SMH Good Food Month Sugar Hit Sheraton On the Park

Call it fate or kismet but our Sugar Hit at the Sheraton at the Park was meant to be. We could just tell from the park we got right outside the hotel that the universe was sating our sweet tooths. As its a Saturday night, they're holding the Sugar Hit in the ground floor Gallery Tea Lounge, one of my favourite afternoon tea places. There are a few other tables but its not overcrowded as its 9.15pm and the Sugar Hit has just commenced..

Shortly after we order our triple decker Sugar Hits, the Brown Brother Orange Muscat & Flora Dessert wines arrive, a sweet fruity concoction heavily fragrant with pears. The Sheraton's Sugar Hit offering comprises of: Baked basil scented Alaska, rose wine poached pear and Sheraton signature vanilla bean Creme Brulee. The basil scented alaska is what has caught my eye as I've seen basil used is some desserts but have never had the opportunity to try it first hand.

The plates looks glorious as they are set down and the star of the plate is undoubtedly the spiky caramelised hedgehog Baked Alaska with white and dark chocolate cigarillo. We are eager to dig into this first and inside reveals a rich chocolate ice cream centre with a sweet meringue outer. There's no sponge inside like a traditional Baked Alaska, just the ball of ice cream sitting atop a chocolate biscuit. The cold ice cream contrasts with the pillowy sweet softness of the meringue. I am trying my hardest to detect or taste the basil scent but it is eluding me completely. Queen Viv and Miss America do taste it faintly in theirs but we don't in ours.

The rose wine poached pear is next and its ingeniously set on a round pool of red wine syrup which is bound in by a ring of set white chocolate which looks stunning. Great presentation of the pear in gorgeous miniature and its pleasantly sweet and refreshing after the jaw aching sweetness of the Alaska but it perhaps needs a spice added to it like nutmeg or cinnamon. It doesn't have a very strong red wine taste either with the red wine staining only the bottom of the pear.

Last is the vanilla bean Creme Brulee. Its housed in a small shallow dish which is how I like it (more surface area for the toffee crunch!) but there is no crunch to be had. The custard itself is thick, rich and velvety but I need the crunch, I practically insist on it. There's nothing better when eating a Creme Brulee than cracking the toffee.

Sugar cravings well and truly satisfied, Queen Viv, Miss America and my husband and I make a date for another Sugar Hit in a couple of week's time. All in the name of thorough research of course.

Sheraton on the Park

Lvl 1, 161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney

Tel: +61 (02) 9286 6650

The Sugar Hit is on every day throughout October from 9pm-11pm for $20 per plate