YORK'S sweet tooth is about to get sweeter as a design-your-own dessert cafe prepares to open next week.
Heavenly Desserts will be serving its up-market creations until 11pm and describes its menu as full of "delicious desserts as sumptuous as haute-couture".
And the interiors look pretty appetising too as the first photos of the inside show. The two-storey restaurant, in the former Van Mildert shop in Blake Street, has a fake tree in bloom, a floral wall and gold and onyx details - all designed for the Instagram generation, says its boss.
One one wall, against a leafy wallpaper background, are the words: "Desserts and friends - the perfect blend".
The cafe will open on Saturday June 12 with operating hours from 11am to 11pm.
Heavenly Desserts is part of a chain with branches across the UK, including Leeds. Founded in 2008, it operates as a franchise and has more than 30 outlets in the UK.
York owner Ismaeel Waseem, who also runs Heavenly Desserts in Watford, north London, said: "We thought there was a gap in the market for a dessert shop in York."
He added that the restaurant was for all the family and would particularly appeal to younger people because of the ample opportunities to take photos of the desserts and interiors for social media.
He said: "There are lots of instragrammable spots inside!"
The business is already tempting York customers with images of its sweet treats on its Facebook and Instagram social media pages.
The extensive menu features everything from cheesecake, brownies and tortes to the more exotic sounding mochi, kunafah, and croffle.
Let us explain: mochi is chewy ball filled with gelato and made from a rice flour dough.
Kunafah is shredded filo pastry wrapped around soft curd cheese, baked, and finished with a sweet syrup, nougat gelato and crushed pistachios.
And the croffle? That is a cross between a croissant and a waffle.
Several signature recipes exist too, including the milk cake. Believed to originate from Mexico in the early 1900s, the 'three milk' cake is also known as torta de tres leches or tres leche cake.
Dessert lovers can have fun making their own puddings in a pick-and-mix style. They can choose a base, such as waffle or cake, and then select their own toppings including ice cream.
The menu also features chocolate shots, profiteroles, sundaes and milkshakes.
It offers sweet treats to eat-in and takeaway and vegan and gluten-free options are available too.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here