When Krishna Vooturi, an Ashburn resident originally from India, contemplated ideas for a new dessert business, he knew he wanted to bring a taste of Southeast Asia to Herndon. With the help of his brother-in-law and friend, Vooturi, he opened a new dessert spot on 348 Elden Street on Friday, July 27.

The shop, Dessert Lounge, offers a mix of Thai rolled ice cream, sundaes, crepes, and milkshakes. But the featured item is falooda, a cold dessert popular in India and Pakistan. The light pink dessert includes traditional ice cream, rose syrup, vermicelli, chia seeds and milk.

In contrast to its name, Dessert Lounge will offer hot beverages like coffee, sandwiches, and burgers to remain viable in the winter and for those craving a hot bite, according to Vooturi.

For the falooda and the traditional ice cream, also known as kulfi, he uses a popular brand in India and in the United States called Kwality. Ice cream flavors range from Indian-inspired items like rose petal and lychee to more typical flavors like tiramisu and vanilla.

“I personally am a big fan of falooda and I haven’t seen a lot of specialized places here. It’s a good opportunity to bring unique flavors to this place and have different people try different tastes,” he said.

Photos by Fatimah Waseem