posted by Archana on Dessert, East Village, Vegging Out

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When Pichet Ong closed his AMAZING bakery Batch last summer, I was devastated. Where else would I get green tea cupcakes with sparkles and a hard chocolate center? His cupcakes were truly unique, and since the purported Chelsea location hadn’t yet opened, I was totally in withdrawal.

Until now! Ong recently opened Spot Dessert Bar, in a location far better than Batch’s West Village digs—namely because it’s a block from my apartment—on St. Marks. And it was totally worth that wait because with the more extensive menu, you can get the memorable cupcakes in addition to cakes, cookies, bubble tea and tons of other drinks—even Ovaltine!

But it’s not your average dessert hub, at Spot, you’ll be scratching your head at the odd pairings in some of these items. Take a look:

Jackfruit Cake: basil seed, rum toffee, coconut

Poached Persimmon: jasmine rice, mascarpone, pistachio

White Miso Semifreddo: raspberries, olive oil cake, almond

Olive oil cake? I was intrigued, but that night, I wasn’t in the mood to experiment. We had a hard time deciding between the Yuzu Eskimo (Oreo, strawberry, passion fruit) and the Ovaltine and kobacha roll with Rice Krispies and condensed milk ice cream. Funnily enough, the couple seated next to us got both, so we asked them which was better, and Ovaltine and kobacha roll it was!

In one word: incredible. The icing of the cake creamy, yet firm, the cake was moist and we quickly learned that the best way to enjoy it was to take a bit of everything and eat it all in one spoonful. It’s not often that such varying flavors harmonize that well. Truly a testament to Ong’s skills.

We split the cake and also split a green tea chocolate cupcake, which was filled with a fruit jam. Also amazing. It’s similar to the green tea cupcake Ong had at Batch but the difference in the 2.0 version—the fruit jam—is a welcome upgrade in my opinion. But I do love that he kept the chocolate ball toppings!

To top it off, we washed everything down on this chilly night with a warm glass of Ovaltine. For those who aren’t familiar with the Seinfeld-punchline drink, Ovaltine is an originally British drink made of cocoa, whey and malt. It’s the stuff I grew up on, and having it again, nearly 20 years later was such a trip.

The place itself has a really chill, earthy vibe that’s kind of funny when you think of how crazy of a street St. Marks is. Tucked away below the street, it’s a nice, sweet sanctuary.

Spot Dessert Bar
13 St. Marks Place
212.677.5670
6 to Astor Place
R, W to 8th St.-Broadway