London's most indulgent desserts
We'd sell our granny for a good pud
PUDZ?!?!
... is the post-main-meal war-cry of the portly middle-class... and we here at All In London frickin' love 'em!
Someone once said that anymore than two mouthfuls of dessert is gluttony. In fairness, he was absolutely spot-on. So we're proud to confirm that we are total and utter gluttons.
Choclatey and gooey or fruity and... gooey; if you're gonna fall off the calorie wagon, you might as well fall hard.
We've combed London to bring you the capital's best indulgent desserts...
Chai Wu
87 - 135 Old Brompton Road SW1X 7XL
This swanky Chinese restaurant on the fifth floor of Harrods has Pan-Asian expert Ian Pengelley overseeing the menu. The chocolate sphere with combines table theatre with sheer indulgence: a chocolate globe is filled with vanilla ice cream over which you pour a jug of hot white chocolate custard. The ball melts dramatically until you’re left with a rich, gloopy mess.
JW Steakhouse
86-90 Park Lane W1K 7TL
British
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We all know about the Americans’ tendency to supersize their meals, and pretty much every dish on the menu at JW Steakhouse exemplifies this. The cheesecake is big enough for two (or four, or maybe even five) to share, made with a towering fort of crumbled Graham crackers.
We’re not quite sure how good it is to name a dessert after someone whose death was partially blamed on overeating, but that small matter aside the Elvis Presley Sandwich is quite a treat. Two slices of fried brioche made with cinnamon sugar are filled with soft serve ice cream, peanut butter and banana compote, and wait, there’s more! It’s drizzled in peanut butter sauce and you have the option of adding a rasher of bacon cooked in maple syrup.
Just like the croughnut before it, the duffin is another crossbreed, this time a muffin combined with a doughnut. At Stax Diner they’ve turned it into a sundae by pairing it with butterscotch, fudge sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
The term death by chocolate seems fair when describing the signature dessert at River Cafe. The flourless Chocolate Nemesis has a fluffy texture that’s part mousse part soufflé. Made with dark chocolate, the flavour is intensely rich.
At this high end Provençal eatery in Mayfair they warm up chocolate mousse, making it a little like a fondant, but creamier. Malt ice cream balances out the dish nicely.
This glorious American pud combines a cream pie layered with crème brûlée and caramelised banana, a dollop of banana ice cream, and a not inconsiderable smear of chocolate sauce.
The menu at The Blues Kitchen is all about fried chicken, burgers and pulled pork, so the puddings follow a similarly artery-thickening theme. Here they take Oreos – the famous chocolate cookie sandwich filled with cream – and deep fry them in batter till they’re crispy. Voila the Oreo doughnut, with a pot of caramel dipping sauce on the side.
Spuntino
61 Rupert Street W1D 7PW
American
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Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a famous combination, but here the “bread” is in fact peanut butter ice cream oozing with tart berry jam as the filling.
Only desserts and cocktails are served here. The Kinder Surprise has the maximum saccharine level to mouth ratio: a chocolate brownie with whipped cream and praline foam, topped with caramelised hazelnuts and caramel pearls. If one pud isn’t enough, get the Menu Degustation where they’ll pair a selection for you plus cocktails.
