Delicious @St Mary Place:Pictures of the building and events bring back memories of old St Mary’s.
CHRISTMAS dinner is never complete without the sweet treats at the end of the meal.
This year, four new desserts are among the line up for the Yuletide season at all Delicious cafes, giving the patrons a variety of flavours. For drinks, in addition to the usual menu, there are four new hot and three cold items to choose from.
E&O group executive chef Steve Allen has whipped up both sweets and beverages infused with traditional flavours while maintaining halal standards.
“Desserts are more exciting as they are unexpected and unpredictable unlike the plain old Christmas turkey,” he said.
A must for Christmas is the Yule log cake called the “Buche de Noel” from France made with vanilla sponge, paired with chestnut and coffee filling, and finally sealed in chocolate ganache. If one is into chestnut and light cakes, then the log cake is to be tried.
The “Bibingka”, a hawker’s Christmas dessert from the Philippines is also a must-try. The combination of the main ingredients like rice flour, coconut milk, salted egg, cheese and coconut milk, which strangely reminded me of eating sugee cake with coconut topping, perhaps due to the grainy texture. Chef Allen said that the version served here is a lighter one to suit local tastes.
For something even lighter, “The Cranberry and White Chocolate Panettone” served with a dollop of mascarpone and cream, a classic sweet bread from Milan might be the right choice.
Those who prefer something rich should definitely try the flavourful English Christmas Pudding customised to omit alcohol in its ingredients. Dried fruits, apple, apple juice, lemon, almonds and Earl Grey tea are just some of the ingredients that is included to make this heavy dessert.
The festive beverages on the other hand, might hit some with a “gentle” surprise. Some of the ingredients might make one think of its compatibility but Chef Allen shares that these are basically European beverages customised for locals with some childhood favourites, themed “All Spiced Up and Ready to go Drinks”.
Who would have thought that ginger and chilli would go well with grape juice served hot? It was a funny feeling when I took the first sip of the “Hot and Spicy Grape Juice” not knowing what to expect but being a Malaysian accustomed to the spicy taste, the drink gives a sense of local touch and was rather addictive.
Similarly, the hot “Mulled Cranberry and Apple” was also infused with touches of cinnamon, cloves, chilli and ginger, on top of the citrusy flavours of orange and lemon.
Hot drinks galore: Delicious staff steaming milk to make for the ginger bread latte.
Do not be apprehensive at the mention of chilli in the drinks because it is actually very subtle. It is the spices that shine and add the zing to the otherwise ordinary fruit juices.
Then, there is the “Minted Hot White Chocolate” with a dollop of foam suitable for children and adults alike and gingerbread latte mixed with a dash of vanilla and cinnamon for the coffee lovers.
For those who prefer their drinks cold, there is the refreshing “Delicious festive ice tea” made with a blend of tamarind, sour plum, lime, lemon and grenadine.
Children may love the Pear and Cinnamon Ice-cream Smoothie. The sweetness from the vanilla ice cream was well balanced with hint of spicy cinnamon coupled with the refreshing taste of pears. And of course, for the coffee lovers are never forgotten. Specially for them is the ice blended clove coffee.
“A Delicious Christmas” promotion is available now at all Delicious outlets until the end of the month only. All desserts are priced at RM14.90++ while the beverages are priced at RM12.90++.
All the items are available for takeaway (except for Bibingka). For details, visit www.thedeliciousgroup.com.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
