Singapore Sweet Spot: 2am Dessert Bar

Imagine taking 2 of life’s greatest pleasures and then opening a trendy premises in which to enjoy them well into the early hours of the morning. That’s what 2am:dessertbar founder Janice Wong did.

After studying the art of dessert-making on 3 different continents (including at Le Cordon Bleu Paris) award-winning chef Janice Wong bought her skills back to Singapore and opened 2am:dessertbar.

Janice’s creations cannot merely be called desserts though. Dreamed up from her incredible artistic mind they are delectable treats like nothing you have tasted before. Sweet is mixed with savoury, Asian mixed with Western, and each creation is served up looking like it belongs in an art gallery.

Janice has a unique approach to creating her desserts – she makes them with no prior references. To get into the zone she once blindfolded herself to see what she could create without her usual visual process. The results of these blind experiments are desserts like the Cassis Plum – a cassis bomb, elderflower yoghurt foam, plum liqueur and bamboo shoot. As the name suggests the delicate purple bomb explodes upon contact with the spoon and literally melts down the throat, until the bamboo shoot adds a sour aftershock.

The menu also features spicy Chilli Chocolate (which packs an enjoyable kick) and Pandan Kaya (popular local flavours) crumbles, with a recommended wine pairing for each dessert. The barmen are just as busy concocting unique sweet cocktails as Janice and the team. As a confessed chocoholic I was immediately drawn to the (potent) chocolate martini, which was aptly served on the chocolate painted table, also created by Janice.

2am:dessert bar has recently introduced a high tea set for 2 ($45) which includes unexpected delights such as smoked popcorn root beer cake, truffle bars, chocolate bon bons, praline chocolate Pop Rocks cake and kaya pandan choux. (There is also an all-day savoury menu if the sweets get too much – something that has never happened to me!)

Not surprisingly, 2am:dessertbar draws a crowd of stylish sweet-toothed patrons. Every Manhattan-esque booth was filled on the night of our visit with groups sharing bowls of churros and chocolate pralines.

This Winter you can find more of Janice’s sweet treats at the Supertree Grove in Gardens By The Bay. 2am:dessertbar will be hosting a pop up shop selling Janice’s new retail line of sweets and confections that will range from edible marshmallow and chocolate paintings, to cakepops and lollipops. Yum.

2am:dessertbar is open until 2am (obviously!) Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on a Monday. You can find it (and you really should!) at 21A Lorong Liput, Holland Village, Singapore.

For more drool-worthy information visit www.2amdessertbar.com.