Fried squash blossoms had a light, crisp shell that underscored the creaminess of the ricotta and mozzarella inside them.

Carefully add the chickpeas to the oil and fry until the outer skins form a crisp shell but are still creamy inside, about 1 minute.

Vegetable samosas had crisp shells, but the potato-pea filling was wizened.

The fries are a little fatter and more moist than those at Balthazar - like creamy mashed potatoes in a crisp shell.

Puncture the crisp shell and inhale the heady fragrance of the pearly, translucent fruit.

On striped bass, the flakes formed a crisp shell that tasted unmistakably of potato.

The warm apple tart, made to order, had a definitively crisp shell.

It also produced a fantastic plum crostata - the fruit also changed regularly - with a crisp shell.

We all dipped spoons in the molten chocolate that spilled forth to sauce its crisp shell.

Its Valrhona chocolate brownie (£1.90), the crisp shell giving way to an almost truffle-like centre, is highly recommended.