast is captivating, slathered in honey infused with my favorite ume-boshi, and house-made hazelnut butter. Tip: don't stinge on the butter. Forget the calories, you've already come this far.
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Fresh fig, grape and plum adorn the dessert, almost toppling over, a sight so spectacular we can't help but gaze in awe – awe that is replaced by wonder the minute we take a bite. It is decadence with a kindling of beauty.

Now who says you can't have the best of both worlds?

The best part of lunch – this decadent green tea brûlée for dessert. So rich and creamily luscious, the kurogoma ice cream sits in a moat of matcha cream peppered with toasted sesame seeds, enthralling us with its flavor.

Available from now till May 12 is a special four course menu [$38] by Chef Nakano Hiromi at Sen of Japan.

Our flight is delayed, so we're dreaming of desserts, namely this delicious rice pudding we had at Aura last week – with just the right balance of sweetness and density.

What better way to spend a Tuesday afternoon than lounging by the pool with Hotel Chocolat's dark chocolate ganache truffles?

Cocoa rich and velvety, made creamy and luscious by a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. We ain't complaining, that's for sure!

Isn't it lovely when chefs think through every component? This is one such dish.

Each of the ingredients here gel together harmoniously in perfection unison. 70% dark Valrhona chocolate mousse pairs beautifully with cherry coulis – its bittersweet fruitiness cutting through the sweetness of the caramel ice cream. Crunch is added in the form of hazelnut "soil", garnished with edible flowers.

Every bite is bliss.

Not pictured here is the chocolate chia pudding – our personal favorite!

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So glad I stepped in Palette yesterday and found this gem! Not many places do this traditional dessert well, but this version was laden with thick black rice grains that provided the crunch and texture we love, perfumed with lustrous coconut milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I want more!

An oldie but goodie, this traditional cannoli at Sopra has been around since its launch (two year back) but is just as good as ever. We pick up the flaky pastry, and take a bite as it gently crumbles in our hands – signs of a good cannoli.

Inside its crisp shell holds ricotta cream dotted with chocolate rice and candied orange that adds a hint of citrus and zest, it's fruitiness preventing the dessert from falling into dense territory.

It's elegance with a touch of fun.

Soft serve matcha ice cream with salted caramel, kinako powder, almond crunch and berry crisps. Heads up: the green tea flavor is pretty robust, so make sure you're a fan. Otherwise, we preferred the speculoos cookie butter soft serve with its subtle buttery creaminess.

The donut was the star of the show. We loved its crisp exterior that gave way to a thick and chewy mochi center. It's the kind of dessert we'll never get tired of!

Having heard great things about this, we decided to have a go despite the large meal we just had – the rice bowls here are generously portioned, which it should, given the prices they charge.

Sadly, the donuts failed to live up to its hype. Perhaps standards have dropped; there was nothing flowy about the custard egg yolk filling, nor was its taste on point.

Everything seemed to have failed miserably, from the texture of its filling, to its taste – the custard was sugary sweet without a hint of salted egg, and the donut was deep fried in oil used one too many times, resulting in the taste of oil with each bite. How disappointing.