Cafe Mocha's in one of the further ends of Colombo, but is a beautiful place. Preserving its original architechture and woodwork, Mocha has great ambience. Food is sadly a different story, but hey, they've got amazing sofas to curl up and read a good book. That's what most cafes are for, right?
Food and Service.
Service is meh meh, nothing notably great. The staff aren't unfriendly, but polite. Food options are displayed on a blackboard near the counter, in addition to the menus laid out as well. Place your order and grab a comfortable seat — you've got plenty to choose from but more on that later.
Food-wise, ayyo it was disappointing! Value for money is an unknown concept here, and worse is that the food is just mediocre.
Our Blueberry Cheesecake (Rs. 420) had a gelatinously set and thin layer of blueberry glaze, while the cheesecake was dense and not in the least cheese-cakey. Worst was the base, which was an intensely soggy biscuit base. Soggy!
The pol-sambol, egg, and cheese sandwhich was alright. The flavours balanced out okay, and the tanginess of the sambol made it through the other components, but the bread was over-toasted and tasted a bit bitter. The sandwich's accompanying fries were well prepped, and for that I'm grateful.
We also tried the Grilled Moroccan Chicken Salad (Rs. 680) which was actually quite good. The chicken was nicely grilled and seasoned, though a teensy bit too tough, and it was tossed in a generous bowl of greens. More importantly, there was a nice chunk of meat as opposed to the few pieces of chicken which most places just toss into a salad.
Drinks-wise, their cappuccino (Rs. 410) was pretty average which is to say that it wasn't too intense or bitter but not really remarkable either. Their Crunchy Cookie Shake (Rs. 680) is overpriced, but still enjoyable. It's a really nice regular milkshake, with loads of whipped cream and chunks of cookies scattered in it. We picked the cookies out and ate them dipped in cream, and that was quite, quite nice. Barista's cookies are quite satisfying, at least served like this.
Ambience
The vibe here is the best thing about it. Quiet, low-key, plenty of space with comfortable seating, it's wonderful to get some work done or to spend some quiet time with a book or an old friend. There are interesting prints hung up all about the place, and there's a dark wood theme going on, from furniture to doors, windows and the like. The settees are enormous and comfortable, and if you're tiny you'll most likely get lost in them. Plus, they've also got three floors, with the third rather unused. It also looks a bit like a gaming room.
Conclusion
Lovely ambience, but unremarkable food. I'd recommend going here if you want to get some work done in a chilled-out, spacious, and comfortable place, but not for the food. It's probably more for undergraduates and students though, because we saw a bunch of them sitting around and studying.
