Stratford Avenue in Kirulpone is probably one of the few roads in Colombo that anyone would be happy to be stuck in traffic. A paradise of sorts with its row of little artsy cafes and vintage looking shops, we can all agree that it’s one of the nicest roads in Colombo.
Indulge Desserts Co is a relatively new restaurant down this leafy, dark haven of a road.
Ambience
Essentially a two-story hobbit sized building with the ground floor being allocated for ordering and the upper for dining, it seemed to be furnished to be a bizarre mix between some modern cafe and the artsy side of Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, it seemed to fit the general vibe of Stratford Avenue.
With loads of comfortable chairs to accommodate plenty of people and a radio playing in the background, we liked it. Plus, the dining area was impeccably clean.
Drinks
Indulge Desserts, as the name suggests focuses on ways to indulge. Thus, most of their menu consists of all things doused in a horde of chocolate. But, amidst their stream of chocolatey options, you will find a section categorised as mocktails. Thus, we ended up with a Reeses Milkshake (Rs. 450) and a Passion Punch (Rs. 450).
*Pictured above – Reeses Bar Milkshake (left), Passion Punch (right)
With an overwhelming amount of milk that left barely any room for chocolate and close to no trace of peanut butter, we really weren’t all that happy with the Reeses Bar Milkshake. Unless, if your idea of the perfect drink involves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you might have to avoid this one.
On the happy side of things, the Passion Punch was fantastic. Icy cold with plenty of fizzes and the perfect amount of sweetness to make it seem as though it wasn’t even there, we loved it. Heaped, and by that, we mean heaped with loads of lime and orange juice and enough passionfruit to make sure you get a full load of seedy bits in every sip, this is ideal alongside the chocolatey options in the food section.
Food
Here’s where things get slightly iffy. Indulge Desserts Co specializes in waffles, crepes and bubble waffles, in both forms: Savoury and sweet. While they do have quite a range on their sweets, their span of savoury ones is limited to a few, but good enough to satisfy us. Thus, we ended up with a Chocolate Indulgence Bubble Waffle (Rs. 800) and a Cheesy Tandoori Chicken Crepe (R 900).
This adaptation of chaos in the form of chocolate is the Bubble Waffle.
Here, this might be easier to spot the waffle. Containing a slightly thin, but adequately large waffle completely smothered in drizzles of chocolate, it was wonderful. Served with a scoop of homemade ice cream, this was impossible not to love simply because of what it stood for – chocolate and waffles.
However, Rs. 800 for a waffle with chocolate sauce – even if they had used Belgian Chocolate and Nutella, is a tad too much. Especially considering the fact that you can get a giant crepe for literally half the price at Crepe Runner.
This is the tandoori Chicken Crepe. A not-too-thin, not-too-thick pocket of slightly sweet crepe made fat by the beautifully red tandoori chicken filling.
Breaking it down, the crepe was lovely. Thick enough to hold everything together, and with just a little hint of sweetness, the crepe was nothing to complain about.
And the tandoori chicken filling was, at first look, lovely. But, after 2-3 bites, you start wishing for more spice. Yes, it was creamy. No, there wasn’t much cheese involved but, maybe it’s because we live for spicy food but, this just didn’t cut it for us.
Plus, is it worth that whopping Rs. 900? no, not really.
Finally, we have the Strawberry Cheesecake (Rs. 550). Finding the perfect balance of lightness and density, this was our absolute favourite of the food we ordered. The base was slightly sweet and gorgeously buttery, but the cheesecake itself wasn’t particularly sweet so everything worked out great. Furthermore, they give a pretty generous sized piece.
The homemade ice cream was also quite lovely. Sweet, creamy and giving off slight Highland Vanilla Ice Cream vibes, we liked it.
Service
In terms of service, like the entire experience as a whole, had its ups and downs. While the staff at the front weren’t particularly happy to see us, the waiting staff were a literal ray of sunshine. Frequently checking to see if everything was in order and apologizing – sometimes for no real reason, they were lovely. Kudos to that.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, we enjoyed it. The ambience was nice, the service was alright and the food was pretty great.
So, if you’re looking for somewhere to indulge in to appease your sweet tooth, without worrying about the bill, you can totally count on Indulge Desserts Co.