Delicious desserts

2:35pm Friday 11th April 2008

Desserts are everyone's favourite part of a meal, so we asked five people with the sweetest tooth in the region to share their favourite desserts and reveal the best places to find them. Sureka Fernando and Neil Powell report.

Creme brulee
Simon Pattinson, owner of Montezuma's, Birdham Business Park, Chichester said: "My favourite dessert is Creme Brulee. I like it when the sugar has been really caramelised and is almost too hot to bite. The best one I've ever had was in West Stoke House in Chichester. They use cream from the local Goodwood Estate to give it a fantastic creamy flavour."

Chef Darren Brown at West Stoke House, Downs Road, Chichester said: "The secret is in our Madagascan vanilla pods, which give the dessert a particularly strong vanilla taste. We mix organic double cream with the vanilla seeds and pods and infuse it overnight to bring out the flavours."

Creme Brulee is available as part of a two or three-course meal £32/£39. Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 2pm and from 7pm to 10pm. Call 01243 575 226.

Green tea ice cream
Margaret Morrison, owner of Cybercandy, Gloucester Road, Brighton, said: "My favourite dessert is Green Tea Ice Cream from Moshi Moshi in Brighton because of its particularly unusual taste. It's a combination of savoury and sweet, which is really refreshing. Its beautiful delicate texture goes really well after a light, delicate Japanese meal."

Jerome Petit, manager for Moshi Moshi, Opticon, Bartholomew Square, Brighton, said: "Our Green Tea ice cream is very popular. The ice cream is light, smooth and creamy and the green tea has many healing properties, so it's a mixture of naughty and nice."

Moshi Moshi's Green Tea Ice Cream costs £3.20. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 11pm.

Call 01273 719195.

Bailey's & cappuccino bread & butter pudding
Yoav Cohen, owner of Home Cakery, Knoll Business Centre, Old Shoreham Road, Brighton, said: "My all-time favourite is Bailey's and Cappuccino Bread and Butter pudding from Nia Cafe in Shoreham. It's a good old bread and butter pudding with a twist. Alcohol can sometimes really overpower the flavours in a dessert, but here they've got the balance just right. I like the texture of the bread and the soft crunch on top."

Chef Clint O'Freddy at Nia Cafe, High Street Shoreham said: "The dish was created by the proprietor Ian Humphries. It's complex to make but it's worth it. It's made from croissants, a double shot of espresso, a dollop of Bailey's rich chocolate liquor, sultanas and a home-made chocolate sauce. It's definitely the most popular. It's our best seller."

The dessert is priced at £4.95. Nia cafe is open from 10am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sundays. Call 01273 462777.

Welsh hot cakes
Ky Wright, co-owner of Lick Frozen Yoghurt and Ice Cream shop on Gardner Street, Brighton, said: "I love the Welsh hot cakes served in The Hand In Hand pub in Kemp Town. They are a thin scone mixed with spices and served hot from the griddle. They can be served with cream and jam but I like them on their own.

The ones in The Hand In Hand are the only ones I've seen outside Wales to be cooked fresh. They're made by a Welshman so they're a taste of home on my doorstep."

Dai Rees from the Hand In Hand pub, Upper St James's Street, Brighton, said: "Our Welsh Hot Cakes are freshly made to order. They are made from a traditional recipe which has been passed on by generations in my family. They can be served as you wish - with cream or ice cream or just a cup of tea, which is how I like them."

Three Welsh Hot Cakes cost £1. The pub is open Monday to Sunday from noon until midnight. Call 01273 699595.

Chocolate fudge cake with ice cream
Linus Gorpe, manager of Raw Chocolate Co Ltd, Henley Road, Brighton said: "My favourite dessert is an old classic - chocolate fudge cake served with ice cream from Pizza Express.

The smell hits your senses before you get to eat it. Then you dive in and the texture is all gooey and pleasurable. A really yummy experience."

Mike Simpson, manager of Pizza Express, Prince Albert Street, Brighton said: "Because the pizza ovens are heated at a low temperature, the sponge cake takes one and a half hours to bake. It's one of our most popular desserts and has been here since I started, which is 13 years."

The dessert costs £4.15. The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday 11.30am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday 11.30am to midnight and Sunday 11.30am to 10.30pm.

Call 0871 2071884.

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