Thinking twice about asking for the dessert menu after a satisfying meal? Cut yourself some slack, these sweet treats are worth the calories
Not all of us have a separate stomach for desserts. For those who do, these chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, ice creams and tarts should be familiar favourites. But for those without a sweet tooth, we’re certain these treats will capture your hearts – you can thank us later.
Leckerbaer’s Småkager
What about: Even before Danish cult bakery Leckerbaer made its way to Singapore, the småkager was a treat most of us would have already been familiar with – traditional Danish butter cookies, often packed in blue round tins. Leckerbaer’s picture-perfect Småkager, created by Michelin-trained pastry chefs Jakob and Gabi Mogensen, comes in an assortment of delectable flavours, such as Raspberry, Caramel and Vanilla. Curate your own fanciful selection of dainty Småkager in customisable boxes of 8, 12 or 16-pieces (for S$22, S$32 and S$40 respectively).
Robb tip: Don’t forget to savour their range of cakes, teas and frozen desserts too. Honourable mention goes to the Signature Lemon & Sea Buckthorn Tart – torched Italian meringue, and lemon and sea buckthorn curd with buttery shortcrust.
Leckerbaer
350 Orchard Road
01-K2 and 01-K3
Shaw House Isetan Scotts
Singapore 238868
Tel: +65 6235 2069
The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar’s Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sundae
What about: By taking dessert as seriously as it does its mains, celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar makes a strong case for finishing one’s meal on a satisfying note of sweetness. Three glorious scoops of salted caramel ice cream, laced with hot fudge and crunchy bits of caramelised popcorn and peanuts are every bit as exciting and sapid as it sounds.
Robb tip: We also find it difficult to resist chef Vongerichten’s signature Warm Chocolate Cake, which oozes with gooey unbaked chocolate and comes with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar
17D Dempsey Road
Singapore 249676
Tel: 1800 304 5588
Madame Fan’s Mango Pudding
What about: Last we heard, Robb Report Singapore’s contributing editor Andrew Leci “[doesn’t] do desserts”. So when our rather pernickety editor lavishes Madame Fan’s Mango Pudding with such high compliments as being the “top 10 mango sago puddings” he’s ever tasted, we’d better believe it.
Robb Tip: Make a reservation for Madame Fan’s Cocktail Dim Sum Brunch, available only during the weekends from 11am to 3.30pm – we guarantee it’s going to be great fun.
Madame Fan
32 Beach Road
The NCO Club
Singapore 189764
Tel: +65 6818 1921
La Dame de Pic’s White Mille-feuille
What about: French chef Anne-Sophie Pic hails from a lineage of accomplished chefs – both her father and grandfather were Michelin-starred chefs – and she herself is a highly decorated three-Michelin-starred chef. It’s no secret that her signature White Mille-feuille is a wonderful interpretation of a culinary classic, featuring ginger flower light cream, confit grapefruit and Litsea cubeba emulsion.
Robb tip: If you’d like something more citrusy, opt for the Gariguette Strawberry, also available in La Dame de Pic’s brand-new degustation menu, consisting of genmaicha light mousse and coconut and lemon verbena sorbet.
La Dame de Pic
1 Beach Road
Grand Lobby, Raffles Singapore
Singapore 189673
Tel: +65 6412 1816
Candlenut’s Buah Keluak ice cream
What about: Mention ‘buah keluak’ and the staple dish of Peranakans in Singapore, chicken buah keluak, easily comes to mind. But for chef Malcolm Lee, the ingredient also serves as a palate-cleanser in his one Michelin-starred restaurant, Candlenut. Lee’s Buah Keluak Ice Cream took approximately two years of planning to materialise, and has gained its own cult following. He pairs the ice cream with Valrhona chocolate and specks of chilli, finishing it with a top coat of warm chocolate espuma. Expect nothing short of addictive, nutty flavours that leave you hankering for seconds.
Robb tip: Looking for something less rich and milky, but equally as satisfying? Try Candlenut’s Chendol, a cooling combination of shaved young coconut ice, freshly-extracted coconut milk, sago, pandan jelly and gula melaka. It’ll be your saving grace when you need to escape the wrath of Singapore’s sunny weather.
Candlenut
Block 17A
Dempsey Road
Singapore 249676
Tel: 1800 304 2288
La Strada’s Limoncello Tiramisu
What about: No culinary journey at any Italian restaurant is complete without having tiramisu, and at La Strada we recommend the signature Limoncello Tiramisu. The unique dessert is a tart, fruity version of your classic tiramisu – but instead of coffee the layers of sponge cake are spiked with Italian lemon liqueur, then further speckled with mascarpone cheese. In short, a delish, messy pile of citrus and cream that will get your taste buds crackling.
Robb tip: Of course, if you’re an absolute purist, the traditional Tiramisu is an equally popular choice.
La Strada
1 Scotts Rd
Shaw Centre, 01-13
Singapore 228208
Tel: +65 6735 6656
Morton’s The Steakhouse’s Chocolate Layer Cake
What about: For the ultimate chocolate fix, we’ve always vouched for Morton’s The Steakhouse’s Chocolate Layer Cake. The unpretentious four-layer chocolate cake may be slathered with rich-looking chocolate fudge, but it is in fact light, moist and not all that sweet, based on a tasting we did. The surprise factor here is the salted flakes hidden in between layers of the cake.
Robb tip: If the above still doesn’t cut it for you, knock yourself out with Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake. You can never go wrong with smearing hot chocolate molten cake with refreshing vanilla ice cream, can you?
Morton’s The Steakhouse
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Fourth Storey
5 Raffles Ave
Singapore 039797
Tel: +65 6339 3740
table65’s Apple
What about: If you have a serious sweet tooth, you’d probably have heard of chef Richard van Oostenbrugge’ signature Apple – a creation inspired by his famous dessert at his Bord’Eau restaurant in Amsterdam. The Apple is now served at his Singapore outpost, table65 at Resorts World Sentosa. The dessert scores top marks not only for creativity, but also for the refreshing sour green apple sorbet that sits within the transparent sugar glass dome. The sorbet delivers a smooth, frosty effect on your palate, with the sourness kicking in sharply within seconds.
Robb tip: Snag the bar stools facing the kitchen when you dine here. They are undoubtedly the best seats in the house, allowing for easy interaction with van Oostenbrugge and his army of chefs.
table65
26 Sentosa Gateway
Resorts World Sentosa
Hotel Michael, 01-104/105
Singapore 098138
Tel: +65 6577 7939
Violet Oon Singapore’s Pandan Gula Melaka Cake
What about: If you haven’t had the chance to relish the sweet creations of dessert master Violet Oon, it’s high time you should. Start with the Pandan Gula Melaka Cake – a light sponge cake infused with fresh pandan juice, with layers of buttercream frosting and desiccated coconut tossed in gula melaka syrup. You’re getting the best of both sweet and creamy here, and the coconut shavings help mask the bold sweetness of the sugar syrup and frosting.
Robb tip: For maximum gratification, pair your cakes with Violet Oon’s iconic collection of locally inspired teas. The teas are hand-blended each season for the restaurant by the tea sommeliers of Singapore Tea & Coffee Company.
