Holidays are made for indulgence, so loosen your belt and discover the spectacular signature desserts that make London’s restaurants even more irresistible. Chris Johnson reveals some of the best.
There are sensible weekday puddings, and then there are the desserts you order while on holiday, the gloriously extravagant, photographed-from-every-angle creations that turn dinner into an occasion. You may only push the boat out once a year, but London makes it count.
Few finales offer more theatre than the BBR Signature Chocolate Glory at Bob Bob Ricard. A gleaming chocolate sphere arrives intact before hot sauce is poured over it, melting the shell to reveal coffee mousse, praline crunch and hazelnuts. With the restaurant’s famous “Press for Champagne” buttons close at hand, restraint never stood a chance.
For another tableside spectacle, share the baked Alaska at The Ivy. Flambéed meringue conceals génoise sponge, cherry sorbet and Griotte cherries, producing blue flames – and almost certainly several phones –when it reaches the table. Or try the chocolate bombe, a melting dome drizzled in hot caramel sauce.
At Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, the celebrated Tipsy Cake draws inspiration from a 19th-century recipe. Its burnished, alcohol-soaked brioche is served with spit-roasted pineapple: sticky, buttery and deservedly one of the capital’s most famous puddings.
London does comforting classics brilliantly, too. Hawksmoor’s sticky toffee pudding pairs a light date sponge with a lavish quantity of toffee sauce and clotted cream. Meanwhile, St John’s Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese brings together flaky pastry, warmly spiced currants and salty cheese in one wonderfully British combination.
Across town in Hammersmith, The River Café’s Chocolate Nemesis is a genuine London icon. Intensely chocolatey yet surprisingly light, this flourless cake has inspired countless home-baking attempts, but nothing quite compares with eating it beside the Thames.
For a French flourish, book ahead for Bouchon Racine, where the beautifully wobbling crème caramel proves that the simplest desserts can be the hardest to perfect.
London’s global flavours provide equally tempting finales. At BAO Soho, a fried bun filled with malty Horlicks ice cream is hot, cold, crisp and fluffy all at once. Berenjak’s baklava ice-cream sandwich, meanwhile, combines sticky pastry, nuts and cool vanilla ice cream in a dessert made for sharing.
Finally, Soho institution Quo Vadis serves glossy chocolate profiteroles with exactly the right mixture of glamour and nostalgia. Menus can change, so check availability when booking. Then forget counting calories: London – and your holiday – awaits.
