Introduction

“Bomb cyclone” snowstorms ushered in 2018, followed by repeated blizzards carpeting the city, and then, icy flurries just before Easter. Whatever phenomena “global warming” was expected to bring, these Dessert Correspondents here in New York have been experiencing more of a “global freezing!”  We could sit at home, host cake parties in front of blazing fireplaces and switch on Netflix in our nightwear, but why not be hopeful and celebrate the eventual coming of spring to NYC with a quintet of sweet-as, almost-done-with-winter-but-not-quite brunching experiences?

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Forfeit your new year resolution

•  Dessert destination: Sundays in Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
•  Short and sweet story: Malted Pancakes.  If you are of the firm belief that pancakes are not “pancakes” unless they are stacked in a pillowy tower, and smothered in something lusciously naughty (read: hazelnut praline maple sauce) and embellished with a cube of butter, then cast your beady, greedy eyes no further than Sundays in Brooklyn. Officially the most memorable pancakes that we have had to date. Truly redefining #SundaysinBrooklyn.

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Bananas in pyjamas

•  Dessert destination: Bubby’s, Chelsea, Manhattan.
•  Short and sweet story: Caramelized Banana Pancakes.  When the Arctic wind is howling worse than your boss before a pending deadline, when throwing out the rubbish runs the risk of frostbite, when snuggling under thick down quilts seems to be a far better idea than taking the effort to dress up as a Manhattanite, how to motivate oneself to leave home? Consider Bubby’s, you could rock up in snowboots in otherwise fashion-forward Chelsea, raucously laugh away the chills, and with the food, be naughty and virtuous at the same time. Add a little fruit to a stack, bruleed of course, lash it with caramel and maple syrup, dust it with icing sugar. Viola!

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Refuse to give up winter

•  Dessert destination: Vinegar Hill House, Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn.
•  Short and sweet story:  Sourdough Pancakes. Trek past the dense tourist crowds loitering at the foot of DUMBO, past cobblestone streets into a sleepy little street and you shall stumble across a quaintly rustic hideaway. One pancake swallowing the diameter of the plate upon which it is served, flat and dense in texture, crispy edges softened by caramelized bananas embedded within, this is the homely pancake that you could cook…if only you could bother turning on that stove at home. Aye, why bother when someone else can do it for you?

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Zap that eat-list

•  Dessert destination: Clinton Street Baking Co., Soho, Manhattan. (And also, Community Food & Juice, Morningside Heights, Manhattan).
•  Short and sweet story: Chocolate Chunk Pancakes. It’s so very conveniently nearby that hefty pastrami sandwich place that everyone has on their New York eat-list, and also nearby that bustling bagel place too.  Would you like to strike off another must-eat New York institution? If so, welcome to your tummy, a mound of moderately-sized, fluffy pancakes, sprinkled with little cubes of dark chocolate truffles and a D-I-Y pot of maple syrup. Classic American at its best.

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Become a cookie monster

•  Dessert destination:  Stanton Social, Soho, Manhattan.
•  Short and sweet story:  Oreo Cookie Pancakes. Say goodbye to XXXL food portion sizes, say hello to uber-trendy, vibe-y, dim lighting at brunch, tapas share plates and a veritable Leaning Tower of Pisa of pancakes, bejewelled with Oreo Cookie nuggets and layered with Oreo Cookie-flavoured cream. When it comes to this small plate, forget the mantra, “sharing is caring,” this shall be all mine, my precious!

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