Restaurant Review: Spot Dessert Bar

Confession time: This review isn't recent. In fact, I've been meaning to post it for about a year. But with school, work and life, this blog has (unfortunately) been moved to the back burner. If it wasn't for my friend Megan (my food adventure partner in crime) threatening to flick me for not updating, there probably wouldn't be an update. So thank her! (Thanks, Megan!)


Without further adieu: "(The Infamous) Spot Dessert Bar"

On November 13th 2011 (over a year ago!), Megan and I decided to have our very first "food adventure." This tradition of ours came about as a result of the facts that we live in NYC, arguably the food and restaurant capital of the world, and our mutual desire to broaden our culinary horizons. The problem: we're both college students (aka broke), so we don't get to do this as often as we would like. But hopefully, that'll change soon.

After a delightful dinner of Australian pot pies at the Tuck Shop, we wandered around the city looking for a place to get dessert. It wasn't long before we stumbled upon Spot Dessert Bar. Located in St. Mark's Place (with a new location in K-Town), "Spot" combines classic American and French desserts with Asian influences.

Not only do they sell hot and cold drinks, cookies, cupcakes, and French macarons (if I remember correctly, this was at the start of the macaron trend) in all kinds of flavors, but they also sell (get ready for this) dessert entrees!

Thai Tea Creme Brulee

I loved the presentation of the Thai Tea Creme Brulee! As you can see, it came with a shot of hot tea, an iron container of milk or cream, a tiny ceramic pitcher of sweetener, a wooden spoon, and a flourless wafer as a garnish. Although I realized that I'm not a fan of the flavor of thai tea, I really enjoyed the addition of the tea to the dessert. I thought it was a nice touch.

The actual dessert, however, was the real experience. The creme brulee shell was appropriately crispy and, once cracked, led to a wonderfully rich, warm custard underneath. Like I said, although I haven't yet acquired a liking for the flavor of Thai tea, I urge those of you that do enjoy it to try this dessert. 

Smoked coconut cheesecake

The smoked coconut cheesecake, however, was by far, my favorite entree. The cheesecake itself was flavorful, but the clever additions of a passion fruit foam, coconut gelato (with real shredded toasted coconut pieces inside), and a medley of chopped mango, toasted coconut, blueberry compote, and soft rose-flavored gelatin cubes, really made the dessert shine! I would definitely order this again, and I'm not one to order the same thing at a restaurant twice.

The next part of this meal is really what drew us to Spot Dessert Bar in the first place: the cupcakes.

In total, we tried 5 different flavors: chocolate green tea, white chocolate and banana, lemon poppyseed, vietnamese coffee, and bacon and date.

The bacon and date cupcake is the one that intrigued us the most, so we both ordered it and tried it first. It. was. ridiculous. Like all of the cupcakes, the bacon and date cupcake was moist (very important) and flavorful. There was an equal balance of sweetness from the dates and smoky goodness from the bacon pieces, both on top of the frosting and on the bottom of the cupcake (see above). While it was an interesting experience (and yes, very good) the flavor combination quickly became overwhelming. If you are so inclined, I recommend ordering it-- but to share.

The chocolate green tea cupcake was packed full of flavor, as was the white chocolate and banana (my favorite actually, a tie with the vietnamese coffee, which was strong). The white chocolate frosting was great on its own, but the star of that cupcake was the banana cake. It was perfectly comforting and reminiscent of homemade banana bread.

The vietnamese coffee, my other favorite cupcake, was satisfying, but in a different way. It had such a strong coffee flavor within the cake and the frosting that I was a bit worried that it would keep me awake that night. It wasn't cloying, either. It contained the right amount of sweetness. I would definitely get it again.

I was a bit disappointed with the lemon-poppyseed cupcake cupcake. I ordered it, because I used to love the supermarket brand mini cupcakes as a kid, however, the flavors are very different. Spot's was very light, with a lot of lemon (which, I guess, it how it should be), while I was expecting a denser cupcake and a light lemon flavor. It didn't ring true with my expectation, so I wasn't as big of a fan of it. That being said, if you like a strong lemon flavor, this cupcake would probably suit you very much.

Finally, the hazelnut-chocolate macaron was very sweet and full of that rich nutella-esque flavor. However, texturally, it was a tad too crispy for my taste and seemed a bit stale. It was my first experience with a macaron, so I was a little dismayed. However, I'm willing to chalk it up to the fact that it was almost evening, so they may not have been as fresh as when they were first made. I've had a few more since then with a great crispy-soft-chewy contrast, so I know now what to look out for when tasting a macaron.

All in all, I would revisit Spot Dessert Bar again (but only with friends-- share the calories)! There are plenty of options to choose from, and some delightfully unconventional flavor combinations. 

Warning: It's usually packed, so prepare for a bit of a crowd. Oh, and don't do what we did, and order the whole menu at once. It's gluttonous and ridiculous. Trust me, you'll still be shaking your head at yourself over a year later. If possible, spare yourself the guilt and just spread out your visits. You'll thank me later. 

Spot Dessert Bar

Rating: 1-5

Thai Tea Creme Brulee: 

Presentation: 5

Flavor: 5

Technique: 5

Smoked Coconut Cheesecake: 

Presentation: 5

Flavor: 5

Technique: 5 

Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaron: 

Flavor: 5

Technique: 3 

Bacon and Date Cupcake: 

Presentation: 4

Flavor: 5

Chocolate-Green Tea Cupcake: 

Presentation: 3

Flavor: 4

Vietnamese Coffee Cupcake: 

Presentation: 3 

Flavor: 5

Lemon Poppyseed: 

Presentation: 5

Flavor: 5  

White Chocolate Banana Cupcake: 

Presentation: 3 

Flavor: 5

Sea Thai Restaurant and Bistro~ Brooklyn, NY

Okay folks. Get ready to break out the (non-alcoholic!) champagne, because this is my first ever restaurant review!
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Sea Thai Restaurant and Bistro

114 N 6th St

Brooklyn, NY 11211

                                                                                        
I was pleasantly surprised when my good friend texted me a few weeks after summer began to invite me out for a belated birthday dinner.

"Have you ever had Thai food?" she asked me curiously.

I'd had pad thai before, but unfortunately, that was the extent of my foray into this particular cuisine. When I told her as much, I could sense her excitement through her next text. "Ooh, I know just the place to take you!"

This place was called, simply, Sea.

Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Sea Thai Restaurant and Bistro (which is its full name, although everyone I know refers to it as "Sea"), was a treat for the senses. A short walk away from the L train, Sea's brick exterior looked completely unassuming... but the interior was a completely different story.

It took me a second to register the isolated bar/island directly at the front of the restaurant. Nor did I see the silver beaded curtain to its immediate left, beyond which sat a mosaic tiled sink in between the two, airplane style bathrooms. These details (along with the hanging bubble swing/chairs) were unique enough on their own and I definitely checked them out afterwards, but in that initial moment, nothing distract from the restaurant's focal point: a full size, indoor pond smack in the center of the room.

With my jaw dropped, we were seated at a table right next to the it and I watched as a traditional looking wooden boat covered  in bright flowers gently floated on the water.  

When we received our menus, I absolutely could not decide what I wanted to eat. Not because I was unfamiliar with the menu, although I was, but because I was overwhelmed by how good everything looked, sounded, and smelled (from the other tables). We split the chicken satay with peanut sauce for the appetizer and the fried ice cream for dessert, my friend had the Pad Thai and a Lychee iced tea, and I had Drunken Noodles with Chicken.

Chicken satay with peanut sauce.

We almost forgot to take a picture of the appetizer; we were clearly distracted by eating it! The chicken itself was incredibly juicy--to the extent where I wondered whether it was fully cooked. Honestly, it didn't matter. Compared to most of my experiences chewing dried-out, overcooked meat-on-skewers, I'd much rather have this. And the peanut sauce was cool, creamy, and sweet. 

My friend, fork at the ready, about to dig into her Pad Thai.

Sweet, savory, and bright with acidic lime juice, Pad Thai, is most American's introduction to Thai food. Hers smelled wonderful and tasted even better.

Drunken noodles (broad rice noodles), with sliced chicken, red pepper, and Chinese broccoli in a spicy sauce.

My drunken noodles with chicken did not taste of alcohol, for which I was very grateful--what it did have was tender slices of chicken layered above long, flat, and chewy noodles in a slightly spicy, sweet, and salty sauce. Although this was the first time I had ever heard of this dish, as there were few Thai restaurants in the Bronx where I grew up, the dish seemed immediately familiar and comforting. I was extremely pleased with my selection and can't wait to try it again at a higher spice level.  

Lychee iced tea in a tall, thin glass.

This was my friend's lychee iced-tea. I didn't try it (so as to not contrast with the strong flavors of my Thai iced tea), but I'd been hearing about it since before we had arrived at the restaurant and it was the first thing she ordered. I loved the almost lava lamp-like colors and the floating lychees in the glass. I made a mental note to order it next time. 

Fried ice cream

Last, but not least, was dessert: fried ice cream! By the time we were ready to order, I was already stuffed, but I figured that a bite or two couldn't hurt. I don't regret having it at all, but I do regret not having my camera at the ready when it arrived! Before I knew what was happening, the waiter placed the dish on the table, drizzled some sort of liquor onto the ice cream and lit it on fire!

While I knew certain dishes (bananas foster, crepes Suzette) were traditionally flambeed, I couldn't imagine that this would bode well for the ice cream. But it was fine! The ice cream, encased in some sort of tempura batter, was pretty good, but again, I could only fit one or two bites. I guess I'll have to try it again for a better review.

Despite the ridiculously long trek (for me) to Brooklyn, I would definitely go to Sea again. The food was very good, the atmosphere was beautiful, and Williamsburg is interesting as I'd been told. 

Has anyone else been to Sea? I'd love to hear what you all think of the restaurant.

Until next time!