The good old neighbourhood of Lahore -- the interior city -- has always been known for its traditional mithai (sweet meat) variety, but the urban parts, especially those developed over the past couple of decades, have growingly seen places that offer us countless options to satisfy our sugar cravings. From the myriad cafés to creameries and bakeries and ice cream parlours, we have them in plenty now. Yet, the Lahorites are ready to welcome any new venture that promises something different maybe.

Enter Jay Bee’s. An ice cream and dessert cart on Main Boulevard, Defence, the ‘outlet’ is attracting popular attention primarily because of their quality product in affordable prices. It’s a project of Bilal Ehsan, an MBA from Lahore School of Economics.

Ehsan’s mission statement is: "We all visit high-end cafés. The average price of a simple ice cream dessert is very high, and only a certain class of the society can afford that. I wanted to do something which would solve this problem for everyone."

His other motivation was to create an informal space for friends and family where they could mingle and enjoy a waffle cone or chilled coffee.

Ehsan began with the cart standing on the service road of the Main Boulevard, Defence. The majority of his customers are those who accidentally came across the cart while driving/passing by. However, as the business grew and customers started to pour in, Ehsan and his team realised that their idea was indeed successful. They now decided to take their marketing strategies up a notch, and found their way to social networking sites to boost their customer base.

They began by serving the products and did not employ anyone at the cart. Their belief was pretty simple: "We had to master the skill of making all our items ourselves before hiring staff," Ehsan tells TNS.

Jay Bee’s first offered ice cream with a couple of side items. Gradually, as word of mouth spread and the taste of their desserts was appreciated, they introduced chocolate shakes and a greater variety of ice cream desserts with some interesting (read delicious) twists.

Today, a few months later, their menu is spread over a variety of sugary items that includes cold shakes and coffee also. Their waffle cone’s price starts at Rs70. I tried it too, and I found it hard to stop at just one; it was rich, creamy and yummy all the way. The waffle itself tastes delicious, and to have a large and fulfilling cone for a fairly small price is certainly delightful.

Another popular item amongst the customers, as I found, is the special brownie with ice cream. "It just melts in your mouth, and is perfectly sweetened," said a customer.

The ice cream is prepared in a machine installed inside the cart. The delicious batter is made in Ehsan’s house and brought along every day and served to the customers. In fact, as Ehsan says, "everything is homemade," from the mouthwatering brownies to the perfectly cooked waffle.

With so many rival ice cream parlours and dessert outlets in the businesses, the question arises as to what makes Jay Bee’s different. In the words of Ehsan, "We sell 100 per cent pure gelato ice cream; you can judge it by its creaminess. It’s absolutely free of any chemicals whatsoever."

Nadeem, a worker at Jay Bee’s from Bahawalpur, has been employed for four months now. He swears by the owners’ strict hygiene dictates. He also gave me a sneak peek into the items that are soon to be introduced; these include chai (tea), coffee, and other hot drinks.

Jay Bee’s is proving that you can grow your clientele without being a high-end, top-notch outlet in some posh locality. This is not to say that their outlet is aesthetically displeasing. But their mantra is sincerity towards providing quality product at affordable rates.