This dessert from Beefeater is new for Christmas and was brought to my attention as it is pictured on the paper place mats on all of the tables. The name is somewhat confusing, it is called a Christmas Indulgence "Tart" which implies pastry to me but it is described as a rich chocolate torte topped with black cherry compote, chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings and sprinkled with golden stars. I am not sure why they didn't call it a torte but regardless, it is served with chocolate ice cream and costs £5.49.
The torte is very thick and stodgy in consistency, almost somewhere between cheesecake and brownie. It tasted really rich and very, very chocolatey. The black cherry compote was also quite thick and tasted sweet. Along with the chocolate torte it was almost like a posh Black Forest Gateau, minus the cream. The chocolate shavings and sauce just added more chocolate into the mix and the little edible gold stars made this dessert really festive looking.
So many restaurants make the mistake of serving a great dessert with average ice cream and I often wonder why they bother including it at all. Beefeater has come up trumps here and the chocolate ice cream served with this dessert was very nice and of a good quality; much better than the white whippy stuff that they usually serve.
Verdict
If you like chocolate, you will love this dessert! I think that the £5.49 price tag is a little steep but it certainly lived up to it's indulgence name. The Beefeater will be serving this dessert as part of their Christmas Day menu and I would much rather have this than Christmas pudding!
