It’s that time of the year again! I’m about to throw it back and reminisce over some of the best desserts I’ve had the pleasure of stuffing my face with over the last year. 2014 has been a CRAY CRAY year where I’ve been going HAM on traveling and eating everything in sight. Here are some of the CRAYEST Desserts I’ve had in 2014 and saving the best for last!
20. Mae Varee’s Fruit Shop, Bangkok
Mae Varee Fruit Shop in Thailand is notoriously known for their mango sticky rice. They’ve been killin’ the game for over 20 years and has earned the reputation for having the best mango sticky rice in Bangkok. I definitely recommend hitting up this spot for some legit Thai desserts!
1 Soi Thong Lor Rd. Sukumvit 55 Klongtunnua Wattana Bangkok 10110
p: 0-2392-4804
19. Pollen, Singapore
Pollen is one of Chef Jason Atherton‘s Michelin Starred restaurants situated in the midst of Singapore‘s Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay. Pollen has an amazing dessert bar where we had a dessert called “Rojak” which is a sweet yet savory Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian fruit and vegetable dish served in a plethora of ways usually served at Hawker centers or on the street. Pollen’s rendition of Rojak consisted of pineapple cake, cucumber sorbet, marinated cucumber, crunchy peanut cream, peanuts, and ginger flowers. The pineapple cake was moist and delicious on its own or combined with the rest of the components. The cucumber sorbet was extremely refreshing and the peanut cream was crunchy, nutty and hella addictive.
18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
p: +65 6557 2797
w: www.pollen.com.sg
18. Animal Restaurant, Los Angeles
As its name suggests, Animal is a haven for carnivores serving all types and parts of animals. Amazing protein-packed meat dishes aside, the tres leches with dulce de leche is unreal. It’s moist, creamy and I couldn’t stop eating it!
435 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036, United States
p: (323) 782-9225
17. Maria Brigadeiro, São Paulo
If there’s one Portuguese word you need to know when in Brazil, it’s BRIGADEIRO, pronounced bri-ga-day-roo but try to roll that “r.” Brigadeiro is a popular Brazilian chocolate dessert made from butter, sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder which is created by heating up the ingredients in on the stove until it becomes the right consistency, then cooled. The cooled batter is formed into balls then rolled in chocolate shavings or sprinkles. Maria Brigadeiro is the first shop in Brazil dedicated specifically to brigadeiros. I absolutely adore Maria Brigadeiro and in my eyes, it’s essentially the Pierre Hermé of brigadeiro with over thirty flavors to choose from including pistachio, cookies n’ cream, coconut, baileys, masala, and more.
Rua Capote Valente, 68 – Pinheiros
São Paulo – SP
05409-000, Brazil
p: +55 11 3087-3687
w: mariabrigadeiro.com.br
16. Bread Ahead, London
Located in the heart of London‘s Borough Market, Bread Ahead is kind of a big deal in London and is known for being one of the city’s best bakeries. Bread Ahead makes the best ginger cake I’ve ever – incredibly moist and deliciously potent. The doughnuts are on point as well stuffed with cream, sprinkled in sugar, and topped with pieces of crunchy honeycomb.
Borough Market
8 Southwark St
London SE1 1TL
United Kingdom
15. Echte Goudse, Amsterdam
The main reason we hit up Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam was to find “king sized” stroopwaffels. Stroopwaffels are hot and fresh off the press thin waffles with a thin layer of sweet gooey caramel-esque syrup sandwiched in between. Echte Goudse’s stoopwafels are made to order using an old family recipe that has been passed down for generations. If you like chocolate, there’s an option to dip half of the Stroopwaffel in a chocolate glaze too!
Echte Goudse
Albert Cuypstraat, 1072 CN Amsterdam, Netherlands
14. Chez Alain Miam Miam, Paris
Located in one of the oldest food markets in Paris, Marché des Enfants Rouges, Chez Alian Miam Miam is where I had my first legit Parisian lemon crêpe. Run by the friendliest, most entertaining and carefree man in Paris, Alain runs a solo operation whipping up crepes and sandwiches while singing, dancing, and schmoozing with customers.
Marché des Enfants Rouges
Rue des Oiseaux
75003 Paris, France
13. ChiKalicious, New York City
ChiKalicious is a dessert bar spot in New York serving a Prix Fixe consisting of an amuse bouche, choice of dessert and petit fours for $16 USD. Chikalicoius desserts are a melting pot of American, French and Japanese desserts. The Darjeeling Tea Panna Cotta with Vanilla-Corn Sorbet and Popcorn was my favorite desserts of the year. The Darjeeling tea panna cotta was smooth and creamy with a subtle floral flavor which worked well with the sweet vanilla-corn sorbet.
203 E 10th St
New York, NY 10009
United States
p: (212) 475-0929
12. CHINO, Hong Kong
CHINO is a new restaurant in Hong Kong where its menu offers a clear intersection and familiarity between Japanese and Mexican food consisting of salsas, tacos, tostadas, and more. Make sure you save room for dessert though, an unreal Thai tea tres leches! This stuff is crack, drenched with sweet potent Thai tea, slathered in whipped cream, and topped with beads of crispy rice crackers. They don’t always have it as it’s a dessert special, but do us a favor and pester Tracy!
1B New Praya Kennedy Town
Sai Wan
Hong Kong
11. Fishing With Dynamite, Los Angeles
Fishing With Dynamite is a seafood restaurant in Manhattan Beach right next door to its award-winning sister restaurant, Manhattan Beach Post (M.B. Post). Recognized as the “best oyster bar” in Los Angeles, Fishing With Dynamite should also get a trophy for their pretzel and chocolate bread pudding. The chocolate bread pudding is moist and rich sitting in a pool of salted caramel sauce topped with creamy house-made ice cream.
Fishing with Dynamite
1148 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
United States
10. L’Éclair de Génie, Paris
A patisserie conceived by pastry chef Christophe Adam dedicated to his obsession with ÉCLAIRS !!! L’ Éclair de Génie allows Christophe to showcase his collection of over 80 types of éclairs. The Vanille Noix de Pécan is one of the best sellers at L’ Éclair de Génie and the best éclair I’ve ever had. The Madagascar vanilla filling was deliciously potent which paired perfectly with the caramelized pecans.
14 Rue Pavée, 75004 Paris, France
p: +33 1 42 77 85 11
w: leclairdegenie.com
9. Sotero Cozinha Original, São Paulo
Sotero Cozinha Original is a restaurant in São Paulo that serves authentic Bahian cuisine including traditional stews such as moqueca and acarajé which is essentially a deep fried mashed bean fritter stuffed with shrimp and hot peppers. The dish that stood out the most to me was the dessert, Bolinho de Estudance which is a tapioca donut rolled in cinnamon and sugar finished with a generous drizzling of condensed milk. It had a nice crispy crust with a chewy texture.
Rua Barão de Tatuí, 272 – Santa Cecília, São Paulo – SP, 01226-030, Brazil
p: +55 11 3666-3066
8. Morgensten’s Finest Ice Cream, New York City
I’ve come through New York City pretty often in the last three month and we inevitably found ourselves at Morgenstern’s. The flavor selection is beyond CRAY serving ice creams, sorbets, standards (their version of sundaes), and floats. Morgenstern’s does not fux around when it comes to their standards. The New God Flow is my favorite standard made of a slice of Japanese white bread smothered with honey than caramelized with a torch topped with two balls of melting raw milk ice cream. Simple, yet Morgenstern’s does it so effing good.
2 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
United States
p: (212) 209-7684
7. Manhattan Beach Post (M.B. Post), Los Angeles
M.B. Post is one of the most bumpin’ restaurants in South Bay winning awards for their soulful and delicious comfort food. Right next to Fishing With Dynamite, M.B. Post’s dessert is just a little better serving an incredible horchata soft serve with rice pudding, cinnamon caramel and a crispy churro. This dessert had me HORCHATA! I effing love anything involving cinnamon so this was a definite easy win.
1142 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
United States
p: (310) 545-5405
6. Michalak Masterclass, Paris
I ate a lot of sweets this year, but one of the most memorable spots was Michalak Masterclass / Take Away in Paris. Chef Christophe takes an innovative and sophisticated approach to French pastries. He also has a series of affordable desserts that are easily transportable to take home with you including brownies packaged in tin cans, magic potion tapioca drinks, and cosmic puddings sealed in plastic jars.
60 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière
75010 Paris
5. Amazônia Soul, Rio de Janeiro
Amazônia Soul is an açaí spot in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro just a couple blocks away from the beach. Amazônia Soul claims to have the best açaí in the world, and it could possibly be. Amazônia Soul sources their açaí from the Belém Islands, an area in Brazil recognized for having the world’s best açaí berries. Of all the açaí we ate, and we ate a ton, Amazônia Soul was our favorite!
R. Teixeira de Melo, 37 – Ipanema
Rio de Janeiro – RJ
22410-010, Brazil
p: +55 21 2523-0270
4. Restaurante Leite, Recife
One of the BEST things we came across in Brazil is CARTOLA! It’s another northeastern Brazilian dessert usually only found in the state of Pernambuco made with caramelized bananas topped with CHEESE finished with ground cinnamon and granulated sugar. The combination of the bananas with the mild cheese is genius whereas the cinnamon and sugar on top gives the dessert a sweet crunchy texture. We had Cartola at a few places, but Restaurante Leite’s was the best!
Restaurante Leite
Praça Joaquim Nabuco, 147 – Santo Antônio, Recife – PE, 50010-480, Brazil
p:+55 81 3224-7977
3. Casa Mathilde, São Paulo
Casa Mathilde is a bakery in São Paulo, Brazil that focuses on traditional Portuguese pastries and is known to make killer Pastel de Nata, otherwise known as Portuguese egg tarts. Their Pastel de Nata are no doubt the best I’ve ever had, piping hot and fresh out of the oven. I would kill for one of these right now.
Praça Antonio Prado, 76 CEP 01010-010 São Paulo – Centro SP Brasil
p: +55 (11) 3106-9605
2. Clamato, Paris
Owned and operated by Passard-trained chef Bertrand Grebaut, Clamato is a dope modern and refined seafood restaurant right next door to its Michelin star sister restaurant Septime. The menu at Clamato changes depending on seasonality, but one thing that remains constant is the dessert – a ridiculously delicious Tartelette Au Sirop D’Erable with Chantilly which is essentially a maple syrup tart. As soon as you break the perfect buttery crust, the sweet sticky syrup flows out onto the plate.
80 Rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
France
p: +33 1 43 72 74 53
1. Tenku Ryugin, Hong Kong
And the best dessert I had in 2014 goes to … Tenku Ryugin! Sitting pretty on the 101st floor of Hong Kong’s tallest building ICC, Tenku Ryugin is a two Michelin Star Japanese restaurant that originated from Tokyo. This was one of the most memorable meals of 2014, especially the dessert, an apple candy frozen at -196°C filled with powdered apple ice cream and paired with a +99°C sweet hot apple jam.
101/F, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon
p: +852 2302 0222