[gallery size="full" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="53787,53789,53790,53791"]Dona Paranayil Saudi Gazette Nest Desserts is a unique dessert destination in Al Hamra Corniche, Jeddah that opened almost a year ago. This brilliant initiative was launched by Hasan Almashat, a Saudi bank employee who graduated from the US. Almashat offers his customers something extraordinary. "The whole idea behind my store was to bring something new and unique to Saudi Arabia," he told Saudi Gazette. Customer service is top priority and indeed what brings customers back. "Besides selling desserts, the most important thing to me is customer satisfaction. So here, we treat our customers like guests at our house, we are very generous and we serve everything fresh made from scratch," said Hasan. Nest Desserts is the first to sell crispy funnel cakes and Japanese crepe cones in the Kingdom. Locals are usually familiar with French crepes and waffles but funnel cakes and Japanese crepe cones are totally new and a fascinating concept to them. "Sometimes people think funnel cake maybe oily because it's a fried crispy cake but as soon as they understand the concept that it's not deep fried or a heavy meal, they accept it and they love it," said Hasan. "Regarding Japanese crepe cone, people are less aware of how it should be served and they compare it to other crepes. So it's just a matter of educating people that Japanese crepe cones are unique and are served in a different style," added Hasan. However frequent travellers are way too excited to have come across Nest Desserts. "A lot of Saudi citizens, who travel around the world, come here and find it surprising that we sell funnel cakes because it is nostalgic for them and they can't wait to have it again," said Hasan. Funnel cakes have been part of the American culture since a very long time. This dessert is popularly known in the US as a ‘carnival dessert' as it is usually sold at theme parks, Disneyland and Wonderland. It is also interesting to know that, the different versions of this dessert are made in different countries with respect to their own traditional cooking styles. On the other hand, crepe cones are found at small stalls or takeaway restaurants called ‘creperies' in the streets of Japan. This dessert has also been popular in Japan for a very long time with sweet and savory varieties being served. Some people call it ‘a twist of French crepe' for three reasons. Firstly, French crepe is famous all over the world. Secondly, an argument exists that crepes originated in Europe. Thirdly, there is a difference between French crepes and Japanese crepes. "What makes them different is their style of presentation," said Hasan. "French crepes are folded in any shape and are served hot on a plate whereas Japanese crepes are wrapped into cones and are served cold with ice-cream on top." Currently, waffles are also served at Nest Desserts. Definitely try the Chef's signature homemade strawberry sauce, Nest Special Crepe with lotus, a spread made from ginger tea biscuit and Nest Special Waffle. They have a customized menu, beverages and side orders which make the store a perfect creperie. "We're planning to slowly add savoury crepes, cookie sandwiches, fried ice creams and Dutch mini pan cakes into the menu. As for the branches, hopefully, we are planning to expand to other places in Jeddah first and later to other places in the Kingdom. Our next branch would definitely be in a shopping center," said Hasan.
