Perfection, pure joy, true love…whatever you want to call the delectable goodness that are mangoes, all we know is that they’re so much more than just a fruit. Perhaps it’s their fleeting presence in our lives, making an appearance just for eight weeks in a year. We never have enough time with them so instead, we just make sure we eat so much of them in every form there is that we can’t possibly crave them when they’re gone again.

In that vein, last week, we rounded up the very best of savory mango dishes you could dig into across Mumbai city from crab mango salads to raw mango pizzas but this time we’re back with far more familiar mango delights—-desserts. Whether it’s a breakfast of champions you want with a generous helping of mango waffles, or tradition you’re trying to stick to with fried samosas stuffed with sticky, sweet mangoes, as far as Mango season goes, you know we’ve got your back tummies.
[Note to readers--All dishes are presented in alphabetical order of the restaurants and in no particular order of preference]

I. Mango Pannacotta @AKA

Where: Address: 165, Dr Annie Besant Rd, Lotus Colony, Worli, Mumbai

Mango is the fruit that is the shining orb of our summer sky and 212’s replacement AKA fully understands that. When you’re here, don’t get dazed by the mention of mango leather in their Mango Pannacotta, it’s as delicious as it is strange-sounding. All it means is that the ‘orb’ has been thinly rolled out to cover the sugar free vanilla bean pannacotta. The dish also comes with varied manifestations of mango with fresh pieces, mango syrup and mango pearls. Now that’s doing justice to the lord of all fruits.

Cost: Offerings made to the deity @ Rs.350+taxes.

II. Mango and Sticky Rice Dessert @ By The Mekong

Where: The St. Regis, 462 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Mekong is not just a restaurant. It’s where the districts of Yunan and Sichuan join Thailand and Vietnam to bring you some of the city’s best Asian cuisine. Summers in Mekong, however, bring a variety of Indian and Asian desserts too, and we suggest you snatch up the Mango and Sticky Rice dessert before it floats back to heaven. Indians have a history of adding rice to most of their desserts and this Asian twist is no different. Cooked in coconut milk, the fresh cut mangoes elevate the sticky rice and will surely carve a spot for itself in your memory.

Cost: Keep some extra tissue handy for tears of joy @Rs. 600+taxes.

III. Mango Waffle @ Di Bella Coffee

Where: Di Bella Coffee, all outlets

It’s okay to be a round peg in a square hole when it comes to waffles. You may think a mango waffle is simply that, a mango waffle. But once you bite into the crusty dough with the sweet and sour fruit tingling at the back of your tongue, there’s no going back.

Cost: Eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner @ Rs. 250

IV.Chatpata Aam Centre @English Vinglish

Where: 13, Juhu Supreme Shopping Centre, Gulmohar Cross Road 9, Juhu, Mumbai.

People frequenting Juhu know that the best place to surrender your sweet tooth and mango cravings in the area is Shree Gangour Sweets. In their new venture ‘English Vinglish’ with Chef Ranveer Brar, Indian sweets have a whole new meaning. Right from Kalakand cookies to Khopra Pak mille feuille, we wonder if the experimentation has gone too far. All our doubts have been laid to rest with the Chatpata Aam Centre, as the droplet-shaped dessert draws even bigger tear drops from our eyes. The caramelised mango is flavoured with the usual suspects from Indian mithai spices. And the 34 percent milk chocolate that wraps the mango has left Sonam Kapoor’s cape at the Cannes look inferior, made complete with the taste of Kacchi Kairi.

Cost: Centre of the universe @ Rs. 330 for six pieces and Rs. 625  for 12 pieces.

V. Sticky rice and Mangoes served with Tender coconut and sesame ice cream @ Icekraft

Where: Shop No. 5, Meera Co-operating Housing Society, Opposite Windsor Grande Residences, Near Mega Mall, Oshiwara, Jogeshwari West, Mumbai.

Hand-churned ice cream on a freezing plate is served to customers at Oshiwara’s Icekraft as each patron is invited to create their own dessert. Once you pick your flavour base, you can mix and match any three toppings and a sauce, so let your imagination run wild and go ice-cream crazy. From the Motichur and Rabbdi to the Aam Panna pop rocks ice cream, Icekraft experiments with delicious flavours, and they’re topped with Pulse Candy crunch. For those looking for some chocolate decadence, the Double Chocolate Cookie Dough is the one to try. And for the truly experimental sweet-toothed bunch, the Sticky Rice & Mangoes with Tender Coconut & Sesame ice cream is exactly as scrumptious as it sounds.

Cost: Ice cream innovation @ just Rs. 209.

VI.  Mango Mochi Ice Cream @Kofuku

Where: 6th Floor, Suburbia Mall, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

You know what we love more than ice-cream? An ice-cream that comes filled with mochi. The chefs at Kofuku have tried to recreate their unparalleled green tea mochi ice-cream with the flavour of the season--mangoes. The delicacy that comes wrapped in a sticky rice shell can be eaten in their inimitable Lazakaya style of sitting on Tatami mats. We also suggest the mixed fruit mango pulp and ice-cream.

Cost: All hail the mochi @ Rs. 350 and mixed fruit mango pulp and ice cream @ Rs. 350

VII. Summer Love @ Le 15 Patissiere

Where: All Outlets

There are too many songs describing summer time love, but not enough cakes. If you really want to get over your summertime sadness, run to any Le 15 outlet and treat yourself to some Summer Love. Made with mangoes, light pastry cream and a fluffy Vanilla flavoured Genovese sponge, Summer Love is the universal truth.

Cost: Don’t let it be the one that gets away @ Rs.1000 for half kg.

VIII. Mango Cheesecake @ Love and Cheesecake

Where: All Outlets

This summer, Love & Cheesecake is introducing fresh Mango Cheesecakes that are absolutely divine. The lightly whipped creaminess of the cheese balances the incredibly subtle sweetness of the cake that’s likely to reduce you to tears. A garnish of fresh mango pieces encrusting the cheesecake brings the best of the season to your plate, and the freshness of the fruit cuts through all the other flavours, enough to fix any bad day.

Cost: Your chance to truly have it all with an assortment of their signature mango desserts, all in one box @ Rs. 1140.

IX. Mango Mascarpone Mousse @ Olive Bistro

Where: Oberoi Mall, General AK Vidya Marg, Dindoshi, Goregaon, Mumbai

You know you need to extend the olive branch to summer when it gives you mangoes. Leave summer haters behind because Mango Mascarpone Mousse is actually a triple whammy. It’s not just a mousse, because the cream of mascarpone gets some solid flavour companions with the shortbread, coconut sorbet, ricotta and vanilla crumble.

Cost: Flash dancing @ Rs.310

X. Mango Cheesecake Waffle @ One street over

Where: Navarang Building, Ground Floor, 35th Road, Off., Linking Rd, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Chef Kelvin Cheung’s latest experiment tucked into a lane off Bandra’s Linking Road literally makes us drool from one street over. After devouring your choice of dish from his selection of delectable fish, crispy pork, gorgeous sauces and much, much more, wash down that meal with a Mango Cheesecake Waffle. Classic American-style waffles meet dessert-style sugary sweetness, topped with a creamy, light mango cheesecake.

XI. Kairi Nu Samosa @ SodaBottleOpenerWala

Where: Ground Floor, The Capital Building, G Block,Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

What’s better than a dessert? Probably a fried dessert. BKC was lucky to have SodaBottleOpenerWala in its vicinity, because the smell of mango samosas would have half of the city creating a bottleneck on the western express highway. Kairi Nu Samosa is the Bermuda triangle of samosas because you will be lost in the mango and nut-filled fried pastry that comes with vanilla ice cream.

Cost: A worthy filling we’d be willing to pay twice as much for @ Rs.140+taxes.

XII. Alphon-So Sorbet @ Sucres Des Terres

Where: 2A Rashid Mansion, Samunder Point, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai.

Vegan evangelists rejoice! A dairy-free tongue tickler is making the summer lighter than you could have hoped for. The Alphonso Sorbet is a rich experience, not just because of the juicy mangoes, but also because of its one-of-a-kind artisanal ice creamery. If you want the summer to stay with you forever, store their cute mason jars in your refrigerator.

Cost: So-so @Rs. 850 plus taxes for 500 ml.

XIII. Mango and Sabudana Cutting Trifle @ The Bombay Canteen

Where: Ground Floor, Process House, Kamala Mills, Near Radio Mirchi Office, S.B. Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai.

Stop going to the roadside tapri for your cutting chai, because there’s a brand new cutting in town. Layer after layer of zany and fresh ingredients have been matched together to remind you of the necessity of summer: to eat cooling desserts. Fresh Alphonso mangoes, tapioca pudding, coconut meringue and Aam Papad have gone in the cutting glass to break all types of proverbial glass ceilings. And if this doesn’t tickle your taste buds enough, you can count on Bombay Canteen to give you a few more options. We also love their Mango Chilli Bar Popsicle made with tequila and Triple sec.

Cost: Break your Santoshi Mata fast with this Sabudana @ Rs. 250 + taxes. Pop the popsicle @ Rs.395.

XIV. St. Andrew’s Mess @ The Bombay Canteen

Where: Ground Floor, Process House, Kamala Mills, Near Radio Mirchi Office, S.B. Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai.

Who says we can’t choose two desserts from the same place? Bombay Canteen knows how to put ‘Akhand Bharat’ on a plate. Their take on the very British Eton Mess has given birth to the St. Andrew’s mess. With their ingredients listed as ‘Hapoos mangoes with Aam panna, whipped cream & Saunf meringue,’ you know you’ve entered a jazz song composed by Amit Trivedi. Sucres Des Terres helped the guys at the canteen create this dish and we hate them for being so damn good. The Aam Panna mousse with crushed fennel meringue cookies are likely to make you forget everything you ever did before biting into this dessert. To torture us some more, they’ve even put up a video of the entire dish being assembled on Facebook.

Cost: We just play the video on loop when we can’t make it all the way there @ Rs. 300

XV. Dessert Orchard @ The Fatty Bao

Where: Summerville, Linking Road, Near KFC, 14th & 33rd Cross Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

Dessert Orchard looks like a cake but don’t let its innocent beauty deceive you. The Orchard is full of sinful, fruity flavours arranged in such a way that the first word from you would be ‘A-maze’. Although the meringue is flavoured with raspberry and passion fruit, the mango chilli cilantro sauce is the cover of the book you judged.

Cost: It’s the dessert rose Sting was talking about @ Rs.265+tax

 XVI. Mango Baked Yogurt @The Pantry

Where: The Pantry, B Bharucha Rd, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai

The stark white walls of The Pantry only make the succulent yellow of the mango pop in our mouth. The mango baked yogurt is thick, creamy and not to mention dreamy. It is the young, feisty and seasonally available relative of the grand old Bengali Mishti Doi and we suggest you rush to these white walls in Kala Ghoda before the summer is out.

Cost: The price of salivation @ Rs.195

XVII. Mystic Mango Tart @ The Sassy Spoon

Where: Classic Corner Building, Next to Holy Family Hospital, Hill Road, Bandra West.

Just as mango has always reigned over our taste buds, the Mystic Mango Tart is being introduced to reign over the dessert menu at The Sassy Spoon. This year, the restaurant attempts to reintroduce the ‘king of fruits’ in a whole new avatar. The fresh mango tart accompanied gracefully with tender coconut pastry cream is a heavenly amalgamation of cream and sweetness that should always, always coexist.

Cost: Mysteriously priced @Rs.325+taxes

XVIII. Beyond The Ozone @ Toshin Chocolatier Patissier

Where: Boutique,1st Floor, IVY Restaurant & Banquets GM Road, Amar Mahal, Chembur West, Mumbai.

Ever had a cake of stratospheric significance? Take the first step into the giant leap that is Beyond The Ozone. The pastry and the cake have slowly reduced mangoes with mascarpone cheese that are set up in vanilla dacquoise layers and studded with mango squares. If your head still can’t revolve around this fact, you have to touch the velvety dream to be able to believe it.

Cost: Galileo will happily go blind again @Rs.240 for Pastry, Cake @Rs.1500 for 700 grams.

Special Mentions

XIX. Mango Cheesecake @Bastian

Where: B/1, New Kamal Building, Opposite National College, Linking Road, Bandra West

In the soon-to-be-launched Bastian, chefs Kelvin Cheung and Boo Kim of One Street Over fame are promising mango cheesecakes in their dessert menu. We tend to trust the hype, so it’s a go for this dish in a few weeks.

Cost: Not Available.

XX. Temaki Ice Cream Sampler @ Pa Pa Ya

Where: Level 3, Palladium Mall, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013

The six ice-cream samplers come in home-made waffle cones and the flavours are true sucker punches after a hearty Asian meal. These include the Mango-Basil, Strawberry-Banana, Coconut-Chilli, White Peppercorn, Vanilla-Truffle and Vanilla--just the palette cleansers you need.

Cost: Temaki Aankh @ Rs.425+taxes

Feature Image Courtesy: Love & Cheesecake

Research By: Tanya Maheshwari