I travel to the Hawaiian Islands every year or two for a little R n’ R, and never miss the chance to dine at Roy’s of Hawaii.  The first time I ate at one of the Roy’s on Maui, I ordered the understandably famous Molten Chocolate Cake.   At the instant I tasted the first delicious bite, I knew I had to come back the very next night and repeat the experience.  Since that first blush, I have had the opportunity to sample the increasingly popular chocolate lava cakes served at restaurants from Ruth’s Chris to local French bistros.  With time, the memory fades, but in this case, what a welcomed surprise it was to taste this Molten Chocolate Cake again for the first time!

Roy’s has expanded to the mainland and several locations have popped up around the Los Angeles area.  While traveling for business, I thought Roy’s would provide a somewhat welcomed shelter in the storm of unhealthy food ingested over the past week.  After all, they serve fish right?  I enjoyed the poketini appetizer and my curried barramundi, but all of that was just a distraction while waiting for the final act.  When it arrived, I think I heard the fat lady sing! 

This cake is absolutely the most perfectly prepared of any of the pretenders.  It is actually more cylindrical than most, taller and more narrow.  This shape produced a cake with a tender but crunchy exterior, and a steamy but still molten liquid center that flowed cautiously onto the plate when cut.  The chocolate essence was dark and perfectly balanced with the sweetness, without a hint of any other intruding flavors.  This zenith among desserts was served on a platter with a swirl of freshly pureed raspberry sauce and a generous scoop of velvety vanilla ice cream to quench the flames.  Caution: contents could be habit forming!