A Bite In The Right Direction

Founder of 2am:dessert bar Janice Wong believes keto and plant desserts will be a welcome sight in the near future

- Alfieyah Abdullah

MOUTH-WATERING IMAGES splash the 2am: dessert bar website as I scroll through it. The colours and textures jump out at me. Truly, I would love to drown myself in a vat of its decadent salted caramel sauce or rich hot chocolate, but it is the prospect of developing diabetes that keeps me in check.

Founder and pastry genius Janice Wong is no stranger to the dessert world. Her accolades could fill a book: nominated two years in a row as Asia’s Best Pastry Chef by San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best in 2013 and 2014, and Pastry Chef of the Year from the World Gourmet Summit Awards in 2011, 2013 and 2015. She has even been under the wing of some of the world’s best chefs; US luminaries Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz, virtuoso Spanish chocolatier Oriol Balaguer, and French pastry prodigy, Pierre Hermé.

Originally engulfed in the world of economics and finance, it was the excitement and myriad of flavours she derived from a single strawberry that inspired her new chapter at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Since then, she has adopted the moniker of Asia’s Willy Wonka, building edible art installations that completely transform a space. We’re talking marshmallow ceilings and gumdrop covered walls, all with the use of only edible items as tools.

2am: dessert bar opened in the Holland Village neighbourhood in 2007, and dessert for supper has never looked as right since. Janice’s confections have a strong relation to art and design and are a pleasure to behold (and eat). As with everything else in life, too much of a good thing is bad. One can only consume so many treats without risking their health and well-being.