The Amazing Shrinking Souffle

[Julian Teoh]

This is not a post about my soufflés collapsing, so don't worry.

When going out to restaurants, I love having a soufflé for dessert. Sinking the spoon into the browned flat top, pouring in a little crème anglaise or a small dollop of ice-cream. A wonderful taste of heaven and the perfect finish to a meal.

But in recent years, I have not been able to do this. Why? Soufflés across this part of the world seem to have shrunk. You couldn't fit ice-cream into these soufflés any more than you could pass an elephant through the eye of a needle. And all this before anyone even knew the meaning of "sub-prime."

I was in Bangkok recently and thought that if anywhere nearby had escaped the "Liliput-isation" of soufflés, it had to be Bangkok, the home of good, cheap, generous servings. So I ordered a gianduja soufflé at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit's excellent Puccini restaurant. In the dim candlelight, I spied our lovely waitress bringing over a large iron dome with the soufflé peeking mischievously over the edge. I thought "This is it, a return to the good old days." No such luck. All we got was the (now) standard issue puny soufflé, hiding inside its iron cage like a timid hermit crab.

They don’t make soufflés like these anymore:

Soufflé at Les Amis, Singapore, c. 2006

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon or is it just me? And have there been other amazing shrinking / disappearing acts taking place at a restaurant near you?

Edited July 10, 2009 by Julian Teoh (log)