Best dessert dishes in KL

The woman behind this humble stall, Aunty Eng, has about 60 years of experience making ais kacang and cendol; she learned from her father who ran a dessert stall in Medan Selera PJ Old Town that opened in 1958. What makes the difference here is the quality of ingredients – everything but the cendol jelly is made from scratch: the gula Melaka is personally sourced from Melaka, the coconut milk is made fresh every day, and the red beans aren’t overly sugared and mushy. The result is a cool and light dessert hat isn’t cloyingly sweet or rich – ideal for those hot afternoons.

RM5.50

Every dessert dish at Foo Foo is a study in balance of texture and flavours. Case in point: their Chocolate Mascarpone Sour Cherry Trifle, a multi-layered construction of sour cherries in its own syrup, sponge cake, chocolate and plain mascarpone that combine to create a dessert that’s all at once sweet, tart, creamy and intense. The best way to eat it is to dip the crispy chocolate feuilletine into the trifle, get as many elements on it before having a bite – this dessert will haunt your memories (and taste buds) long after you’ve left the place.

RM27

Beta KL’s menu consists of modern Malaysian fare with highlight items such as inverted karipap, winged beans with budu aioli, tempura soft-shell crab and more. Staying true to its identity as a modern Malaysian eatery, the dessert items here are a play on classic local treats. A must-have is the Bird’s Nest – lychee granita housed within a solidified santan shell and surrounded by chunks of water chestnut and birds’ nest. This light-tasting dish is served on top of a bowl of dry ice, and the drifting fog makes for an added wow-factor.

RM80

The Tokyo Restaurant in Isetan The Japan Store dishes up a small selection of Japanese dishes and desserts. Of its six dessert items on the menu, the 6th Avenue Cheesecake is by far the most popular, and for good reason too. The decadent cheesecake has a salty exterior and sweet, almost custard-like centre made with Danish cream cheese, and is served with a dollop of whipped cream that helps cut the richness. Sure, RM20 may be a bit much to pay for a slice of cheesecake, but trust us when we say you’ll be going for seconds.

RM20

If you love the vanilla bean cheesecakes and lemon bars at Bangsar’s Jaslyn Cakes, you’ll be drawn to Dew. Opened by Jaslyn Rangson right next to her namesake bakery/café, the elegant patisserie’s forte is enticing, shiny tarts. Go for the Basil-Lime Tart, which is basil mousse atop a creamy basil and lime curd, with tiny meringue sticks artfully placed around the tart. It’s a burst of fresh flavours, thanks to the fragrant basil and delightfully sour lime.

RM19

The Taman Desa café ticks all the boxes of what makes a popular café: minimalist ivory walls, wide window with a pleasant view of verdant trees, and excellent soufflés on the menu. The made-to-order delight uses a Taiwanese recipe made with real vanilla beans and kampung eggs, resulting in a warm, near-magical dish that’s crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Word of caution: Get your photos as quick as possible (and by possible, we mean five seconds) before the soufflé starts sinking.

RM18

This dessert bar is manned by pastry chef Stanley Choong who has trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Malaysia and Japan; so it’s safe to say you’re in good hands here. Look for the easily identifiable neon pink bunny as the shop’s signage, push the powder blue door and you’re in for a treat. The popular Yuzu cake is a decadent dark chocolate slice with tangy notes of yuzu, layered with 58% Belgian couverture, chocolate mousse, almond dacquoise, yuzu cremeux and salted caramelised hazelnuts with almonds that work harmoniously together.

RM18

Helmed by ‘MasterChef Asia’ Season 1 finalist Marcus Low – that season’s ‘dessert king’ – this joint offers a compact but interesting list of desserts created by Marcus himself – think claypot rice with milk snow ice, Chocolate Delice with milk kefir and buttermilk ice cream, and more. One of the bestsellers is the bubur cha cha with all the familiar ingredients of the classic Malaysian dessert but with a twist. Think of it as a deconstructed version with sweet potato cake layered with pumpkin brûlée and topped with coconut pearls for texture and bubur cha cha ice cream.

RM23