True Indulgence at Mango & Company

Curiosity was what really sparked my interest when I spotted a stall selling cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting at the February edition of the Colombo Design market. Unfortunately though, I didn’t get a cinnamon roll and intensely regretted it later. Nearly two months later, and I’m at Shivani Perera’s (the personality behind Mango & Company’s utterly indulgent and delicious treats) house in Kelaniya, where I’m meeting her for an interview and brief chat for the Food Factor.

A rarity in Colombo – when the highlight of any menu of almost all home based bakers are assorted cupcakes – Shivani Perera prides herself on these delectable treats with assorted toppings. The menu is relatively small and consists of freshly baked and warm cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, a gooey caramel topping and a dark chocolate frosting, strawberry and passion fruit yoghurt cake and soft pretzels served with a honey mustard sauce.

Delving into a thick slice of strawberry and passion fruit yoghurt cake, I find the cake incredibly moist owing to the presence of yoghurt which has been blended into the cake batter, and a nice combination of tart but sweet flavours from the fresh strawberry and passion fruit. A lovely treat, if you enjoy fruity desserts for a change instead of something rich and chocolaty. The roll with the caramel topping generously slathered all over it is fantastic, especially with the saltiness of the caramel coming nicely through, and combined with the intense flavour of the cinnamon in the roll. The roll with the dark chocolate frosting is quite interesting and very indulgent. I’d have never thought that chocolate and cinnamon would go well together but I’m wrong. A perfect treat, if you still insist on chocolate in your desserts. Lastly, I dig into a soft pretzel smothered with honey mustard sauce. Warm, soft and combined with the sauce, the pretzel is another winner on the menu.

Shivani has always found herself in the kitchen, whether it was helping her mother out when she was a child, or whipping up desserts for family and friends when she grew older. It only seemed natural that she delve into the food business, and she started out with a stall at the Colombo Design Market in February, for the sole purpose of testing out her goodies and what the response would be like. She was incredibly surprised when she found people returning back to the stall for the cinnamon rolls – some asking for a roll with a different topping.

She sources all her ingredients locally, and tries to use organic ingredients as much as possible, and refuses to compromise on the quality and flavour of her baked treats. She is also looking at introducing a tropical fruit cake range. Mango & Company is on Facebook, should you wish to make an order or any inquiries.

Text and photographs by Sarah Kellapatha