Imagine a parade of brightly colored fruity concotions--drinks, puddings and the like in vibrant green, orange, red and yellow. Welcome to the world of healthy desserts. Welcome to the Hong Kong based Creations Dessert House. This chain of shops has expanded from Hong Kong to Taiwan, Singapore and now the U.S.
The menu extolls the virtues of various ingredients including the lovely sounding bird's nest and crystal snow. Bird's nest is of course a delicacy made of gelatinous bird spit. And crystal snow is made from frog fat. I swear, I am not making this up. Each is touted as a healthy and nutritious ingredient.
Tastiest of all are probably the fruit desserts, many of which prominently feature mango. Coming into the shop for the first time last week, I saw a stack of no fewer than twenty crates of mangos! The mangos I saw seemed to be a flattish yellow variety. Other than mangos, mangos everywhere, the decor was decidedly modern and youthful with oversized chairs, tiny tables and an interior color palette of black and red.
I chose a dessert which was mango pudding, mango ice cream, and chunks of fresh mango floating in--you guessed it, mango puree. It was bursting with juicy, tangy, mango flavors. In addition to being delicious mangos are packed with vitamins A, C and D and are also high in potassium and fiber so you can really feel good about eating them. Mangos also contain tryptophan and several enzymes that aid in digestion.
The Creations web site claims that more mangoes are eaten fresh all over the world more than any other fruit. Often referred to as the "tropical king of fruit" the mango tree is considered sacred in India where the fruit comes from originally. Mangos are grown in Asia, Latin America and here in the United States. Available practically year round, you can indulge in all the mango-ness you like at Creations Dessert House, the prices range from two to about five dollars for each dessert. Unless of course you want to try the crystal snow...
Creations Dessert House
5217 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco
Open from noon-midnight, everyday
415.668.8812
