What a scoop: World's most expensive ice cream at $8,600

Some types of ice cream are known for their rich flavours but the latest concoction by one Japanese confectioner may also be more suited to those with deeper pockets, with each serving costing a cool 880,000 yen (S$8,600)

- Lok Jian Wen

The dessert, called Byakuya or "white night" in Japanese, was officially dubbed the world's most expensive ice cream by Guinness World Records last week.

Its maker Cellato concocted the pricey offering with several expensive elements, including edible gold leaves, parmigiano reggiano cheese and sake lees, an alcoholic paste-like by-product from producing Japanese sake.

But the cream of the crop of ingredients is the white phantom truffle grown in Alba, Italy, which can fetch prices of around two million yen for a kilogram of the rare material that has been dubbed the "diamond of the kitchen".