Restaurant of the Week: Spot Dessert Bar

Dessert bars like ChikaLicious have always been an enigma to me. Do you go after dinner? Or skip a meal altogether? When pastry god Pichet Ong is in charge, make dessert a meal. I was disappointed when his restaurant P*ONG shuttered last year, and then oh-so-pleased to hear about his new venture: Spot Dessert Bar. Don't expect grandma's pound cake -- these are idiosyncratic desserts that have traveled to Asia and returned anew. In the minimalist room below street level are two large wooden farmhouse-type tables, several smaller ones along the wall, plus a counter along the window where you can watch people traipsing up and down St. Mark's Place as you sip a hot Thai milk coffee (thick and bitter, sweetened with condensed milk, $2.75). Reaching a decision among the array of ice creams, cupcakes, cookies and puddings is torture. We started with a mocha Maldon salt caramel cupcake ($2.75) -- dark chocolate cake filled with a salty caramel center and topped with caramel icing. Jackfruit cake ($7), a popular Southeast Asian fruit similar in taste to chestnut, was accompanied by coconut sorbet topped with basil seeds, actual plant seeds soaked in water, making them jelly-like. The classic American Eskimo pie ($7) has an Oreo crust and gets tweaked with citrusy Asian yuzu. White miso semifreddo ($8), equally savory and sweet, is sandwiched between olive oil cake slices and served with crunchy almonds and raspberry sorbet, a sublime combination. To make decisions easier, Spot also offers tasting menus: three desserts for $15 and five for $25.
 
Spot Dessert Bar
13 St. Marks Pl., (212) 677-5670
www.spotdessertbar.com

Photos by Pichan Kietsrichart