2am:dessertbar

2am:dessertbar (Desserts on the House) - 21A Lorong Liput, Holland Village

The 2am:dessertbar team has given me yet another unforgettable evening spent with my taste buds in glorious rapture. To top that off, everything was on the house as my spoils of the 2am:dessertbar Facebook Challenge! Simply “like” their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/2am-dessertbar/186445036547) for a chance at 2 free desserts till New Year’s Eve.

Here's my first shot with a celebrity chef, Singapore's own Janice Wong!

I started off with a 2008 Kiona Late Harvest Gewurztraminer from Red Mountain, Washington State, it was absolutely spectacular. Being a late harvest wine, it had a definite sweetness but which remained decidedly delicate and un-syrupy along with just enough fruitiness to be refreshing. This left the path clear for the wonderful white-fruit notes of peaches and apricots to suffuse the senses.

The wine was paired with a gorgeous Cheese Avalanche of white chocolate cream cheese with figs, melon, hazelnut biscotti and salty smoked kiko nuts. The luxuriously smooth cream cheese was quite light and reminded me of yoghurt which made this dessert’s flavour profile reminiscent of a cheesecake-meets-parfait. The sweet-salty contrasts were varied and harmonious with the cheese and figs being my absolute favourite while the biscotti added crunchy bite and was wonderful all on its own if not with a smear of more cream cheese.

This was followed with Dulce Tintoralba, an oak-aged sweet red from Almansa in Spain. The Spanish like their wine full bodied and this was no exception, possessing truckloads of berry-based character that linger on the palate. Not much in the way of a nose (my only gripe), it was sweet and intense on the tongue with particularly clear notes of cherry and cassis.

I was so focused on my study of all its nuances that I forgot to snap a shot till it was almost all gone. Check out that rich ruby colour!

This was matched with a Chocolate Tart with Blood Orange Sorbet. I adored the tart base which was delicate, buttery, crumbly and crispy; perhaps Sable Breton? The lusciously velvety chocolate ganache was extremely rich and had an intense orange perfume to counterbalance the strength of dark chocolate. The best part of it all –I’m biased – was on the side though: blood orange sorbet. I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, the sorbets here are unmatched in terms of their extremely fine ice crystals which keep the confection perpetually soft and cause it to melt beautifully instantly upon contact with the tongue. Light and judiciously sweetened, the spotlight remained on that refreshing citrusy tanginess to refresh the palate for another mouthful of chocolatey richness.

I will always have a soft spot for oozy chocolate desserts. Can one possibly get enough of chocolate souffles, fondants and tarts?

My surprise nibble for the night was Chocolate Shortbread which I will henceforth crave whenever I have a cup of coffee. Gorgeously intense with chocolatey depth, it was boldly bitter from dark chocolate, crumbly and buttery; exactly the way I love anything chocolate. I tried my best to make the 2 little chunks last and suppressed a sniff when the last crumb vanished.