From classic English desserts to fusion dishes, here are the desserts in Delhi I can't stop dreaming about.
CHEESE PANNA COTTA, VANILLA, CITRUS ZEST AND RED BERRIES AT THE LODHI HOTEL
In their rendition of this popular Northern Italian dessert, the creamy panna cotta is layered beneath a coating of berry jelly and topped with quenelles of homemade berry gelato. Light and invigorating, each spoonful begins with a tangy and tart gelatin, followed by soft, silky layers of vanilla bean-flavoured cream cheese. The smooth texture and taste of Philadelphia cream cheese and French cream is balanced by tangy notes of fresh red berries. Lemon zest is added for a hint of citrusy touch along with a pinch of cinnamon, making it the perfect combination.
Price INR 745 plus taxes
BANOFFEE PIE AT OLLY, CYBER HUB, GURGAON
The classic English dessert with roots from East Sussex is made from bananas, cream, dulce de leche on a buttery crumbled biscuit base. It derives its name from the words banana and toffee. At Olly, each bite uncovers the layers of this dessert. Starting with whipped cream mingled with chocolate shavings, to gooey bananas making way to the decadent dulce de leche and ending this with a biscuit crumble. It&rsquos got all the ingredients of a comfort dessert. The true art by the chef is slow cooking the dulce de leche to the perfect level of caramelisation, even up to 4-5 hours. Dulce de Leche with its sweet and luscious texture derived from the decadence of condensed milk outshines as the star ingredient.
Price INR 395 plus taxes
MALAI GULLA AT TRIDENT GURGAON
This Signature Malai Gulla at the Trident is a combination of Rasmalai and Rasgulla. The shape is taken from Rasgulla and the thickened milk is taken from Rasmalai. It has a round shape with layers of thickened milk called chena, hence when the sugar syrup seeps in, and the Malai Gula becomes super soft. Also, The chena is rubbed with palms to make it smooth and then shaped into small dumplings.
Price INR 300 plus taxes for two pieces
DARK CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE AT SHANGRI-LA
This is a guilt-free indulgence with heart-healthy olive oil. The olive oil and chocolate have a tiny note of bitterness to them and they melange very well together. The olive oil gives this cake succulence and character. It produces a lighter texture that is less heavy, especially for such a strong flavour as chocolate. Apart from being delicious, it is high in antioxidants, monounsaturated fats and has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Dark chocolate olive oil cake is an almond flour-based cake. The key ingredients used are raspberry compote, seasonal berries, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, almond flour and olive oil.
Price INR 600 plus taxes
THE CEREAL KILLER AT THE GRAMMAR ROOM, MG ROAD
A morning staple, corn flakes and milk is combined to make the cereal ice-cream. They use Maldon sea salt in the house-made caramel sauce. The dark chocolate cremeux doesn&rsquot set hard, which makes it a perfect creamy accompaniment to the textures of the tart. Decadent, the buttery sable tart of The Cereal Killer when paired with dark chocolate and a house-made salted caramel sauce, is thoroughly indulgent. The crowning glory however, is the unique topping of a milk & cereal flavoured ice cream which is worth all the calories. Yum
Price INR 395 plus taxes
LOTUS BISCOFF PHILADELHPHIA CHEESECAKE AT JW MARRIOTT, NEW DELHI AEROCITY
Special ingredients are of course the biscoff biscuit, biscuit paste and Philadelphia cheese. Lotus Biscoff dates back to 1932 from a resident bakery in Lembeke, a Belgian town. The unique recipe was refined to excellence with prudently chosen ordinary ingredients. Today, Lotus Bakeries is still family-owned and centred in its home town. And from there, the beautiful biscuit endures to vanquish the sphere. Chef Joginder Vashisht and Chef Shahbaaz decided to give the humble biscuit flavoured spread a makeover. With its salty-sweet, almost caramel like flavour, paired with the rich Philadelphia cream cheese, this cheesecake has become a favourite amongst patrons at the hotel&rsquos Delhi Baking Company.
Price INR 3,000 per kg plus taxes
CHOCOLATE ALMOND PASTRY AT ROASTED BY ROSEATE, VASANT KUNJ
The pastry is 100% flourless which makes it a healthy, gluten-free dessert. The finest Belgian chocolate with a cocoa percentage of 55.4% gives a distinctive taste to this pastry. The chef uses Californian almond flour to bake this and uses the whipping method to give it body, wherein the wet mixture is whisked until it reaches the ribbon stage in order to incorporate air and body. It&rsquos a hot popular dish on the menu owing to its texture, taste and eye appeal.
Price INR 199 plus taxes
UN MINUTO LA TIRAMISU AT CAPITOL KITCHEN, TAJ PALACE
Classic Italian trifle, mascarpone, fresh cream, sponge ­fingers, espresso, dusted with chopped chocolate, this evergreen, all-time favourite dessert, the Tiramisu at Capital Kitchen, is an absolute bestseller. They use the freshest cream and the finest quality mascarpone in making the dessert that help in creating a silky, luscious and rich texture. The finest coffee beans are used for the espresso soak that lends the dessert its strong yet mellow coffee kick.
Price INR 770 plus taxes
HAZELNUT PRALINE & YUZU ROCHER, CANDY FLOSS, WHISKEY FLAMBÉE AT THE SHERATON NEW DELHI
This dessert is flambéed on the table for the guests as a gueridon service, which to be honest is dying these days and a treat if someone does it these days. The special ingredients aka Yuzu extract, 54% dark chocolate and hazelnut give it that perfect kick
Price INR 475 plus taxes
NUTELLA SUSHI AT PLUM BY BENTCHAIR, AEROCITY
An offbeat yet a decadent dessert with a generous amount of Nutella combined with crispy honey banana stuffing. It takes one to a land of mythical mighty taste. This pleasing combination is unconventional yet a perfect little dessert to keep your taste buds drooling for more. The progressive blend of Nutella, banana, and uramaki is a &lsquowing cupid angel&rsquo by Chef Sagar Bajaj and is made using jaggery, sesame seeds, banana, Nutella, and crispy honey banana.
Price 625 plus taxes