Occasion or no occasion, nobody loves desserts as much as we Indians do. This festive season, we bring you a cherry-picked list of the best places for desserts from across the country. If you are one proud owner of a sweet tooth, it will do you good to check these out.
1. Paradise Restaurant, Hyderabad
While not typically a dessert place, Paradise Restaurant whips up one of the best versions of Hyderabad’s favorite dessert – Qubani ka Meetha. A compote of apricots served with fresh cream or a dollop of vanilla ice cream, Qubani ka Meetha is the perfect way to top up a heavy Nawabi meal. It comes delicately flavored with saffron, cardamom and other exotic spices.
2. Natural Ice Cream, Mumbai
Although you’ll find branches of Natural all over the country, this chain of ice cream parlors first originated in Mumbai, and sure enough, they do live up to their name. The ice creams are homemade with natural ingredients and real fruit, and are not sickeningly sweet like most other commercial brands. Their Tender Coconut and Custard Apple flavors are to die for.
3. Doodh Misthan Bhandar, Jaipur
This is where all the foodies of the city flock for their fix of milk-based sweets and kachoris – both sweet and savory. The pitha waali kachori is crispy nirvana dipped in thick sugary syrup. The rasgullas and ras malais from this place are also incredibly famous, we hear. DMB currently has two outlets – one in Bani Park and the other in Laal Kothi Scheme.
4. Kuremal Mohanlal Kufi Wale, Delhi
You are likely to get decent kulfi anywhere in India but Kuremal is a class apart. Tucked away in the streets of Old Delhi, this place makes fabulous kulfi in over fifty different flavors, including some very unusual ones like falsa, tamarind, pomegranate and paan. Despite the surging popularity, the ice creams are still traditionally made with hand using the best quality and creamiest dairy. Do try out their “stuffed kulfis” – we promise you won’t be disappointed.
5. Ritz Restaurant, Lucknow
If you are a fan of motichoor laddoos, no one does it better than Ritz Restaurant in Lucknow. The laddoos here are moist, succulent from generous amounts of desi ghee and utterly dreamy. You don’t even have to bite or chew them because they’ll just melt in your mouth. Their besan laddoos and kaju katlis are quite popular too.
6. Kayani Bakery, Pune
Kayani has been in business since the British Raj and has a certain colonial charm to it. Their best and most popular offerings are the Shrewsbury Biscuits, which are just the right texture and melt-in-your-mouth buttery. The place is perpetually crowded and the goodies fly off the shelves real fast. We’ve heard good things about Kayani’s mawa cake and sponge cake as well.
7. The Chocolate Room, Ahmedabad
This where the chocoholics of the world come to indulge themselves and for good reason too! The Chocolate Room is known for its warm, relaxing ambiance where you can hang out with friends and treat yourself to a comforting cup of hot chocolate. If you want a full chocolate meal, by all means go ahead and order some waffles, pancakes and pizzas – all doused in chocolate!
8. Leopold Café, Mumbai
Leopold, Mondegar and Churchill form the holy triad for any foodie heading to South Mumbai, but of these, Leopold serves up the most divine desserts. Don’t miss their Blueberry and Raspberry cheesecakes – soft and creamy to the core and a serving size fit for two. The carrot cake and chocolate pastries come highly recommended too.
9. Chowk, Varanasi
Come winter, and the busy lanes of Chowk come alive with stalls selling frizzy, frothy malaiyo, which is among Varanasi’s best kept secrets. Malaiyo is essentially milk foam prepared under fresh morning dew. This dessert is light as air, delicately flavored with saffron and garnished with almonds or pistachios – not to be missed if you are in this part of the country during winters. Remember though, that the best Malaiyo is available during morning time.
