Punk Princess of Pastry Anna Polyviou will challenge MasterChef Australia contestants to create her Firecracker dessert on Wednesday night, with the dessert available at a Pop-up Bar at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, at 9 a.m. on Thursday, 4 to 31 May 2017.

For the third year in a row, the hotel's executive pastry chef has appeared on Network TEN's MasterChef Australia, wowing fans with her interactive sweet treats and utterly unique style.

Anna's Firecracker is a superhero-charged dessert that goes off with a bang. The cartoon-themed chocolatey creation has 76 fun-filled steps, 10 elements and a sparkler in the tail, delivering Polyviou's signature theatrics.

Roasted Milk Chocolate, Peanut Grue, Raspberry Marshmallow, Peanut Butter Cremeaux, Raspberry Cold Set Brulee, Chocolate Souffle Sponge, Raspberry Gel, Roasted Milk Chocolate Mousse, Crunch and a Chocolate Shell complete the delicious picture.

Polyviou's childhood was an inspiration for Anna's Firecracker.

“It's about self-expression and I love desserts that explode or pop, like the lollies you bought at the local milk bar as a child,” said the pastry chef. “It's nice to have a dessert that you enjoy eating, but it's the whole experience you remember, and this includes the dessert and the surrounds which make people feel good.”

The mohawked, multi-pierced, sneakered sweets creator can be spotted a mile away. Her distinct style in and out of the pastry kitchen has revolutionised desserts and pastries within the hotel and across the country.

Dessert Pop-up Bar
Anna's Firecracker, as featured on MasterChef Australia, is available for sale at $25.00 each at The Lobby Lounge, Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, at 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, from 9 a.m. on Thursday, 4 to 31 May 2017.

Lobby Lounge regular opening hours:
7 a.m. – 11 p.m., Monday to Friday
8 a.m. – midnight, Saturday
8 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday
For enquiries, guests may call (02) 9250 6000 or send an email to dine.slsn@shangri-la.com.

High Tea and Other Sweet Treats
Executive pastry chef Anna Polyviou's celebrated High Tea, desserts and pastries can be savoured at the hotel's Lobby Lounge or at Café Mix on Level 1.

Executive Pastry Chef Anna Polyviou
In 2016, Polyviou took home the coveted “Pastry Chef of the Year” at the prestigious Gault&Millau Awards, hot on the heels of her “Hotel Chef” win at the 2016 HM Awards.

Polyviou is the mastermind behind Sydney's biggest dessert event of the year, Sweet Street, which is held in the hotel's Grand Ballroom. A wild world of colour, flavour and funky beats will explode at the one-night-only ticketed dessert festival for the fourth year running on 14 July 2017.

The award-winning chef has also created a Dessert Degustation series, together with renowned sweets creators in the hotel's pasty kitchen, along with the annual Christmas Spectacular, which has become a destination on Sydney's festive calendar.

Polyviou turned her creative eye and added her distinctive style to the hotel's sweetest experiences, becoming known for her renowned High Tea, decadent dessert station at Café Mix, luscious treats at The Lobby Lounge and Horizon Club, along with inventive in-room dining and banquet menus.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 98 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 40,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.

PRESS CONTACT: Deane Brosnan
Director of Communications
Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney
E-mail: deane.brosnan@shangri-la.com
Tel.: (61 2) 9250 6151
www.shangri-la.com/sydney

For digitised pictures of the group's hotels, please go to www.shangri-la.com/imagelibrary.