Entrance To 2am Dessert Bar
2am Dessert Bar is currently the only dessert bar in Singapore, based in Holland Village and owned by Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2013 & 2014 Janice Wong as voted by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Named the 2am Dessert Bar because it’s open until 2am daily (except for Monday when it’s closed), it serves mostly desserts as well as some savoury items. I’d been wanting to try this place for a while as I’d heard a lot about it and had also recently watched Masterchef Australia contestants try to recreate Janice Wong’s signature dessert the Cassis Plum, which made me want to try it even more.
I took a friend there last week to celebrate her birthday as we’re both crazy about desserts and anything sweet so thought it would be a good place to indulge. I made a reservation for 7pm through their website and although no-one contacted me to confirm the booking, they had received it fortunately and we were given a nice quiet booth table to the side. The place is very chilled out and was practically empty when we arrived however it did pick up as the evening progressed as most customers go later on for the dessert rather than eating a full meal there. The décor of the restaurant is sleek and modern with seating available in front of the open kitchen, on high tables or in cosy booths.
BBQ Roasted Chicken Cheese Melt Tacos and Beef Cheek Croquettes
We started off with some BBQ Roasted Chicken Cheese Melt Tacos and Beef Cheek Croquettes from their savoury menu with some cocktails to wash it all down with. The BBQ Roasted Chicken Cheese Melt Tacos were delicious and crispy, the chicken in the tacos were juicy and tender and the yoghurt and coriander on top added a lovely freshness to the overall flavour. On the other hand I found the beef in the Beef Cheek Croquettes to be a little dry. The croquettes came with a tomato herb sauce however there wasn’t really enough to counteract the dryness of the beef.
Yuzu Sake Cocktail and Kyoho Daisy Cocktail
Drinks-wise I had the Kyoho Daisy cocktail which is a mixture of Reyka vodka, kyoho grape, lavender and lemon; it was refreshing, light and not too sweet however it did remind me a bit of cough syrup I used to take in my childhood days. My friend had the Yuzu Sake cocktail which had a lovely strong yuzu flavour but again was not too sweet and was refreshingly light.
For dessert we opted for the Cassis Plum which consists of a cassis bombe, elderflower yoghurt foam, choya granita, yuzu pearls and yuzu rubies and the Hojicha Sesame which has a tofu parfait, hojicha custard and pear vodka sorbet. We also couldn’t resist getting some churros. The churros were served first, freshly made, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside like any good churros should be and generously dusted in cinnamon sugar. They have some chocolate dipping pots available on the menu which we didn’t try but I think next time I’ll go for the dark chocolate salted caramel which sounds absolutely divine.
Hojicha Sesame Dessert
The Hojicha Sesame dessert was amazing and definitely miles better than the signature Cassis Plum dessert. The tofu parfait had a creamy melt in the mouth texture, the hojicha custard had a delectably strong hojicha flavour and the pear vodka sorbet was light and refreshing to the palate and complemented the dessert well. The cubes of Japanese pear, hojicha flavoured ‘flakes’ and sesame crumb that were scattered around the dessert also gave it some added crunch and texture.
Cassis Plum Dessert – not quite art on a plate
We were quite disappointed with the Cassis Plum dessert. Firstly it came out looking slightly dishevelled and half melted. Considering it’s supposed to be art on a plate and attention to detail and perfection is what apparently shapes Janice Wong’s desserts, this wasn’t a good first impression. The cassis bombe as you can see came out lopsided instead of the beautiful spherical shape that it’s supposed to be, the flavour itself was a rich fruity blackcurrant flavour from the Cassis liqueur. The bombe was filled with a light yoghurt foam although I couldn’t really taste the elderflower. It was also a very textural dessert with raspberry flavoured puffed rice scattered around and also in the cassis bombe to give some crunch and the choya granita, yuzu pearls and rubies added a touch of freshness to the plate. It wasn’t a fantastic dessert and I would much more recommend the Hojicha Sesame or something else.
Happy Birthday Plate with Salted Caramel Bonbons
As it was my friend’s birthday I requested for the chef to write “Happy Birthday” on one of the dessert plates but they surprised her instead with a plate with some salted caramel bonbons which I thought was very nice of them. The salted caramel bonbons are usually available for purchase to take home, they were quite nice although I found them to be a bit too salty for my liking.
Overall I think the 2am Dessert Bar is a nice place to relax with some friends over cocktails and desserts. Although the food and desserts are a little hit and miss there, the amazing Hojicha Sesame dessert is enough to get me back. The service was fairly good although there’s room for improvement and if you ask me, the toilet could definitely do with a bit of a clean!
Prices of food and desserts range from $15 to $24 and cocktails are on average around $18. They also have a $68 dessert degustation 8 course menu and a $52 high tea which I’ll definitely be back to try.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my review, if you have any questions or would like to add your own review of the restaurant please leave a comment below!
2am Dessert Bar
Address: 21a Lorong Liput, Holland Village, Singapore 277733
Tel: 6291 9727
Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday: 3pm to 2am, Saturday – Sunday: 11am to 2am, Monday: closed
Hope you’ve enjoyed my 2am Dessert Bar review, please feel free to leave a comment below with your own review of the restaurant or if you have any questions! See here for my review of Janice Wong Singapore restaurant in the National Museum.
