The aroma of coffee wafted in the air and the café was pleasantly buzzing. The atmosphere was composed yet congenial, diffusing a character of refinement. The finest range of indulgent cakes and desserts and famed Filicori coffee set the mood for a gastronomically delightful experience at Coco Veranda.
Words Jennifer Paldano Goonewardane Photographs Indika De Silva
At Coco Veranda, situated in plush surroundings, the preparation of food is as elaborate as its arrangement. For the compulsive foodie, disturbed and overcome by a craving for something more than the regular, that balances taste with presentation, then Coco Veranda it is. What started as a coffee shop in 2010 is today a restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, and dinner from seven in the morning to thirty minutes past midnight the next day and until one in the morning at weekends.
The art nouveau at Coco Veranda is conspicuous for its modern drawings and illustrations and the contemporary décor that asserts freedom and respite. The interior is ideal for a coffee culture take-off, seated around a table or on a couch.
You may wish to start the day with an Eggs Benedict with a trickling dollop of Hollandaise sauce and a cup of mocha or warm cappuccino. The fast-to-serve and tasty batter fried fish with potato wedges and tartar sauce is ideal for brunch with friends or to quench a sudden pang of hunger at any time of the day. But again, who can be blamed if your rambling appetite wanders to rest on a Spicy Lemon Mayo Chicken Burger with plenty of homemade lemon flavoured mayonnaise, onion, tomato and lettuce for taste.
Chicken Lasagne at Coco Veranda is an Italian classic with a blend of minced chicken and tomato sauce. Seafood lovers can indulge in a dish of Penne Marinara, a mixture of prawns, cuttlefish and more with pasta and marinara sauce with freshly prepared tomato puree. In fact, from the all time favourite rice dishes to burgers, hot dogs, salads and sandwich varieties to other fast foods, all are a mixture of tastes across cultures and continents.
Not surprising actually, because visitors to Coco Veranda range from the young and the old, from superstars to sportspersons from Sri Lanka and beyond, and so the food, the coffee, the hot and cold beverages and the desserts have been tinged with cross-cultural flavours that prods you to leave the comfort-zone of your culture to experience gourmet delights of the world. It certainly wouldn’t ruin your palate.
The range of cakes at Coco Veranda is intoxicating; it is ‘sweet torture’ to the extent of exciting one’s taste buds with an abundance of chocolate and cream. Death by Chocolate is a popular fudge cake that is lavishly spiked with chocolate and if served with cream or ice cream would be tantalisingly rich in taste. Bite into pieces of carrot and nuts with a slice of the unusual Carrot and Walnut Cake and the Hazelnut Roche Cake.
Choose to be a little indulgent with the ‘not-so-usual’ sweet delights, such as the Double Chocolate Cheesecake, the Passion Fruit Cheesecake, the Strawberry Cheesecake and the Nutella-Oreo Cheesecake. Just a slice of chocolate caramel or chocolate peanut butter is a sweet way to finish off a sumptuous meal at Coco Veranda.
With all the tantalising food that Coco Veranda has become famous for, it is its unique skill of ‘coffeeology’ that sets it apart. Coffee after all is like a fuel to the mind and body and the elixir to start the day and the energy drink to keep one going during the day. A hot cappuccino with a design or the face of one’s favourite actor will certainly delight the drinker. The frappe coffee range is served chilled with layers of ice cream, sweet sauces and cream and in a range of flavours.
Coco Veranda prides itself in having a long line of loyal patrons. This may be because the team members at Coco Veranda have understood the needs of their clients and understand what they serve, and are consistent in serving the finest. Observance of ergonomics results in a perfectly laid out work station close to customers that allows efficiency and ease of preparation.
You don’t have to be hungry to step into Coco Veranda at Colombo 7 or Crescat Boulevard. The ambience is such that you can escape the pressures of office, or spend time on your relationship or complete a report, or simply spend a moment in reflection. Coco Veranda is all yours.
32 Ward Place, Colombo 7
(+94 11) 763 5635
