From now to the end of the year, we will publish an entry weekly, celebrating the best food in Singapore in 2015. Best Desserts in Singapore marks the first entry to countdown to the end of the year.
Dessert chefs and pastry chefs are always undervalued because when we talk about a restaurant, we talk about the executive or head chef. But desserts can often make or break a meal. It is the last thing you eat. When it’s bad, the memory of the meal will be tainted. When it’s good, it can assuage the bad taste of other courses.
The trend of desserts seems to mirror the globalization of the world, with boundaries breaking down. On this list, 7 desserts can be considered “borderless,” with both Asian and Western elements in the desserts.
After eating more than 300 desserts this year, these are our top picks (in order):
#10. FYR Cycene on Drinc – Pandan Lava Cake /
Haha Thai – Red Velvet Lava Cake
Lava cakes are so 2000, but the new (re)play of the two lava cakes make me renew my interest in them. When you cut the cake, the surprise is like Chris Hemsworth or Scarlet Johansson jumping out of a box for your birthday.
#9. Bread Street Kitchen – Banana Toffee Pudding
The simplest things are the hardest to impress. And my tongue is impressed, so impressed it refused to let me share the pudding with my friend. I monopolized it for my own, selfishly.
#8. Nunsongyee – Bingsu
Arguably, Nunsongyee started the bingsu craze and undeniably it remains the most delicious. So good that they now have 3 outlets within the span of 6 months.
#7. Soi 60 – Butterfly Pea Tapioca
What’s there not to like? Everything is natural here. The tapioca is dyed naturally violet by the butterfly pea flower. Everything goes well together, and gives a sense of “Thai-ness.” A refreshing change from the usual mango sticky rice.
#6. The Quarters – Mao Shan Wang Creme Brulee
Durian is a potent flavor that overwhelms every flavor. But I could taste both durian and the vanilla custard here. The recipe must be an exact science or maybe magic.
#5. Xperience – White Chocolate Textures and Yuzu Sorbet
A spectacular display of textures as the very sour yuzu sorbet–I like very sour citrus because it shows character–sits between different shades of white chocolate: white chocolate mousse, white chocolate tuile, white chocolate powder, all of which uplifted by mint.
#4. Corner House – Salted Egg Yolk Macarons
The salted egg yolk macaron isn’t exactly a dessert; it is a complimentary pre-dessert dessert. But Corner House should consider making this a proper dessert, considering it is so original, exciting, and delicious. We just can’t get enough of it!
#3. Mad About Sucre- Basically all the cakes offered
They change their menu seasonally. Despite that Mad About Sucre is raved by many people, and rated highly by all, I have never heard anyone say it’s over-rated. I doubt I or anyone else can sing its praises loud enough.
#2. Lollapalooza – Peach Tatin
The peach tatin achieves the improbable of amalgamating antipodal properties: rustic yet refined; passed through fire yet fragile; sticky yet gentle. Memorable and unforgettable.
#1. Les Amis – Sugar Ball
The dessert chef at Les Amis is Cheryl Koh who also opens “Tarte by Cheryl Koh,” a shop I’ve visited several times and written about it twice: for tarts, and for eclairs.
“Kintsukuroi” is a Japanese word that means that an object is more perfect and beautiful for having been broken. When I cracked the nacreous pearl to reveal mango sorbet, I felt like a child on Christmas. The dessert has a clean simplicity and gossamer that only a Master can conjure; it is such stuff as dreams are made on. It’s kintsukuroi.
Written by A. Nathanael Ho.
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