Hot Plate: Crispy Rice Sushi Roll

In the land of poker tables and slot machines, I wasn’t expecting to stumble upon a dessert gem — but I did. After spending a day at the beach, my BFF and I were famished and inhaled our entrees at Izakaya, a Japanese pub inside of Atlantic City’s Borgata.

Although I was pretty stuffed, resisting a sweet finish to our meal was not an option once I found out about the Crispy Rice Sushi Roll.

Sushi is one of my favorite things in the world and to have it for dessert, too? I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat just reading the menu description.

The dish proved to be as yummy as the concept and Izakaya stopped at nothing to make it ultradecadent. The outer crispy rice shell is held together with sweet, gooey marshmallow, and on the inside — vanilla ice cream, toffee, chocolate chips and peanut butter.

My favorite part about this dish is the texture. The crunch of the crispy rice shell provides a tasty contrast to the softness of the vanilla ice cream. Flavorwise, the sugary overload isn’t for everyone but the slight bitterness of the peanut butter and chocolate chips strikes a nice balance.

I shared my dessert this time but when I return to Izakaya, I’m getting a Crispy Rice Sushi Roll all for myself. By then, it won’t be swimsuit season and I’ll need extra calories for warmth anyway.