With more than 40 shakes, 20 sundaes and 15 cookie dough options, choosing a decadent dessert at Beeston's newest cafe could take some time. There's hundreds of options when it comes to cakes, cheesecakes, crepes, doughnuts, waffles and drinks at Rassam's Creamery.
There was a full-house over the opening weekend, celebrated with a giant inflatable of its mascot outside and fireworks at the dessert parlour in the newly-developed Beeston Square. Creating the shiny new cafe went three times over budget - but the end result is impressive.
Downstairs customers can sit in comfy booths in the bright and airy unit beneath Arc Cinema, with colourful neon strip lights overhead. The upstairs mezzanine is the VIP area for booking and parties, bringing the total number of seats to around 120.
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Three-year-old Eleanor Churchill was loving a bubble gum ice cream with her 'nanna' Chris Churchill, of Beeston, who said: "She's been waiting for this to open since the signs went up. She kept saying 'I'm having a blue ice cream'."
Customers eating in order via a tablet - a word of warning to parents, keep an eye on the kids or you could end up with more than you're expecting. There are also digital screens for those popping in for a takeaway.
If you're on a post-Christmas diet or made a New Year's resolution to be healthy, look away now. No fewer than 24 colourful tubs of ice cream are set out on the counter in mouth-watering flavours including macaroon, creamberries and sour black cherry as well as the standard vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.
The next display cabinet shows off cakes such as peanut butter stack, Snicker cake and rainbow cake and a range of hot puddings like school dinner favourites Cornflake tart and jam roly poly. Pancake fans have a choice of an American-style stack flavoured with pistachio and chocolate or a plateful of mini fluffy Dutch pancakes.
Classic sundaes come with fruity toppings (raspberry, pomegranate and mango are some of them) or chocolate (Milky Bar, KitKat and Ferrero Rocher). There's also a tempting chocolate fondue with four toppings but the question is will you share?
There are vegan and gluten-free options so no one misses out. As well as tea and coffee and the usual soft drinks, Rassam's has mocktails, juices and numerous milkshakes and cake shakes.
Prices start at £4.99 for cake, puddings and milkshakes, rising to £12.99 for a towering freak shake or £20 for a waffle challenge, loaded with ice cream fruit, sauces and sprinkles. Most items are available for takeaway, and eventually delivery once it's set up, but not the freak shakes which are simply too big, or churros.
The company has come a long way since owner Rassam Ali started making milkshakes in a corner shop in Sheffield 11 years ago before going on to open an express takeaway. He now has a chain of cafes with Nottinghamshire marking the first expansion outside Yorkshire.
So far Beeston's newest arrival on the food and drink scene has appealed to families, couples wanting after-dinner dessert, students and pensioners. The frosty weather certainly hasn't put people off wanting ice cream. Aishah Tariq, director of the Beeston store, said: "Even when it's cold outside people want cold desserts, not the hot stuff. We sell more milkshakes when it's colder in Sheffield.
"I don't think the prices are too expensive - a lot of people are adding extras as well [such as ice cream or custard]. It's like comfort food when you're feeling down."
Front-of-house manager Sami Thabet added: "A lot of feedback we've had from people is they're surprised by the portion sizes." The cafe is open every day from 10am to 11pm and 11.45pm at weekends.
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