I’ve sipped the Frrrrrozen Hot Chocolate for $8.50 at Serendipity 3, a restaurant and kitschy gift shop in Manhattan. I’ve perused their menu and noticed the Outrageous Banana Split for $20, the Caviar and Sour Cream Omelette for $14 and the Caviar Burger for $17.50. But their Golden Opulence Sundae, priced at $1,000, is in the Guinness World Record Book as the most expensive dessert on Earth.
In 2004, Serendipity celebrated its 50 anniversary by introducing this now well-publicized sundae. It requires a 48-hour notice because many of the ingredients have to be flown in from other countries, like the world’s most expensive chocolate made into syrup from chunks of rare Chuao chocolate from the coast of Venezuela, the vanilla beans from Madagascar, and the exotic Parisian candied fruits. The Golden Opulence Sundae also features edible 23-carat gold leaf that envelopes five rich scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream. To top it off, it’s covered by Grand Passion Caviar, which is salt-free and famous for its sparkling golden color.
You wouldn’t dare eat this sundae with spudware or even stainless steel because it’s served in a Baccarat Harcourt cyrstal goblet with an 18K gold spoon. And don’t forget the gilded sugar flower.
Serendipity 3
A: 225 East 60th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
New York, NY 10022
T: 212-838-3531