Gardening and gastronomy make a perfect pairing at a very creative dessert bar in St Marks Place. Crunchy chocolate becomes like dirt in a pot of parsley, and aerated pistachio sponge appears like shrubbery next to meringue-like rocks in a forest of greenery. Then there’s the chocolate lava cake… All this landscaping appeared too good to be true, that these works of art would be more for the look rather than the taste. But we are talking the Iron Chef from Thailand here and in a battle of the masters it may look like mud, but it definitely tastes like mousse…

Chef Ian Kittichai calls his desserts confectionery tapas, small plates to share. And to encourage this, the more desserts you buy the less expensive they become. But the desserts are so rich that instead of two people sharing three desserts, it should be the other way around. Minimum. Even for committed connoisseurs tempted by the perfection of each dish, bruleed bananas in a choux puff with caramel sauce, or crispy honey toast with strawberries, whipped cream and condensed milk ice-cream does provide a challenge. So with perfect weather and a gang of friends, I will take my green thumb and cultivate the space for another visit…