I’m tucking into creamy baked crab with a gooey layer of melted cheese on top, sitting alongside a huge mound of fragrant Arabic rice with fried vermicelli and sautéed chickpeas. It’s delicious and ridiculously comforting, and I promise myself that I will be back again just to have this dish for Sunday lunch, with my family.

The baked crab is just one of several dishes on the menu at Mitsi’s Coffee Shop, a two-week-old establishment located down Bagatalle Road. Mitsi, who used to operate from Barnes Place up until a few weeks back, has long wanted to open a café serving delicious, homemade baked goodies and meals alongside coffee and other beverages.

The menu consists of sandwiches and burgers with a variety of fillings, spring rolls, baked crab and rice, and pastas to name a few. Apart from serving hot and cold coffees, the café also places focus on smoothies, iced teas, milkshakes and fresh fruit juices. The iced teas are the best way to beat the sweltering heat, while the lime and mint juice is very refreshing and healthy. The cold beverages are served unsweetened, and you can request for sugar syrup. Food and beverages are prepared upon order.

Her desserts are highly popular, and she lovingly makes favourites such as baked cheesecake with a blueberry topping, death by chocolate cake, almond tarts, brownies, petit fours, éclairs, and macarons in a variety of flavours. For orders, she makes themed cookies and cakes, tarte tatin, Arabic desserts, tarts and a variety of American and European cakes and desserts. Mitsi’s team also specializes in freshly baked breads such as foccacia and rye, which require a minimum of 24 hours if customers wish to place an order.

Mitsi says that she is constantly adding new items to the menu, so customers can always ask what is new at the café before placing an order. Despite the café being open for just two weeks, her customer base is growing steadily, and she is thankful for her success because of her unmatched dedication and effort that she puts into her work at the café on a daily basis.

Mitsi also undertakes catering orders for events such as birthdays, parties, weddings and such. Customers can choose from an extensive menu featuring Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Italian, Moroccan and French cuisines or they can simply ask her to prepare what they require, and her menu is all about customization so feel free to tweak your order. Her cooking classes will commence after January next year.

Mitsi’s Coffee Shop is open from 9AM-11PM everyday and is located at No.34A, Bagatalle Road, Colombo 03. For more information, orders and inquiries, visit Mitsi’s Delicacies on Facebook.

By Sarah Kellapatha

Photos by Waruna Wanniarachchi