Dessert-focused restaurants are emerging globally, offering unique dining experiences where sweets take center stage from the first course. Chef Eunji Lee's Lysée in New York City offers a "Journey" tasting menu on Thursday evenings, featuring ten courses almost entirely composed of sweets. Prior to opening Lysée in 2022, Lee trained under Cédric Grolet at Alain Ducasse’s Le Meurice in Paris and reinvented the pastry program at the three-Michelin-star Korean restaurant Jungsik in New York. Lysée is known for creations like its corn mousse cake, which is shaped like an ear of corn, and its intricate "Lysée" cake with brown rice mousse and pecan sablé.
In Tokyo, Koichi Katsumata's Yama made history by becoming Japan’s first Michelin-starred dessert restaurant. Yama offers a 10-course dessert menu that changes bimonthly to reflect seasonal ingredients, such as a "Caprese" dish with basil-scented blancmange and clarified apple gelee. The intimate dining room features six counter seats and a curated collection of vintage Baccarat glassware, with each dessert complemented by specially crafted teas. Katsumata's innovative approach redefines the role of dessert in fine dining.
Pasar, an Indonesian-Chinese restaurant in Portland, Oregon, owned by Chef Feny, also integrates desserts throughout the meal. Feny, who grew up frequenting markets in Jakarta, designed Pasar's menu to feature delicate, bite-sized kue (Indonesian confections) that are subtle in sweetness and varied in texture. These colorful desserts, like the rose-colored cantik manis and purple talam ubi, are intended to be eaten alongside savory dishes rather than strictly at the end, reflecting Indonesian culinary culture. Pasar was recognized as one of the 20 Best New Restaurants of 2024 and received the Best Dessert Program award for its crave-worthy offerings.
