Sweet dreams are most definitely made of this - for the perfect end to any meal, we've rounded up some of the best desserts to be found in London's restaurants right now.
Creme Caramel at Bouchon Racine
Farringdon - Upstairs, 66 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BP
A good creme caramel is a thing of wonder, balancing its wobble with just enough structural integrity to hold the imprint of your spoon as you take the first mouthful, and this exemplary version at Bouchon Racine does just that. Add a few boozy prunes soaked in Armagnac and you’ve got heaven on a plate.
Knafa at Juma
London Bridge - Borough Market Kitchen, Jubilee, Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AG
Philip from Juma describes this Iraqi favourite as “a cheesy Middle Eastern danish” which we’re not sure quite does it justice. Topped with pistachios and rose petals and drizzled with orange blossom-scented syrup it’s the perfect sugar hit to get your energy levels back up to hit the rest of Borough Market.
Pain Perdu at The Ninth
Fitzrovia - 22 Charlotte St., London W1T 2NB
Is it really a proper dessert if the prep for it doesn't start at least a day in advance? The pain perdu at Jun Tanaka's Fitzrovia restaurant starts with the brioche being made on day one. It's soaked overnight in creme anglaise before being baked and then given a ferocious going over with a blow torch before being served up with tonka bean ice cream.
Sticky toffee pudding at Hawksmoor
Across London
There’s room for both pudding purists and innovators at Hawksmoor who offer their amazing sticky toffee pudding in two forms - classic and as an ice cream sundae. So whether you want the OG pudding, which has been a bestseller since the early days of Hawksmoor, or something lighter you have options here.
Brown butter tart at The Marksman
Hackney - 254 Hackney Road, London, E2 7SJ
As we discovered, painfully, there’s only one way to ensure that you get a slice of this world-class tart at the end of your meal at The Marksman and that’s to order it the minute you get in the door. The good news is that they’ve also got a 2.0 version of the tart in miniature form at their new restaurant, Lasdun.
Deep-fried bread and butter pudding at Cafe Cecilia
Hackney - Canal Place, 32 Andrews Rd, London E8 4RL
This is the dessert to assuage critic Grace Dent who recently bemoaned a growing tradition to serve bread and butter pudding cold when “It should obviously be hot”. Here at Max Rocha’s Hackney cafe, it’s given the deep frier treatment before being paired with the creamiest of cold custards.
Golden Gaytime at Milk Beach
Queens Park and Soho
Served at both their Queens Park and Soho restaurants, Milk Beach’s take on the popular Aussie ice cream features a toffee & buttermilk parfait, drizzled with dark chocolate and then topped with malt and honeycomb crumb for additional texture. Between that and their lamington, you’ll be well served for the dessert course here.
Chocolate nemesis at The River Cafe
Hammersmith - Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA
Not quite on the menu since day 1, but every day since it was introduced in 1989, this death-by-chocolate dessert became best known for being the most fiendishly difficult recipe for home bakers to master. The flourless cake is, as the late Rose Gray described, “a recipe you need to make a couple of times before you get it right". Do yourself a favour and just go to the restaurant for it instead.
White chocolate cheesecake at Blacklock
Soho, City, Shoreditch, Covent Garden, Canary Wharf
The only person defining portion control at Blacklock is you with their ‘say when’ approach to dishing out their signature cheesecake. This self-styled ‘cuddle in a bowl’ features a base of McVities digestives and is topped with large curls of white chocolate.
Fried horlicks ice-cream bao at BAO
Soho, King’s Cross, Shoreditch, Borough and Marylebone
Inspired by the deep-fried hin si juan rolls you'll find in Taiwan, this on/off dessert at BAO sees them deep-frying their round baos before adding a perfectly round ball of their impossibly smooth malted milk ice cream. It’s a messy but satisfying eat.
Tipsy cake at Dinner by Heston
Knightsbridge -Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
The first things that catch your eye on entering this restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental are the mediaeval-style spits with pineapples roasting on them. A large slice of that caramelised pineapple is served up with the tipsy cake, the recipe for which is first found in a Victorian tome, the English Cookery Book.
More about Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Matcha Mille Crepes at Kova
Soho, Chinatown, South Kensington, Battersea
For the perfectionist dessert fancier, this pleasingly symmetrical Japanese dessert features layers of French crepes with light ceremonial-grade matcha pastry cream in between. A dusting of powdered matcha on the top completes the look.
Ice-cream sundaes at The Colony Grill
Mayfair - 8 Balderton Street, Brown Hart Gardens W1K 6TF
If your childhood traumas stem from parents who didn’t adhere to the mantra that more is definitely better when it comes to desserts then take back control at this American grill restaurant. Waiters will hand you a menu card divided into ice cream flavours, toppings (like peanut brittle, crushed meringue or honeycomb) and sauces. It’s up to you how many boxes you tick…
Tiramisu at Brutto
Farringdon - 36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BN
Russell Norman’s love letter to Florence finishes in a flourish at the end of every meal with the delivery of the tiramisu. Creamy, indulgent with that perfect hit of bitterness it’s an elegant lesson in balance. If you can get hold of a copy of his Polpo cookbook, there’s a gold star recipe for it in there.
Ile Flotante at Brasserie Zedel
Soho - 20 Sherwood Street, London W1F 7ED
This singularly gorgeous dessert at Zedel might not be quite the budget buster it was when it first opened (when it was just £2.75!) but it still comes in comfortably under £9 for a bowl of deliciousness. That soft meringue floating in a creme anglaise and topped with caramel and nuts - who could fail to fail in love with it?
White Snickers at The Grill by Tom Booton
Mayfair - 53 Park Ln, London W1K 1QA
This is a case of 100% what it says on the tin - this dessert is a refined white chocolate take on the classic Snickers bar. It’s lasted the test of time, evolving through the years and making it through the restaurant’s recent relaunch to remain a menu staple. Get it while you can, and remember you’re not you when you’re hungry…
More about The Grill by Tom Booton
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