Located on the 16th floor of The L. Square building is Atum Desserant, a specialty dessert bar that has revolutionised the way Hong Kongers eat their traditional sugary treats. The modern open-concept bar boasts beautifully plated confectionary and stunning improvisation desserts; we were beyond enthralled by Atum Desserant’s ingenious creativity.

Atum Desserant is already very famous in Hong Kong, and well-loved for their innovative concept of improvisation – where guests get to sit back, relax and partake in an interactive experience with their personal dessert chef-cum-artist who will spontaneously create an edible artwork on the spot, right before your eyes.

The fun-filled demonstration of the table-plated dessert is an effortless integration of art and food; it was quite a show that left us speechless.

Keep your eyes peeled as an elaborate performance unfolds before you. We would happily take in those calories for this stunning dessert display. And, we strongly recommend you to make a reservation in advance to avoid disappointment.

At first glance, the abstract-looking menu offers a variety of tantalising colourful desserts. Depending on the availability of ingredients, most plated desserts are on a seasonal basis with a quarterly rotation. The ever-changing menu encourages fans to return regularly to check out the new creations, but “Improvisation” (HK$328+/ S$60.25+) is a main-stay and totally deserves to be.

As its name suggests, “Improvisation” is a dessert created by the pastry chef spontaneously and it can be improvised upon your requests (if any) along the way. It includes a coffee/tea of your choice.

All guests are seated by the white marbled bar counter and served fresh juices in eye-catching laboratory test tubes. Before the commencement of the interactive dessert feast, we were given the choice to choose a coloured canvas (black, grey or white) for our desserts to be placed on.

A friendly pastry chef then took us through an impressive whimsical demonstration of colourful sugary treats. Expect Asian-inspired ingredients such as taro sauce, mandarin jelly, yuzu cream, dragon beard candy, liquid nitrogen ice-cream and whatnot.

While our appointed personal pastry chef was working her magic on our edible masterpiece, we peeped at the couple beside us and saw that their “Improvisation” was completely different from ours. No two artwork at Atum is identical that way.

The engaging demo actually took about an entire hour and we were handed bite-size sampling portions of confectionary from time to time while the chef continued to beautify the dessert mat. It was a sensational experience watching the blank canvas transform into an edible piece of art; we were completely sold by the spectacular visual and edible treat.

The inviting dessert lounge also boasts abstract art paintings and an open-air terrace that overlook the skyscrapers of Causeway Bay.

It is also worth mentioning that the young owner of this lovely establishment is a passionate and driven entrepreneur who painstakingly designed and created everything in Atum Desserant. From the brainstorming of the unique desserts to designing the beautiful menus, owner Bong Kwok is a multitalented individual who understands what appeals to the new generation.

Atum Desserant is opening up another outlet in K11 Shopping Mall, and we are totally gonna check that out on our next trip to Hong Kong!

Atum Desserant
16/F, The L. Square,
No. 459-461 Lockhart Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2956 1411
Tue to Thu: 2.45pm – 12am
Fri to Sun: 1pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Causeway Bay

For more recommendations, read our Hong Kong food and travel guides.

About the writer:
Hui Jun Ng is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She previously worked in the food and marketing industry. She loves traveling and enjoys exploring underrated destinations. In her free time, you will find her indulging in coffee and her all time favourite local dish – bak chor mee.

Gone are the days where Hong Kongers are limited to their traditional desserts of egg waffles and glutinous rice balls. It is fair to say that the multifaceted global city has progressively embraced the influences of the West and its other Asian neighbours over the past decades. Today, modern civilians of Hong Kong are spoilt for choice when it comes to desserts.

From Little Bao’s ice cream burgers to Oddies Foodie’s Egg Waffle Soft Serve, we are excited to share with you 6 Most Delicious and Instagram-Worthy Ice Creams In Hong Kong. These head-turner lovely ice creams will thrill all enthusiastic foodies and instagram addicts alike.

#1 ATUM DESSERANT – IMPROVISATION (HK$328+)

Get ready to be blown away by Atum Desserant’s Improvisation. The massive edible sweet masterpiece is a far cry from the traditional gelato – and that is what makes it even all the more exciting!

While ice cream is not the sole ingredient in Atum Desserant’s Improvisation (HK $328+ / S$60.25+), liquid nitrogen ice cream is still included in this jaw-dropping dessert. Do bear in mind that the price is meant for two diners and includes juices and coffee/tea.

16/F, The L. Square,
No. 459-461 Lockhart Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2956 1411
Tue to Thu: 2.45pm – 12am
Fri to Sun: 1pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Causeway Bay

#2 LITTLE BAO – ICE CREAM BURGER (HK$48)

Available in either green tea or salted caramel flavours, the ice cream is sandwiched between two deep fried buns and drizzled with sweet condensed milk.

Each of these palm-size ice cream burgers are sold at HK$48 / S$7.90 each and are available for dine-in and takeouts. Don’t say we didn’t warn you – the ice cream melts rapidly so do snap your shot quickly!

G/F 66 Staunton Street
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2194 0202
Mon to Fri: 6pm – 11pm
Sat: 12pm – 4pm, 6pm – 11pm
Sun: 12pm – 4pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Central / Sheung Wan

#3 ELEPHANT GROUNDS – ICE CREAM SANDWICH (HK$68)

Tucked away at the back of a retail store called WOAW! is Elephant Grounds, a tiny hipster cafe renowned for their excellent coffees and ice cream sandwiches (the tasty dessert is only served on Fridays to Sundays).

We had the Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies Sandwich (HK$68 / S$12.50) but note that flavours change on a weekly basis. Their new outlet offers ice cream sandwiches during weekdays, so drop by The Factory instead to fix those Monday blues.

11 Gough Street
Tel: +852 2253 1313
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 9pm
Sat & Sun: 12pm – 7pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan

1/F The Factory
1 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang
Tel: +852 2562 9000
Mon to Fri: 9am-6pm

#4 MUNCHIES – ICE CREAM DOUGHNUT (HK$70)

Munchies might be a new kid on the block of hipster district Sheung Wan, but is already a hot favourite amongst the local and expatriate community for its insanely delicious organic sammies (HK$70 / S$12.86).

The sammies comprises a combination of handcrafted ice cream sandwiched between two cookies or donut halves. A myriad of ice cream flavours are available and you can choose from dark chocolate, earl grey, espresso, matcha and salted caramel.

4 Shin Hing Street
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Mon: Closed
Tue to Sat: 12pm – 10pm
Sun: 12pm – 9pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan

#5 ODDIES FOODIES – THE NIGHT WOLF (HK$50)

Oddies Foodies has successfully combined Hong Kong’s popular street snack gai daan jai with Western desserts. The owner graduated from reputable Le Cordon Bleu in France and proceeded to create an eclectic variation of East-meets-West ice cream desserts.

The Night Wolf (HK$50 / S$9.18) is a delightful cup of low-fat gelato served with brownie and chocolate chip gai daan jai, buttery crumble, caramelised banana ice cream and passionfruit panna cotta.

Mon: Closed
Tue to Sun: 1pm – 10pm
Shop 1F, G/F, 149 Wan Chai Road
Nearest Station: Wan Chai

#6 SMALL POTATO ICE CREAMERY – PURPLE YAM ICE CREAM WITH YAM PASTE DORAYAKI (HK$48)

Yam fans rejoice! Haven Street has a cutesy little store specialising in purple potato ice cream. The Japanese Purple Yam Ice Cream With Purple Yam Paste Dorayaki (HK $48 / S$8.82) is subtly sweet and perfect for those who have a preference for lighter desserts. You can choose to add toppings (from HK $4 / $0.73) such as popcorn and mochi to your prefixed ice cream.

G/F, 28-30 Haven Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2618 9032
Sun to Thu: 2pm – 11pm
Fri to Sat: 2pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Causeway Bay

About the writer:
Hui Jun Ng is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She previously worked in the food and marketing industry. She loves traveling and enjoys exploring underrated destinations. In her free time, you will find her indulging in coffee and her all time favourite local dish – bak chor mee.