chikalicious

Chikalicious sounds like it would be the name of either a Filipino restaurant or a Filipino gossip website, but it's actually a chic little dessert bar in the East Village named after one of the proprietors, Chika Tillman from Japan. I went there today with Wendy, our dear friend and broker extraordinaire who's been patiently helping me sift through a million and one apartments. We had a lovely time chatting over pretty desserts.

We agreed that this 20-seat dessert bar is more suited to ladies than men due to the tiny portions. According to the website, the 3-course prix fixe menu is composed of American desserts with French presentation and Japanese tasting portions. In plain English, these desserts that will feel like a mere tickle in a grown man's tummy.

I don't really drink coffee anymore but I had to order a latte ($5) for this dessert session, and I was completely charmed by the tea cup they served it in. I think I want some delicate porcelain teacups for my pad now too.

We were served an amuse bouche of vanilla ice cream set on a bed of vanilla lemongrass gelee. It was delish but not very photogenic.

Wendy ordered the lemongrass panna cotta with pineapple sorbet and cilantro agar agar gelee. The panna cotta was really good; it reminded me of the Filipino dessert maja blanca a little bit. It was a very refreshing and almost tropical dessert with the gelee and the sorbet.

I ordered the warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce. I have to say I was quite underwhelmed by the dessert. It's a cross between a molten chocolate cake and a tart, and I think I would've been more satisfied with chocolate cake. Cake would've been easier to dip into the yummy red wine sauce and the pink peppercorn ice cream. The most intriguing part of my plate was definitely the pink peppercorn ice cream. Sweet and spicy, and the taste lingers long after the last bite.

To cap off our meal, we received a plate with three kinds of petite fours. My favorite had to be the marshmallow coated with coconut flakes. So yummy. I'll have to figure out a way to replicate that one.

It was a very nice experience, for sure, but now that I've tried it I might not be too keen to go back. It's simply too little for too much, I feel (or is that just because I was famished from Bikram class? Something to consider). I might swing by Chikalicious' Dessert Club across the street just to give their menu a whirl. But this place left me with a been there, done that kinda feeling. But I'd say it's something to try at least once!

Where: 203 East 10th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Strictly on a walk in basis, four guests per party max