A Viral Dessert Café That's Taking Mumbai by Storm

New Delhi: What do you think of when it comes to dessert? How far can your imagination go? This is a question Urvi and Nikesh Gala asked themselves repeatedly as they charted the course for their brand, The Dessert Republic®, a dessert café inspired by the founders' passion, knowledge of the dessert space, and travels across the globe.

With an aggressive appetite for innovation and fire in their bellies, Urvi and Nikesh set out to push the boundaries of dessert. The idea was to reinvent what the everyday consumer knew of dessert and through countless experiments and relentless testing, they crafted the extensive menu that is available today at The Dessert Republic® and continue to add more inventive desserts to it.

"From the outset, we were clear that we wanted The Dessert Republic® to be an experience like no other. And when it came to the dessert, we wanted to bring the phrase, "like a child in a candy store" to life. That's the feeling we want to evoke when you visit The Dessert Republic®." says co-founder Urvi Gala. Co-founder Nikesh Gala adds, "We have an endless variety of dessert options that leave you spoilt for choice. This was the niche that we created in the market - serving up inventive and indulgent desserts in the market."

We have to say we agree! Almost every item on the menu is a testament to The Dessert Republic®'s culinary ingenuity. We walked into the dessert café on a very humid day and were yearning for something cool. The staff recommended the glorious Pop Me Purple, a refreshing Japanese yuzu cooler topped off with a shot of blue pea tea. Curious about the unique name, we went through the menu and were astounded to see the sheer variety of inventive dishes on the menu.

The Greek Waffle Bites piqued our interest, and we found the concept very interesting. Inspired by Urvi and Nikesh's travels to Greece where they tried gaufres (more commonly known as waffles in the West), the Greek Waffle Bites are The Dessert Republic®'s unique take on gaufres with a twist – they come in the form of crispy, bite-sized loaded waffles. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the few hours we spent at this dessert café, we tried a variety of drinks and dishes, such as the Mexican Hot Nachos, the Mocha Crackle Candy Waffle, the Berry Berry Mochi Ice Cream, the Brownie and Salted Caramel Popcorn Binge Bowl, the Iceberg Cookie Cream Creamsicle, and beverages such as the Kaffir Lime, Pink Dash, Cocoa Crunch On The Rocks Frappe, and the Kashmiri Kahwa. Another inventive take on desserts, the Chef's Inventions caught our fancy, especially the Hazelnut Spin Pull Me Out – a pull-me-up nutty twist drizzled with chocolate.

It's not just the desserts that steal the show. There's something to be said about the meticulously curated ambience, with games, books, and an Instagram-worthy cosy nook. The founders spent close to 6 months working on getting the interiors right and they have ensured that the ambience is distinctive at each of their outlets in Mumbai, Vadodara, and New Delhi. As the evening went by, we saw just how many loyal patrons queued up to experience the joy of desserts - and what we loved about seeing them line up was the concept of the Smile Door - where patrons have to flash a smile at the door camera in order for the door to slide open so that they can enter. The founders have also spent 18 months finessing their endless exploration of desserts down to a singular menu. The brand has had people visiting its

Mumbai outlet repeatedly, travelling all the way from not just different parts of Mumbai, but across the country and also Dubai, Zambia, New Zealand, and the USA.

With a fabulous ambience and a plethora of dishes to choose from, it's no wonder that The Dessert Republic® has garnered such a massive fan following both IRL and on social media. Its scrumptious desserts, warmth and hospitality, charming ambience, and endeavour to be a happy place for its patrons ensure that it's a repeat visit for a lot of its loyal customers and we recommend that you visit this Instagrammable dessert café soon!