Yesterday, after dinner I actually refused dessert. Nothing remarkable in that, you might think, but for a person like me who shamelessly admits that all 32 pearly whites are sweet, it is. Now, sadly, groaning bathroom scales and rapidly shrinking clothes mean I have to be choosy about how and where I get my sugar fix.
Some of the best desserts I have had have been in friends’ homes. Sasi’s heavenly chocolate cake, Padma’s sinful apricot delight, or even my own grandmother’s legendary chakkarapongal are ‘sweets’ I would gladly do a dozen extra surya-namaskars for.
Sadly these are not available as often as I would like, and so more often than not I am forced to pacify my palate with desserts found in the menu cards of Chennai’s restaurants, and its ‘sweet shops’
Here’s a list of my favourites and (today) are the only desserts I would go out of my way to get.
1- Tiramisu at the Taj – If you haven’t had Tiramisu at the Taj coffee shop Matchpoint, you haven’t lived! Take a spoonful of this magical food in your mouth, relax, and close your eyes as you enjoy the delicate taste of coffee, chocolate, cheese, cream, and liquor. It’s light, so light you can barely feel it on your tongue; you wouldn’t even know it was there if it wasn’t for the explosion of tastes on your palate, and the feeling that in a world where tiramisu like this existed, all was not lost.
2- Khubani ka meeta (also) at the Taj – This one’s a heavy duty dessert, and definitely not for the faint of heart! I’ve had khubani ka meeta at more places than I can count and none came even close to the Southern Spice’s offering of perfectly stewed apricots, with just enough sugar, and the occasional crunchy kernel to add texture to the soft creaminess. Forget the whipped cream, ask for vanilla ice cream with your apricots, and remember to ask for two spoons; this much bliss is too much for one person to handle!
(Taj – Nungambakkam High Road)
3- Red-orange sorbet from Movenpick is as different from tiramisu as it is possible to get. Its vibrant (red-orange!) colour makes you want to reach into the cold steel container and scoop some of it out with your fingers and pop it into your mouth. Take my word for it, once you start, you can’t stop easily. Sweet yet tart, this ice cream invades your senses with a bang. Forget you are an adult; just dig into it. It will remind you of the hot summers of your childhood, of sweet cold oranges and sour limejuice, and of frozen ices bought from street vendors’ carts. It will remind you of ice scraped off the sides of the freezer, scrunched into balls and sucked on while it melted all over your hands and into your clothes. Truly delicious!
(Movenpick – Khader Nawaz Khan Road/Shafee Mohammed Road)
4- Cornucopia’s Mississippi Mud Pie - If you like chocolate and if you like ice cream, you will fall in love with this quaintly named dessert quicker than you can say Mississippi-mud-pie! It is a frozen dessert; plain vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two crusty layers of crushed cookies, chocolate, butter and nuts. This divine concoction is then drenched in a sinfully rich warm chocolate fudge sauce. Cornucopia’s two-person sized portion of MMP is a chocolate lover’s way to paradise.
(Cornucopia – Cenotaph Road)
5- Jangiris from Sri Krishna Sweets – As a child, during Deepavali the house would be redolent with the smell of khova, ghee, and sugar syrup. We always had jangiris, and ‘original Viswanathaiyer’ jangiris, bright orange, perfectly piped circles, sprinkled with saffron and dipped in sugar syrup were the favourites. Sri Krishna Sweets' jangiris come closest to these, and it was celebration time when they set up shop in Chennai. Just like it was all those years ago, even today no formal meal at home is complete without jangiris from Krishna Sweets.
(Sri Krishna Sweets - Dr.Radhakrishnan Road, Gandhi Nagar - Adayar)
6- The Fruitshop on Greams Road makes the best Crème Caramels ever! It’s hard to believe that with the incredible variety of fancy desserts available, a nursery staple could find its way into a favourite desserts list, but then again, when its as good as this – soft, melt in the mouth, with generous helping of bitter-sweet caramel, its not so hard to understand. Go to their Besant Nagar branch, ask for one (make that two actually) to be packed, and eat it sitting on the wall of Elliot's Beach.
(Fruitshop on Greams Road - Greams Road, Besant Nagar)
This list wouldn’t be complete without mention of 2 other desserts I pick up whenever the mood strikes (and it strikes often enough!)
For chocolate lovers, if you haven’t yet discovered the sinful brownies made by Indulgence, go to Fabindia right away and get some. These are also available at Amma Nana.
While you’re at Amma Nana, ask if Bharathi’s Date and Nut rolls are available. They are delicious and don’t have any sugar, I swear it, Bharathi herself told me so.
(Amma Nana – Opposite the Park Sheraton Hotel)
I hope you try these and enjoy them as much as I do. If you have any favourites you want to add to this list, please do so. Spread the word; enjoy your dessert today. You can always walk an extra kilometre tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Ps. Do add your favourites (which ever city you are in) to this list.
