Though their IG posts showed long line-ups at other times, there was no wait for me this Friday. The tiny space at Bloor and Spadina was mostly kitchen with just enough room left for a front counter with a display case and two seats by the window.
I was intrigued by their savoury bent such as adding salted egg to croissant or pork floss to roll cake. But I was full from my Fresca pizza slices so I chose a more "typical" sweet dessert: a coconut mini-cake ($14). I noticed it was pleasantly less sweet than most North American desserts. The creamy top layer was fragrant with tropical flavour. The other layers of sticky rice and ground mung-bean reminded me of chè (Vietnamese dessert pudding). It was a good dessert though not impactful. Perhaps the durian version had a bigger punch.
I hope Lalaland will succeed. I applaud their owners' passion and drive but I see a few obstacles. First, less-sweet desserts are a hard-sell to the North American palate. Second, savoury desserts (as opposed to "appetizers") aren't common. Third, their location is a crap shoot. A few blocks West is pedestrian-friendly real estate in The Annex but around here cars have taken over the road. Finally, they'll also need to expand beyond their Asian clientele (a white woman came in behind me and spent barely 20 seconds looking around).
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