Brought my friends to try Dessert First, a dessert place in Bugis which I really liked. Would have gone to Ah Chew's, but the queue there was crazy on a Tuesday night. So... we went to Dessert First which specializes in durian desserts and soya bean. We were divided in our choices, some of us love durian to death, the others would never go near it with a ten-feet pole. Out of so many desserts I've tried here, the Taiwan Aiyu Jelly is the most refreshing of the lot, especially with a spritz of lime and a good dose of mangoes. I would still prefer the durian desserts over their mango ones though.

As usual, the durian snow ice with durian ice-cream takes the crown for me. Please try it when you're there!

Not a new invention, but with a different recipe, froyo is ready to rock the nation (and Insta-nation) with llaollao! Curious what is the llaollao brand, where it comes from, how to pronounce its name, and whether it is really that good? All in one post for you.

1. Origins: llaollao's was founded in Spain five years ago, in 2009. They launched their first outlet in Singapore at Marina Square Basement Link to Esplanade MRT on 5 July 2013.

2. Where can they be found? They have more than 135 outlets in 16 countries: Spain, Chile, China (Shenzhen), Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, Turkey and most recently, Singapore! In Singapore, they currently have 8 outlets: Marina Link, Wisma Atria, Nanyang Technological University (North Spine), Somerset 313, Plaza Singapura, Singapore Polytechnic, National University Hospital and West Mall.

3. What is the difference between llaollao & other froyos? Sour is the keyword around here. But I don't get why everyone is complaining that it is sour, because... this is the taste of yogurt. I think why llaollao is considered a wonderful treat because it actually makes yogurt very refreshing and extremely smooth, sour yet it isn't tart. There are a lot of toppings, fruits and sauces to choose from - most of which are attractive! To balance the sourness of the yogurt, it's best to choose a sweeter sauce. It's also very value-for-money because $5.90 for a Sanum llaollao can actually be shared among three people after a regular meal. The portion is considered very huge for a froyo.

4. How to pronounce llaollao?

Llao llao: Spelt as L-L-A-O- L-L-A-O (no spacings, in lowercase), pronounced as yow-yow. Watch this infomercial to listen out for it. Now, don't go around calling it laow-laow!

5. I haven't tried it. Should I?

llaollao is likely to be opening (or have opened) an outlet near your home. On a scale of 1 to 10, it definitely lived up to my expectations but it is not necessary to specially go out of your way to try it. If you hate the original taste of yogurt, it is likely you will not like llaollao regardless of what kind of sauces or toppings they have.

Original post: http://www.amiehu.com/2014/09/5-infobites-about-llaollao.html

I shouldn't have taken that long to visit Wimbly Lu Chocolates Cafe, but now that I have, it sits comfortably at the top of my favourite cafes in terms of food! I visited the cafe twice in a week - it's so good and also because it's part of my school assignment (self-inflicted) requirement. What do you think about Wimbly Lu? I compare their famous waffles with Creamier's waffles:Don't even think about it, just order this! Wimbly Lu Chocolates Cafe's waffles with ice-cream ($8.50) are to-die-for, and I can totally tell why after the first bite! The monologue in my head just went bonkers for a while: Oh my god, this is fantastic. Why did I wait for so long before coming here? And then, whoa, I think it's the best waffles (yet). Cafe-hopping is expensive business and so I haven't been to a lot, especially to the new fourth-generation wave of cafes mushrooming again in the last few months. But let's just compare this to the other cafe with waffles as their specialty - Creamier. I would say, Wimbly Lu wins, hands down! Given that they are quite different in terms of plating, their idea of what the perfect waffle mouthfeel should be like, I'm just giving a verdict on the overall.

I prefer Wimbly Lu's classic style of presentation, and at the same time it's done so normally, effortlessly, but so well done. Creamier is a little tower of two smaller waffle squares, much sweeter and crispier but so much so it has an almost biscuit feel to it. Wimbly Lu's is closer to a pancake and just occasionally crispy at the right places.

Creamier would be a wiser choice if none of Wimbly Lu's flavours tickle your cravings: Vanilla Bean, Cheesecake, Rum & Raisin, Salted Caramel, Honey Cinnamon, Milo and Chocolate Truffle, but I think they have all the popular yet unique (the latter came first) flavours in-store. Creamier does have the sorbet versions if you like it that way too. But if you haven't been to Wimbly Lu and are reading this... just go, okay? You will love it.Nowadays I reserve my mocha orders at cafes for cafes that people rave about because I don't want to waste my calcium loss on well, bad coffee. Wimbly Lu's mocha ($5.50): wonderfully executed, a little too foamy but still settles nicely on the palate, a little heavy on the chocolate side and less so on the caffeine. If I have to stop myself from guzzling the whole cup down, yes it's good.I wanted to get a chocolate tofu cake but they ran out, so I ordered the Double Chocolate Cheesecake ($5) which is very decadent and rich, none of the cloying sweet textures and all of the calories I don't mind having. I like the little whimsical touch of chocolate tracing over my plate, it just cheers me up so much more. But I'll still say: go for the waffles if you're going for the first time! The desserts are worth having too In addition to the food, I am impressed at how they kept their prices low with their quality of food. Too many overpriced cafes nowadays for the substandard quality of food, and yet people patronize them time after time (oh god why). I think Wimbly Lu is one of the few cafes that will endure through time. The nearest MRT is Lorong Chuan, a bit of a challenge to navigate over by foot but it can be done under 15 minutes.

Set in the quaint neighbourhood in Lorong Chuan, Rokeby can be an Australian cafe by day and transform into a bistro-bar at night. I made an impromptu decision to pop into this little corner of relaxation for an hour to try out their chef's recommendation and customer's choice dish - Rokeby Truffle Shoestring Fries. My first impression of the cafe was the stark contrast between how angmoh the place is and yet every word the head waiter spoke was laced with Singlish. Definitely an edge of familiarity and closeness, but I still feel that it is a little strange. I must emphasise that the service staff are really quite friendly and attentive though. Their truffle shoestring fries ($8.90+) looks like it can be shared among at least three people. They are accented with a little overdose of white truffle oil and also too oily at the bottom, I really like the slightly crispy edges and fluffy texture of it though. If you love the taste of truffle oil, you will probably love this.

Rokeby Cafe

15-9 Jalan Riang

Singapore 358987

We chanced upon this Cantonese desserts cafe after a deliciously good time at Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee. Initially, it looked like a medicinal-herbal shop but upon a closer look, it's actually a dessert place! Thank goodness for keen eyes. The name is HerBeans, a play on the words "herbs" and "beans" which referred to the key ingredients of most of the desserts found here.Most of the desserts in a bowl are priced at $3 each, but their specialty herbal jelly range is priced at either $9 or $15 as they had more precious and rare ingredients like Ginseng, Rahmannia and White Phoenix. Each of us ordered a dessert and share to try the flavours. I tried the white fungus with rock sugar and found it to be refreshing and light. It definitely has health as the prime consideration but it is not tasteless either. Homemade can be the most suitable adjective to describe most of the other desserts. I think this place will be perfect for older patrons and for office goers to grab some desserts for colleagues, but younger people might not take to the mild flavours.HerBeans

526 MacPherson Road

Singapore 368216