Relish the freshly baked goodies

Dessert World

‘Happy Belly Bakes’ serves sweet and savoury items for both kids and adults.

This little home-run eatery is no less than a well-kept secret in Richards Town. ‘Happy Belly Bakes’ with a doodled name board and a candy stick at the entrance might seem like just another kiddies’ haunt. It certainly is more than just that.

Look closely and you will realise, the cafe is set up in a small converted garage. Four neatly arranged tables and a brightly-lit dessert counter is all that makes up this cafe. A blackboard displays the menu and you might want to look  at it for your beverage options. Besides a few regular coffee and flavoured tea options, ‘Happy Belly Bakes’ offers a range of home-baked desserts, savouries and chocolates.

Despite being located amidst a few coffee chain outlets, ‘Happy Belly Bakes’ sees its share of loyal customers and curious kids every evening.

The ambience may not be as swanky as the neighbouring coffee shops, but ‘Happy Belly Bakes’’s credits lie in its freshly baked goodies.

Choose from creamy cakes like the ‘chocolate truffle’ and cheesecakes to the simple but delicious ‘chocolate chip muffin’. A must try here is the ‘utterly butterly cake’. A simple home-made preparation, this is a square-shaped piece of pound cake topped with oodles of butter and sugar.

This is then finished with a ribbon tied around its base. It leaves you with a buttery, slightly salty and heavily crunchy taste.

Amongst the savouries, a must try is the potato and corn quiche. With a pastry base, the quiche is topped with tender creamy potatoes and traces of corn.

Mildly spiced, this could easily form a kiddy after-school snack. Also, worth a mention are the blueberry and chocolate chip muffins that come with blueberry jam and chocolate chips respectively.

They can easily take you back in time to the street corner bakeries with the whiff of fresh bakes and melted butter. Look out for a range of homemade chocolates that are sold both by weight and piece. From plain chocolates to fudge-centred ones, all the way to Oreo and roasted almond varieties, ‘Happy Belly Bakes’ gives you all.

There are also chocolate-topped lollipops for the little ones.  The beverages here are quite average and you might not get the perfect cup of cappuccino that you are looking for.

What you will find instead is an array of flavoured teas, with the cinnamon tea emerging the clear winner. The mugs are hearty and so are the servings. The prices are reasonable, and a snack meal here may set you down by no more than Rs 200. ‘Happy Belly Bakes’ is closed on Mondays. For details, call 9945001555.