Look, Willy Wonka is for real!

Max Brenner - Chocolate by the Bald Man, Manhattan

Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed, but chocolate makes it worthwhile ~ Anon

Do you know what Charlie felt like in Willy Wonka's factory? No? Well, i'll tell you what Charlie felt like Willy Wonka's factory! Do you know what it feels like to suddenly wake up one day and be told that an alternate world exists? That the world you lived in was just a cheap substitute where mortals are banished from finding out about all that is good and beautiful and utopia-like. No? Well, then you shouldn't be spending any more time reading this than you have and instead start plotting your way to visit Max Brenner as soon as possible, for it is the closest you'll get to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory as possible!

Oh of course, you're still reading! So i'll just sum up my visit to Max Brenner in a few individual words instead of stringing together sentences. And it's not because I'm too bored to write (really!), it's only because I don't think I can talk about an experience like Brenner in just a few lines, and partly also because I think these words will do the job that any other style of writing would.

Think of: chocolate, coffee, rains, warmth, winter, cozy, gooey, fondue, sweet, candy, melting, waffles, marshmallow, romance, music, cheese, caramel, cookies, sugar, crepes, hazelnut, vanilla, mocha. What, are you drooling already? There's a lot more. So now go visit.

PS. Did I mention that they have the most adorable mugs? Hug mug for some warmth, kangaroo cup for the un-deciders like me (coffee? chocolate? coffee? No both!)!  

Sugar Rush

Spot Desser Bar, Manhattan, New York

There was a time when I used to call myself a 'dessert fan'. That was untill I discovered that 'dessert' does not equal 'chocolate'. Sigh! 

Now, towards the end of every meal, if Im asked, do you want dessert, my response more often than not is to shake my head horizontally (unless I know for certain, there's chocolate somewhere!) But what do you do when you land up at a an all-dessert bar, that is the talk-of-your-town, and that doesn't have *any* all-chocolate dessert? Guess, you find out over one disappointing meal that nothing, and I mean nothing, comes close to chocolate!

So there we were, at this Spot Dessert Bar, after a heavy dinner of Thai cuisine.  

Maybe the expectations were set too high - by the accompanying friends, the pictures of the desserts on the walls of the eatery or the reviews I'd heard/read. But I was left sorely dissappointed. Small bite-sized portions of fruit and a few chocolate shavings on a plate don't do anything to satiate my appetite for 'dessert' for sure. 

No complaints with Spot though. They did what they claim to do best - combine innovative Asian sweets with classic American dessert to creat one-of-a-kind desserts. Sample this - Soft Cheesecake (Pic in the center) which is essentially cheesecake cream topped with passion fruit foam and  served with walnut crumble, blueberry compote, and grapefruit; Coconut macaroon with nutella almond cookie (top right), ovaltine icecream with a topping of caramelized popcorn, orange jelly squares and what-not (bottom left), green tea ice cream (bottom right), coconut foam with blackberry (top left) and again some stuff I couldn't decipher even though the lady who served us mentioned it.

Full marks to the presentation and to the ambience too.

Just that...I miss my chocolate cake!