DOUBLE INDULGENCES AT SINFUL SEAFOOD & DESSERT

They say life is short so eat dessert first. Opened in late December 2018, Sinful Seafood & Dessert aims to satisfy the hankerings of local seafood and dessert lovers in one spot.

Furnished like a hipster café, Sinful’s simple and spartan interior treads the fine line between the raw industrial feel of bare concrete walls awash in warm, mellow lighting and the practical modernity of blocky wooden furnishing and dark armchair seating.

True to its name, Sinful’s straightforward menu focuses solely on seafood and dessert. Sweet-tooth enthusiasts should get the ball rolling with the Chocolate Magic Ball (RM29.50) or the Chocolate Crepe (RM20). Both are equally sinful but heck, you only live once so go for a sweet surrender.

A decadent treat no chocoholic should pass up on, the Chocolate Magic Ball is served at the tableside with some flourish. A small jug of warm chocolate is poured over the white chocolate ball — the melted chocolate dissolving the white chocolate ball before completely blanketing the dark, fudgy chocolate cake inside.

We like the thoughtful touch of presenting the ultra-chocolatey treat with a mound of fresh strawberry slices and cream; the burst of tart acidity a welcome counterpoint after that rush of rich chocolatey sweetness. 

Somewhat lighter in texture albeit no less generous on the amount of chocolate used, Sinful’s signature Chocolate Crepe has white, milk and dark Belgian chocolate drenched over it. The top quality chocolate is silky smooth with a lingering finish, making it a heavenly pairing with the paper-thin crepe.

Personally, I prefer the Sinful Fruits Waffle (RM38.50). IMHO, the waffle is hefty enough for sharing. Texture-wise, it’s a light and pleasant canvas to pull the assortment of sliced banana, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple and chocolate together.

More tropical fruits make their presence felt in the Sinful Fruits Pancake (RM28.50). The stack of fluffy soft pancakes came up to mark, layered with chunks of tropical fruits and lashings of chocolate. A creation that’s hard to fault and guaranteed to leave you replete.

Wallet-friendly Seafood Combos are the other headliners at Sinful. Solo and group diners are catered for so you’d find different combos available; from RM22.90 for a Single Combo (for 1 person) up to RM224.80 for a Party Combo (for 10 persons).

Each Seafood Combo consists of deep-fried crispy baby crabs in addition to mussels, squid, prawns, fish and clams prepared in a choice of piquant house-made sauces available: Sinful Signature, Honey Mustard, BBQ, Spicy & Sour, Garlic or Curry. Also part of the meal deal is free flow of Rice, Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes and Coleslaw.

Our top vote goes to Honey Mustard — the subtle mustard zinginess works well to blunt the saucy richness whilst simultaneously enhancing the natural seafood sweetness.

Coming in a close second is the Curry sauce. More delicately spiced like a Japanese curry than a local one, we find it works like a charm with the seafood; suffusing their inherent flavours with rich complexity. 

Savoury-sweet accents are most pronounced in the Sinful Signature sauce. Admittedly, it’s an acquired taste for me personally but some diners may find it float their boat. Give it a shot and decide for yourself since the jury is out on this one.

If you’re working in the vicinity, Sinful offers a wallet-friendly Single Set Lunch at only RM14. Choose from Seafood (with a choice of Curry or Sour-Spicy Sauce) or Chicken Wings accompanied with Rice & Egg and a complimentary drink.

Delectable snacks to stave off hunger pangs while you wait include Chicken Wings (RM10.90, 6pcs) and Chicken Balls (RM10, 8pcs). Both are freshly cooked to order so you can be assured the crowd-pleasers are notable enough to make waiting time bearable or work up the appetite before succumbing to the main attractions.

For reservations, please call Sinful Seafood & Dessert, tel: 03-2780 7336 or 016-2205 713. Address: Block Hutton, G-3A, Plaza Arkadia, Jalan Intisari Perdana, Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur.

SWEET DESSERT DREAMS AT CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

Frolic with a cute and fluffy coconut meringue rabbit perched on a sunny yellow Bunny petit gâteau at Crème De La Crème (CLDC) — Kuala Lumpur’s and Malaysia’s coolest dessert haven right now — for a irresistible taste of ‘Easter in the tropics’.

Created using a tropical combination of coconut, mango, calamansi, pineapple, lemongrass and passionfruit on a deliciously crunchy chocolate hazelnut feuilletine base, the artistic ice cream cake masterpiece is one of the many intricately handcrafted dessert selection served at the newly opened Crème De La Crème in Damansara Uptown.

A brainchild of creative soul and passionate ice cream connoisseur Lio Lim (left), CDLC is a stylish haven exuding sleek, clean lines with hip, Instagrammable vibes: a unicorn wall-mounted lighting feature, minimalist furnishing, and expansive glass and chrome showcases.

Lio emphasised “only 100% all-natural, fresh and wholesome ingredients are used to create CDLC ice creams from scratch without the use of preservatives, artificial flavourings and colourings”.

Trained by renowned Australian dessert meister Christy Tania, CDLC aims to raise the bar in Malaysia for ice cream dessert creations. The team at CDLC headed by Pastry Chef Evelyn Chung is meticulously hands-on in every aspect of the creation process in their bid to entice dessert lovers with a plethora of the richest, smoothest, and most irresistible ice cream dessert treats.

Our palate-pleasing welcome drink, Unicorn Dream was concocted from blue pea flower-tinted lemonade with dragon fruit sorbet. To start the ice cream party rolling, we sampled Barley Lime Sorbet — a clever inspiration of local iced barley drink with freshly squeezed lime juice. Served on imported dainty lemon cones, the superfine sorbet won us over from the get-go with refreshingly well-balanced sweet-sour accents.

IMHO, that strong showing eclipsed the Dragon Fruit Strawberry Sorbet somewhat. Rich in fibre, anti-oxidants, potassium and vitamin C, the vibrant purple icy treat should hit the spot for berry fans thanks to its tart fruitiness.

Fresh kalamansi lime juice and salty assam boi made a compelling combo to create the Limau Assam Sorbet, a godsend solution for bringing the temperature down in countering the current hot spell. 

Proof of the pudding is truly in the tasting here as top grade Alfonso mangoes are used to churn out CDLC's Mango Passion Sorbet. We could tell from the intense fruity aroma and the sensuous sweetness alone. You have to savour it to believe it. Ditto for the umami-rich and complex Miso Caramel ice cream which put ordinary salted caramel flavour into the shade, making it so passé and ho-hum by comparison.

Looking for a low GI, sugar-free option? The Madagascar Ash made using maltitol, high quality Madagascar vanilla beans and premium bamboo charcoal powder will be just the sweet treat for you and health-conscious patrons including diabetics.

For  licks of nostalgia, the Pandan Kaya Toast ice cream comprised a seductive mixture of pandan, coconut & eggs. Fresh fragrant pandan leaves are first dehydrated, blended into powder form to create fresh, wholesome, aromatic and all-natural pandan kaya flavour ice cream. Then a house-baked crumble of almond flour and butter is swirled into the ice cream; to add a toasty and crunchy bite. Sedaplicious!

Bubble tea fans can now savour their milk tea with a chi chi touch at CDLC. Try the floral-accented French Earl Grey Boba blend served with al dente brown sugar pearls. We did and that milky tea creaminess coupled with perfect QQ chewiness left us no cause for complaint.

Millenials and the hipster set may prefer brekkie flavours such as Cerealicious (lower pix) and Cookies & Cream (upper pix). The former — strongly reminiscent of cereal soaked in fresh milk — flaunted a baby blue hue from butterfly pea flower extract whilst the latter is made by mixing vanilla ice cream with chocolate cookies baked from 63% French Weiss dark chocolate ganache and extra house-made chocolate cookie crumbs.

What takes the cake at CDLC is the Petit Gâteau — Instagrammable handcrafted masterpieces that are almost too pretty to eat! According to Lio, “We are highly passionate ice cream aficionados who strive to be the best ice cream artisans in Malaysia. We not only want to make ice cream that tastes good but also looks good.”

The belle of the ball here is the gorgeous Beauty & The Beast creation. A heavenly match of 63% Dark Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream, the spellbinding blossom is complemented by Morello Cherry Sorbet to achieve a perfect balance of bitter, tangy and sweet. At the base, dark chocolate crumble, chewy chocolate brownie and almond nibs gives the delectable and beautiful treat extra crunch.

Inspired by a lady’s pearl necklace, the elegant Lady Pearl is an exquisite sight to behold. A delightful mix of Strawberry and Madagascar Vanilla ice cream,  this lovely petit gâteau includes Dragon Fruit Strawberry sorbet to bring out the fine flavours it has to offer. Amidst textural contrasts of buttery crumble, red almond sponge and  passionfruit crémeux, there’s a perky taste of raspberry glaze too.

For more information, please call Crème De La Crème, tel: 03-7494 0735. Address: 35G, Ground Floor, Jalan SS21/60 Damansara Utama, Selangor.