Melting moments: The decadent treats you can only have in LA

Everyone I ask for recommendations says the same thing: Salt & Straw has the best ice-cream in town. The cold, soft truth is they're right. But this is no place for boring palates as some of the combinations are bold and bizarre. Among the limited-edition flavours that change every four weeks are lager and guava, and bone marrow and bourbon-smoked cherries.

Handmade with local ingredients from Californian farms and orchards, my two favourites are the pear and blue cheese, and the strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper. Can't decide? Order a flight with four flavours. The company also introduced edible perfume to spritz your scoops with citrus, cocoa or floral scents, for that moment when you suddenly realise that ice-cream has no smell. Various locations. saltandstraw.com

Combining a cafe, patisserie and restaurant, this Parisian-style palace of pastries impresses with its marble floors, high ceilings and gold accents. The huge venue in Downtown LA is best known for the tiniest item on its menu: macarons. Handmade daily in small batches, these cute and colourful cookies are packaged in pastel boxes.

This year's "mac of the month" specials have included taro lavender, and Magic Unicorn (mint bubblegum ganache sandwiched in a baby-pink meringue with rainbow-coloured flecks). I preferred the classic salted caramel. If you're bored of macarons, I recommend the new creme brulee donuts. The golden-brown pastry is lightly layered with vanilla cream and a crust of caramelised sugar. Also available at the second location in West Hollywood. bottegalouie.com

Read more on Explore:

LA's waffle masters have launched take-away six-packs of bite-sized cinnawaffles, which taste like cinnamon rolls. But it's more fun inside the Koreatown or Downtown outlets, choosing from the long list of toppings to create your own dessert. The regular menu starts with express waffles and the usual toppings such as bananas, peanut butter, Nutella or maple syrup. A bigger, cone-like, wraparound version, Dolly Llama's bubble waffles have puffed-out, egg-shaped pockets instead of square indents.

Stuff it with mango sorbet, gummy bears, Reese's Cups or Captain Crunch cereal. The signature Dolly Llama is bright blue, made with its Ultimate Cookie Monster ice-cream and topped with Kinder chocolate bars, Oreo crumbs and whipped cream. thedollyllamaus.com

This bar and restaurant is the sexy setting of reality TV show Vanderpump Rules, which follows the lives of its ridiculously good-looking staff. The food and drinks are much less dramatic. Unlike the latest broken-up bartenders, there's nothing bitter or salty about the dessert menu. The warm brownie, risotto pudding or coconut panna cotta sound enticing, but every reviewer raves about the blackberry cobbler. Simple but satisfying, it's melt-in-the-mouth magnificent, served with a smooth scoop of vanilla bean gelato.

For a liquid dessert, I love the Silky Road martini of Grey Goose, elderflower liqueur and lychee juice. Take a seat in the glamorous garden, where everything seems to taste sweeter under a pink umbrella, like you're sitting in a cocktail glass. surrestaurant.com