Bakes By Bella.

UPDATE: BakesbyBella is now a full-fledged restaurant serving up desserts, coffee, and brunch at Alfred House Avenue. Stay tuned for the new review.

If you're looking for your just desserts, you've come to the right place. Possibly the prettiest merger in town, CocoBella is a little outlet opened up by the women behind Bakes by Bella and Coco Ceylon.

We don't feel as though the place needs much introduction. But if you're not in the loop, or worse, not on Instagram, here's a preview: 

Ambience & Service

The tiny little shop is on the second floor of the Liberty Arcade, right smack in the middle of Colpetty, so it's very accessible. There isn't much to say about the ambience really, since it's so small. It's clean, bright, and the details are carefully attended to (for example, we loved the funkily coloured plates and polka dotted printed tissues). There's also a cute mural covering one wall of the eatery that brightens up the already upbeat area.

The only things more upbeat than the mural are the music (think: Kygo) and the owners themselves. We assume the music is craftily meant to get you in a wiggly mood so you forget the carbs you're ingesting. There's also a tiny seating area in case you don't feel like getting take away. It seats about 4 people in total.

The owners are usually on hand themselves, although Coco Ceylon gets cracking nice and early at 8:30 AM with all the healthier breakfast options like juices and chia bowls. Bakes by Bella usually starts up around 12:30, just in time for post-lunch sweet tooth cravings. They haven't quite locked down their closing times yet, since the shop is pretty much in beta testing right now. We'd suggest you call/text ahead.

We found the service engaging and friendly. The women are more than enthusiastic about their products and happy to help you choose what you'd like to order. They're also happy to pack up everything in cute packaging for you. 

The Treats

We've tried Bakes by Bella and Coco Ceylon when they were both little start-ups, so we're already pretty familiar with what they've got on offer. That didn't stop us from ordering a bunch of stuff to keep the scientific method alive. From Bella we ordered 3 mini jars; Brownies & Cream with Nutella at Rs. 450, S'mores at Rs. 400, and Red Velvet at Rs. 450. We also got one slice of Rainbow Cake at Rs. 450. From Coco we got two juices, a Summer Bliss at Rs. 280 and a Berry Blend at Rs. 420. 

We loved the mini jars. They're a tad expensive, but they're actually rich and packed enough for two to share after a meal (as long as you're both polite). The Brownies & Cream is a Bella staple, and probably our office favourite too. It had that perfect gradiented texture, mixing crunchy brownie, soft and supple cream, and slightly tart strawberries. 

The Red Velvet was a delight too. It was topped with a nice cream cheese frosting, and the flavour was rich and completely avoided that synthetic artificial flavouring taste you tend to notice with mass-made red velvets.

The S'mores was lovely, and we childishly loved watching the marshmellows being toasted with a blowtorch. The flavour of the chocolatey pudding was a bit too "deep cocoa" for some of our office, but I personally enjoyed that ever so slightly bitter chocolate flavour in juxtaposition to the sugary marshmallows. It was also on a base of cookie crumble which offset the puddingy texture well. Bella was considerate enough to tell us that this was the only potentially non-halal item on her menu because she didn't make the marshmallows herself and the gelatine used could have animal fat. 

The Rainbow Cake was good, and we'd expect it to be a birthday favourite. We felt it could have done with a tad more frosting, but the flavour itself was nice, straightforward vanilla. The only problem with this cake is that it looked so pretty that the taste could never match up, and it felt wasteful to even ingest anything that aesthetically perfect. 

The Coco Ceylon juices served as healthy palate cleansers and were superbly fresh and refreshing. The Berry Blend was kind of expensive at Rs. 420 for a smoothie, but raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and yogurt don't come cheap so it's understandable. It was cold and blended well, and we could see it being a great morning drink.

The Summer Bliss was actually more of a personal favourite for me, because it was lighter and tasted more local, and I could detect a lot of passionfruit.  We'd definitely recommend stopping by for a healthy morning fix if you're in the area.

Conclusion

We had a great experience, and are huge fans of the cute packaging and quality produce. Their menu isn't completely static right now, so you ought to stop by a couple of times and experiment with what they're rustled up for the day. Of course, you can still order in advance if you require something in particular. 

Enjoy your sugar rush! We assume you'll be walking out of the shop like 

 

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp

Highlights.

Latest.

KAMU.

Beyond the Hook: Exploring Totally Hooked’s non-Seafood dishes

By Hashini Pathirana Totally Hooked CMB, as we are all aware, is widely renowned for

Kamu Yamu Guide

The Art of Fusion Cuisine at Mövenpick Hotel

By Vera Wadugodapitiya We walked into Robata Grill, Mövenpick. Instantly, what struck me about the

Highlights Kamu

A Taste of Mexico – Cinnamon Red’s Latest International Cuisine

By Shamrina Carim Every month, Cinnamon Red has come up with an exciting initiative to

Highlights Kamu

A Classical High Tea Encounter with the Coronation at Mount Lavinia Hotel

By Shamrina Carim Mount Lavinia Hotel hosted a casual evening of classic high tea encounters

Highlights Kamu

The Bento Box at Royal Thai, Cinnamon Lakeside

By Hiruni Herath When you step into the Royal Thai Restaurant at Cinnamon Lakeside, you’ll

Highlights Kamu

Totally Hooked – The Ultimate Seafood Destination

It is not a surprise that “Totally Hooked CMB", the talk of the seafood town,

Highlights Kamu

Trending.

Chef Sanjay Brings the Flavours of Our Neighbours to Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo

Colombo, Monday 05th June 2023: Despite Sri Lanka’s proximity to the Indian Sub-Continent and a

Trending

Award Winning Indian Restaurant Junior Kuppanna in Colombo

Junior Kuppanna, opened its newest international branch in Colombo on 25th May 2023. The new

Trending

Hilton Sri Lanka Unveils ‘Enchanting Beginnings’ Wedding Sale

Swoon over exclusive wedding packages in stunning venues for a lifetime of memories Colombo, Sri

Trending

Ramada Colombo’s Exclusive Limited Time Wedding Discount

Book before June 15th and enjoy 25% off Planning the perfect wedding can be an

Trending

The 30th Gratiaen Prize shortlist was announced with the launch of the Gratiaen Trust Young Writers Club

The Gratiaen Trust in association with the John Keells Foundation partnering with the Trust for

Trending

Hilton Sri Lanka is set to commemorate Mother’s Day in grand fashion

Continuing our long-standing tradition of celebrating extraordinary mothers, Hilton properties across Sri Lanka have gone

Trending

Yamu Guide.

7 Yoga Studios in and around Colombo

By Udaraa Gamage Are you looking for ways to escape from all that hustling and

Highlights Yamu Guide

Beyond the Hook: Exploring Totally Hooked’s non-Seafood dishes

By Hashini Pathirana Totally Hooked CMB, as we are all aware, is widely renowned for

Kamu Yamu Guide

7 Decent BnB spots for under LKR 7500 – Sri Lanka

We all like spending mini vacations at affordable spots to relax or stay on the

Highlights Yamu Guide

7 Places to Dine Under LKR1500 LKR per person

By Udaraa Gamage Are you a foodie looking for budget places to satisfy your taste

Highlights Yamu Guide

The Aesthetics of Club Palm Bay

Club Palm Bay is a hotel located in the heart of a charming fishing village

Yamu Guide

High Tea Affairs at L.A.B by Hilton Colombo

By Hashini Pathirana A little chit chat with your besties, while sipping onto an Iced

Yamu Guide