A new dessert bar is opening in Collier Row just in time for those on the hunt for a post-Christmas treat. 

Bhai's Dessert Bar, which has been operating via delivery services such as Deliveroo for more than two years, applied for a sign for its Collier Row Road premises back in February

The Recorder then spotted initial construction work going on in June, but since then had heard nothing about the shop’s opening. 

But now Bhai's Dessert Bar’s owners have confirmed sweet-toothed residents can come and enjoy the shop’s sugary delights in person from 6pm on New Year’s Eve. 

A local family-owned venture, Bhai's Dessert Bar is run by Afroz Moin, her husband Usama Taseer, and her sisters-in-law, Zona and Aksa Hussain, who first started the business. 

Afroz, 26, said the family cooked up the idea for the company during lockdown. 

“When the first lockdown happened, we were all sitting at home and we thought, what if we started making waffles at home,” she said. 

Initially selling their waffles on Instagram, Afroz said the response was immediate, with a local demand for tasty dessert treats evident from the off. 

Romford Recorder: Bhai's Dessert Bar's specialties include its range of waffles, doughnuts and milkshakesBhai's Dessert Bar's specialties include its range of waffles, doughnuts and milkshakes (Image: Bhai's Dessert Bar)

With the business going from strength to strength, she said the initial plan was to open the shop earlier this year. 

However, due to issues getting the signs and other decorations finished, the launch was pushed back. 

Having completed a soft launch on Christmas Eve, which Afroz said went “really well”, the plan now is to get the space properly up and running for locals to enjoy the range of waffles, milkshakes, doughnuts and more Bhai’s has on offer. 

On how it feels to soon be opening their own shop, Afroz said: “It’s absolutely surreal for us because two years ago we never would have thought that this is where we would be right now. We always made our products in a way that we would want to eat them.” 

The waffles in particular, she said, are a point of pride, “because no-one's got the taste that we have”. 

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However, the real joy, she added, is in the pleasure their food brings people, first during the depths of lockdown, and soon from their own dessert bar. 

“We want people to eat our desserts and be happy,” she added.

Bhai’s Dessert Bar will be open every day from 5pm until late.