As noted in the initial post, the brunch menu at Somerset is loaded with pastries. What I didn't know at the time but learned this morning is that the lunch dessert menu is actually available for brunch as well. I took full advantage of that this morning, and while calling it hit or miss is definitely too negative, my hunch is that Galus is not in the kitchen for brunch service and a couple of things fell through the cracks.
Let's start with the clear winners. The Somerset Sundae was the star of the morning dessert feast. The current iteration has roasted blueberry ice cream, blueberries (seemingly roasted as well), frozen yogurt, a graham oat crunch, and coconut lavender marshmallows. The mixture of textures and flavors was just fantastic.
On the pasty side, we went with the monkey bread with with cinnamon caramel sauce. Monkey bread is generally not my favorite but I thought this soft gooey treat was really good. A couple of dining companions who are partial to monkey bread adored this version.
The other two desserts we got were both really delicious (which is why calling it hit or miss is too harsh), but I think there were some mistakes made in the kitchen, which is why I'm assuming Galus wasn't around. The dark chocolate mousse (70% chocolate) was an outstanding mousse, but kind of one note note. The menu states that it came with caramelized cacao nibs, but none of us could find any. The missing crunch and nuttiness would have made it better.
The cherry pavlova was also great but also not quite reflective of what was listed on the menu. The pavlova was flawless and the roasted cherries and fresh raspberries made for a great summer fruit combination. The frozen yogurt brought everything together to make a complete dessert. However, the menu listed thai long peppercorn as an ingredient and there was not even a hint of it in the dish. Unlike the missing nibs in the mousse, it's tough to say this one would necessarily have elevated the dish, but it definitely would have been more interesting.
I'm still incredibly high on the desserts at Somerset, but I think I'd probably stick to the pastries at brunch. And, of course, the sundae that should be ordered by all who walk into the place.