Go After What Gives You Goosebumps
Why settle down for mediocrity when you have excellence ‘served in a platter’ right in the heart of Nagpur? The name of the place, the beautiful calligraphy of it, and the verdant exhibit on the exteriors- Goosebumps is all things fine! The moment you enter Goosebumps, you’ll be awestruck by the graffiti on the walls which is done so adroitly that it looks nothing short of a French masterpiece.
The founder and owner of Goosebumps, Ekta Maloo quips, “we were the first ones to have the modern graffiti as a part of our décor in Nagpur. I love murals and it is so fascinating to see how this ancient Greek and Roman way of expression unfolds with every stroke of brush and color.” We cannot agree more because the graffiti sure lends a vibrant dimension to the café.
Goosebumps was launched on June 1st, 2018 and it was the sheer encouragement and indelible support of Ekta’s husband Vishnu Maloo and her ever supporting in-laws that translated her dream into what Goosebumps is today and they are celebrating their first anniversary week with plenty of offers and giveaways to their esteemed customers.
Ekta calls Goosebumps a ‘hybrid café’ since it is equipped with an in-house bakery, restaurant and a Cold Stone Creamery. What an ideal haven for the people of Nagpur on those excruciatingly hot days! Speaking of Cold Stone, Goosebumps was named after how your reaction would be once you witness the churning of the ice- cream in person. The shrilling sound of the making of this ultimate butter fat ice cream is an experience in itself which is sure to give you goose bumps and therefore Goosebumps. Also Ekta wanted a very different name that wouldn’t be suggestive of food like most places out there. This girl is not afraid to be different and that’s where her strength lies!
Since the place is huge, Goosebumps is always open to ideas when it comes to people hosting big lavish parties to more intimate dos. Ekta goes an extra mile to make sure that the café is customized as per the requirements and the number of people attending the event. They have 2 dedicated floors for the social events and you can take a pick from whatever suits your kind of celebration. The first floor is apt for an event with 20-25 people and the ground floor takes it a notch higher if you’d like to host a party with 70-80 people. Ekta is extremely open to ideas and she’ll make sure that your plan is put to practise with utmost efficiency. If you find yourself bereft of ideas, ask her and the inherent stylist in her would execute your ideas with great ease and panache.
The premise of Goosebumps is that it’s all-inclusive, which means if you’ll find a Nacho with Salsa being served, you’ll also find the most delectable Paav Bhaji in Nagpur. Goosebumps is proud to have a mixed menu to suit the palette for all age groups. For kids, there are not one, not two but seven different types of French Fries. Tossed in the most flavorful sauces, kids wouldn’t want to stop at one. One of the best-sellers is the Thai-Fy Green Noodles- a super yummy preparation of your otherwise regular white noodles. A must-try guys! And to please your Indian palettes, their Lachha parantha with Dal Makhani (slowly simmered for hours, just like how it is traditionally done) is to die for. They make their Lachha parantha in a unique way which Ekta bets, you’ll not find it anywhere in Nagpur. I’m curious now!
Another thing to try on the menu is their Bunny Chow- which is a bread bowl filled up with mixed vegetable gravy. You’ll find yourself scooping out the goodness of the bread and the gravy with every spoon that you put into your mouth. Mouth-watering or what! Speaking of bread, Goosebumps have their own in-house bakery, which means all the breads you eat are freshly baked out of their ovens. I (b) read it! Their Multi-grain, Oat, Whole wheat breads and loaves are loaded with nutrition, flavor and are super delicious. And to soothe your sweet tooth, indulge yourselves in their 7 Layer Bliss, which essentially comprises of 7 layers of Belgium Chocolate and 7 layers of cake.
You can never go wrong with Chocolate and cake, can you? We’ve all seen jugglers juggling the balls. But have you ever seen someone juggling ice-creams? Yes! Head over to Goosebumps to see first of its kind- the ice-cream juggling. It is one of those visual experiences that’ll leave you jaw-dropped. An ice-cream Sundae with pure gooey chocolate topped with chocolate sauce served is like gobbling up the best parfait ever. Chocolicious! Also their Sky High Freak Shake is a must try! And if you ask me why? Let me tell you, it is loaded with chocolate and then topped with a cloud of cotton candy. I just died and went straight to heaven- it’s that good! We love cupcakes and we love people who love cupcakes!
Goosebumps serves some of the most divine cupcakes in Nagpur along with Cakesicles and Popsicles. If you haven’t already tried it, what are you waiting for? Ekta also takes orders for 10 to 15 Kgs wedding cakes, birthday cakes, etc. She loves to reinvent herself and that is one of the major reasons why she’s always thinking of new ways to involve her patrons in all the initiatives that she takes.
Holding cute events for kids like cupcake baking to decorating them with icing and sprinkles, or holding cake baking workshops for whoever wants to learn the science of baking, Ekta does it all with great interest and enthusiasm. You’ll always see Goosebumps buzzing with people and activities all the time and that’s because this young entrepreneur is brimming with ideas and she loves to implement them by engaging more and more people from the city.
And just like, Danny Meyer said, “a great restaurant is one that just makes you feel like you’re not sure whether you went out or you came home and confuses you. If it can do both of those things at the same time, you’re hooked.” And we bet, one visit to Goosebumps and you’ll be hooked on for life!
