Although it took quite some time for the weather to leave behind the winter chills, summer is finally here. If the forecast is anything to go by then, for Nepal, the summer of 2018 is all set to be one of the hottest ones this decade. And can there be a better way to cool down and chill on a hot summer day than with some mouthwatering desserts? There are some quite nice places in Kathmandu valley that serve scrumptious desserts. The Week paid a few of them a visit to review their specialty.
World of Waffles
Launched on Valentine’s Day this year, World of Waffles Nepal is the Nepali franchise of the Indian waffle chain of the same name. Introduced in Nepal by three friends two of whom are Simi Aryal and Sugandha Sultania Agrawal, this vegetarian waffle joint is currently located at the entrance of Labim Mall in Pulchowk, Lalitpur and they have plans of launching another outlet soon. According to Aryal, World of Waffles is especially popular among teens and school or college students. Sultania Agrawal suspects that is the case because of the appearance of the outlet. “Our aesthetics are visually pleasing and we get featured on our customer’s Instagram very often,” she explains.
Strawberry Treat and Brownie Express (with ice cream)
Price: Rs 180 (a quarter) + Rs 180 (a quarter)
Rating:
Both Bonne Bouche have a vanilla waffle batter base drizzled with Belgian chocolate. Strawberry treat is topped with fresh strawberry slices and a dollop of cream and ice cream each. Brownie Express incorporates a chocolate brownie and is topped with a dollop of ice cream and colored sprinkles. Everything from the waffle base – which is a World of Waffles franchise specialty and is apparently imported from India – to the toppings all blend together really well and the end result is something that’s deliciously light and filling at the same time. However, try to finish the waffles as soon as you can because the melting ice cream can turn the crunchy waffles into a soggy mess pretty quickly.
Sugarless treats
Bake and Bite Cafe
Nir Sagar Lama, one of the co-owners of Bake and Bite Cafe, calls it a family business as he manages the eatery with two of his family members. Located at Manbhawan in Lalitpur, this cafe started as a venue serving only bakery items and drinks back in 2014. Now, Bake and Bite has worked on its menu to serve everything from waffles to savory delights like momos and samay baji. They also prepare customized birthday cakes. The cafe has a cozy ambience going on within its main space and also has a patio space for anyone who wants to enjoy a cup of coffee out in the open. And the desserts here are to die for.
Mud Cake with Ice Cream
Price: Rs 110
Rating:
Lama names Bake and Bite’s Mud Cake as the most popular item on their menu and it’s not hard to guess why once you have tasted the mud cake. The mud cake – which is named so because of its thick mud like consistency – tastes like a moist and fuzzy chocolate brownie. The gooey chocolate inside the mud cake explodes with flavor at first bite and you just can’t get enough of it. The vanilla ice cream served alongside the steaming hot mud cake complements its taste wonderfully and balances out the dense cohesion of the cake with the melting vanilla cream. Lama also emphasizes on the chocolate used in the mud cake being organic and not laden with any chemicals or preservatives.
Yeipu Momocha
Yeipu Momocha’s primary focus is its authentic and original momos. Even though it was launched quite recently – late February this year to be precise – it has already established itself as one of the best momo stations in Kathmandu. Located in Pulchowk, above a clothing store with the same name, this restaurant is quite spacious with common as well as private booths available within its two-storey expanse. The restaurant also prides itself for its affordable menu and really good food standards.
Chocolate Kothey Momo with Ice Cream and Oreo Milkshake
Price: Rs 200 + Rs 250
Rating:
Yeipu brands their Oreo milkshake very heavily as their summer special “thick” drink and fortunately enough it lives up to the hype. Made by blending together Oreo biscuits with milk and chocolate, this dense drink is topped with marshmallows and is everything you want your go-to summer drink to be. The chocolate momo – a Yeipu original delicacy – that is quite a hit among food Instagrammers of Nepal, is a bit disappointing though. It tasted very similar to a standard yomari to have any originality in its taste. Although the vanilla ice cream does elevate the flavor a fair bit, the momo still does not live up to its popularity.
Funkey Delights
This 17-month-old ice cream joint labels itself as the first and most authentic fried ice cream serving establishment throughout Nepal. Initially launched at City Center by Anishman Dong, the current managing director, and Sandip Gurung, who currently serves as the CEO of the company, FunKey Delights has now branched out to Civil Mall and has plans of opening outlets in Dharan, Pokhara and Butwal within the next four months. Dong credits the creatively customizable cd menu and customers’ name bearing cup in which the ice creams are served as two of the most prominent features of FunKey Delights and cites them as reasons for its success. Additionally, they also cater at events and parties and are involved in social work with the likes of Maiti Nepal and Bal Mandir.
Mangolicious
Price: Rs 270
Rating :
Dong introduces Mangolicious as the FunKey flavor specialized for the summer. It has their in-house vanilla cream as base that is mixed with a natural mango flavor over a frozen plate with a spatula – this process is called cold frying. Toppings for this delicacy include whipped cream, fresh and diced mango pieces, caramel syrup, a waffle with sprinkles and a chocolate wafer roll. This is a very summer-esq dessert incorporating the most popular summer fruit in the form of an ice cream. It tastes as good as it looks and is totally worth the price it comes for. You also have the option of tweaking the ingredients according to your preference so you can never go wrong when you order this.
