Life Online - Sri Lanka's Latest Lifestyle Food Factor Fashion & Beauty Updates-life.lk -

Cocoon Cafe

Oct 16 2013.

Cocoon Cafe – Almost like being at home

Cocoon Cafe, which opened just two weeks ago (October 3), is one of those cafes that is extremely cosy. Once you walk in, you feel like sitting on their comfortable couches for hours sipping a delicious coffee or smoothie and nibbling on their divine chocolate brownie.

“People would walk into the store assuming it was a cafe,” Shivanthi Manuel, the Managing Director of Cocoon Furnishing Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd, which is situated just next door to the cafe said.

She felt the excess space next door could be put into good use; therefore Cocoon Cafe was born. The cafe is very much a family affair, being owned and managed by Shivanthi and her fiancé Joel Wickremesinghe as well as her cousin Shohan Manuel and his wife Charline.

(L- R) Charline, Joel, Shohan and Shivanthi

The cafe doesn’t necessarily have a set menu and instead works on giving customer specials which run for two to three days of the week. The items on the menu range from coffees to teas as well as smoothies and mocktails, while they also serve up sandwiches and salads as well as sweet treats like tarts, cakes and brownies.

Shivanthi and Charline said they try to maintain a health factor in their dishes with their freshly made salads and smoothies. The cakes and other sweets are all home-made, while the other dishes are made to order, Shivanthi stresses.

“Our Brownies are a hit,” Shivanthi says. “We already have loyal customers coming back for our Smoothies and Chocolate Brownies.” The concept of playing a game (they have quite a few to choose from) is alive here, while they also have a number of Rubik’s Cubes to keep you occupied for hours.

Even though they have free Wi-Fi, Shivanthi feels the board games and the fact that the cafe is a small and cosy place allows customers to relax without necessarily logging into cyber space.

“The food we serve isn’t necessarily cafe food,” she says considering they serve Mash and Ribs as well as Beef Kofta’s with Couscous. The latter was extremely delicious especially as the Beef Koftas were juicy and flavoursome while the Mint Sauce complemented the meat well.

I also liked the fact that the Couscous had tiny pieces of apple in it, which was a very interesting touch to this dish. I definitely recommend their Chicken Balsamic Salad, which was certainly fresh and full of crunchy vegetables complemented with the subtle flavour of Balsamic Vinegar.

In terms of sweets, I tried out their Lemon Slice and their Chocolate Brownie. The former was not too sweet and it was certainly tasty, however the crust was a bit dry and slightly over baked! I loved their Chocolate Brownie as it was gooey and extremely chocolatey. Served warm with a strawberry and whipped cream, it is the perfect chocolate treat to indulge in!

In terms of beverages, makes sure you try out their Citrus Smoothie – I liked the simple flavours that made it such a refreshing drink. I also hear their Cafe Latte is worth trying out.

Cocoon Cafe is open right through the week from 10.30am to 8pm and on Sunday from 12.30 to 8pm.

By Natasha Fernandopulle

Pics by Kanishke Ganewatte