Words and Photographs by Shannon Minor
Executive Editor
For weeks, I was deterred by Shyndigz terrible font choice and added “z” to the end of their name. It was hard to take the restaurant seriously, as the lime green lettering on the exterior signage exuded the decorating taste one would find in a twelve year olds bedroom.
Putting aside all judgment for their graphic design skills, I was ready to experience some dessert. Shyndigz is Richmond’s only all-dessert restaurant. My sweet tooth, being very large as I crave chocolate in a daily, unusual amount, prepared my body for the mouthwatering journey I was about to partake.
Upon arrival, my friend Gray Fultz and I both surprisingly found the interior of Shyndigz did not reflect the off-putting signage out front.
Pretty lights dangle from the intricate, metal ceiling, and healthy green plants line the backs of booths. The dark wooden tables, chalkboard menus and open area to watch the chefs preparing the desserts create a comfortable, yet hip atmosphere.
Observing the plates around me, I could see everything is served in very large portions, justifying the moderate price of about $6.00 per dessert on average.
The menu, divided into two parts, is quite pleasing, offering a variety of cakes, cobblers and pies. The first half is dishes that are always available, the bottom half is specials for that day.
Gray and I decided we would satisfy any craving that may erupt during our dessert tasting experience; going with the wise decision of ordering two different desserts and splitting them.
While the top half of the menu looked very appealing, we were feeling adventurous and leaned toward the more interesting options only offered that day.
Our first choice was the Pineapple Upside-Down cake, which neither of us had ever had before. Placed before us was a giant, nicely presented piece of cake, fit for at least four people. Being just the two of us though, we were determined to finish it all.
With each bite of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, flavors of sweet caramel and moist vanilla cake were suddenly surprised by a burst of tangy pineapple. My taste buds were not immediately overwhelmed by the mixture of decadent favors though, due to the river of melting vanilla ice cream cooling navigating itself through the channels of the cake and into my mouth.
Our second choice to split was the Triple Espresso Pie, us both being big coffee fans. The portion was not as large as the cake, but with good reason. The texture of the rich dark chocolate was very heavy, balanced by a light chocolate mousse on top, which I found to melt on my tongue, just as the crowded restaurant seemed to fade away as well.
Admitting defeat to the delectable desserts, we could not finish them both. Neither of us could decide which was better; I would have been equally satisfied with just having one or the other. We did agree, however, that we would be back for more.
Sparking up conversation with the couple next to us, they have made Shyndigz a weekly event. Gray stated while “the portions are giant, that’s ok because you’re going to want to eat more than you should.” She recommends definitely trying the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, as it’s her new “fave dessert after trying it there for the first time.”
The overall warm, yet mod atmosphere makes Shyndigz a destination for a night out with friends or a great date night. The food, friendly service, and fun yet romantic atmosphere definitely outshines the name and font color.