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| - Sweets Raku is the brainchild of Mitsuo Endo of the Abriya Raku fame (a 3-time James Beard Award nominee). The concept of this restaurant is a dessert bar, where you come in, order off a prefix menu, or order the desserts à la carte. Being a dessert bar, you will be served desserts only (but I've heard that they also have a cheese plate). After hearing some interesting comments about this dessert bar, I went with a buddy after my SnowFlake Shavery fix to get some dessert.
SR is located in the Seoul Plaza on Spring Mountain Road and Jones. It actually sits across the same building complex as Raku. Walking inside, you'll notice an amazing display of bottles of water and other refreshments built into a see-through wall. The clean, modern, and white interior give you a sense that the people who created this restaurant really wanted to give you an unforgettable experience. There is an open kitchen, and around it sits a bar with around 15 seats where you can watch all the desserts being made right in front of your eyes! There are also tables, but if you have the opportunity, sit at the bar and enjoy the show.
The pastry chef is Mio who is in charge of the kitchen. She's been a pastry chef for over a decade in Japan, but you would never guess due to her youthful appearance. The server dropped off a menu that was rolled up in a sugar ribbon ring. After ordering our drinks and the prix fix menu, we waited for Mio to start. The menu is also edible, and I thought that was a real neat and fun idea to be able to eat a menu! It didn't have a taste at all, which is good because I would have gagged if it tasted like paper. The server then brought us our drinks.
- Americano coffee: They use the Illy brand coffee, and it was bold and well made.
The Amuse/First course came up first:
- Strawberry and Mint: A strawberry sorbet with mint jelly, with a fresh sprig of micromint. The strawberry sorbet had a nice strawberry flavor. The texture was sort of weird for me, it wasn't icy... but I guess it wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. It's hard to describe. On the other hand, the texture of the mint jelly was well done, but I couldn't really taste the mint flavor that much.
The main entrees then arrived:
- Mt. Fuji: This was a play on the classic French dessert, the Mont Blanc. This was my favorite dessert of the night. The chestnut cream was amazingly light and had a smooth chestnut flavor. The cake was moist, and the chestnut glace complimented the whole dish. The presentation was also pretty cool.
- Apollo: Chocolate and raspberry mousse on top of chocolate cake, Earl grey tea ice cream, raspberry meringue, chocolate bases, and raspberry sauce. I thought the mousse's were all well made and so was the chocolate cake. The chocolate squares around the plate and the Earl Grey Tea ice cream were my favorite part of the dish. The ice cream tasted exceptionally well with the pink peppercorns that were ground on top. I thought the meringue and raspberry sauce were O.K. This was my least favorite dessert, I thought, flavor wise... it was just too safe.
The petit fours/Last Courses arrived:
- Parmesan cheesecake with oranges: I loved the concept of this dish. It is like eating two different courses in one dish. By itself, the cheesecake is very savory, and I thought that this would make a nice appetizer on a restaurant menu. But then, after eating the cheesecake together with the oranges, it complimented the savoriness of the cheesecake perfectly, and it became a dessert again! I found this to be absolutely fascinating.
- Chocolate Fondant with marshmallows: The warm chocolate molten cake was well executed with a cakey outer shell, and a warm molten interior. It was a well balanced cake. My favorite accompaniment of the night had to go to the lemon marshmallows. They had a bright, strong, lemon flavor, and they tasted just like a lemon curd! I thought the raspberry marshmallows were lacking in raspberry flavor, but the texture was good.
The service throughout the night was top notch. The server knew when we needed drinks refilled, and cleared our plates at the right time. She was super friendly and knowledgeable and engaged with us enough, but not overly smothering.
Dining at Sweets Raku brought an old smile to my face. It brought me back to those pre-"Great Recession" days. I remembered when the properties on the Strip were in competition with each other... not money-wise like they are now...but quality wise. Back then, F&B programs were trying to think of ways to create unforgettable experiences to their guests. Now, it's all about the bottom line, which is why we only see now burger joints, bars, and steak houses popping up, with inconsistent service everywhere. There are some flubs in this place, but you can find flaws at Raku, Joel Robuchon, The French Laundry, etc. But, this place deserves 5 stars, because.. it's the thought that counts.
Kudos to Chef Endo and Chef Mio, true artisans of their profession!!!
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