“North meets West: The iconic cuisine of Jaffna in the heart of Colombo!”
Now I’m sure many of you’ve come across pictures of Crab Pittu on Coffee Colombo’s social media and thought “Huh? Coffee Colombo?!”. Well, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t thinking the same thing. But after a quick chat with the lovely owner, Nivetha, she let us know that she started off as any other coffee shop in Colombo. But when the economic crisis hit and import restrictions were imposed, she had no option but to resort to local currency. And she slowly made her way into bringing everything from the freshest seafood, to the quintessential spices, to even the coconuts, down to Colombo from her hometown in Jaffna. And people started loving the new offerings! That’s when Nivetha discovered that her roots in Jaffna had room to grow in Colombo. So with a quick revamp of the menu, here we were, sitting at Coffee Colombo having probably the best Jaffna cuisine in Colombo!
APPETISERS
Jaffna Juicy Fried Prawns — LKR 1,550 (4/5)
Charry and cooked with quintessentially Jaffna spices, these prawns were a delight. The prawn tasted fresh and full of flavour, but the reason this stood out from the usual fried prawns we’ve tried is that it had a charry flavour that I just couldn’t wrap my head around. All I knew was that I liked it, and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t keep going back for more throughout the course of the meal!
Jaffna Omelette — LKR 650 (3/5)
Okay, so maybe this is on me, but my hopes for this Jaffna omelette were just not met. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first saw this on the menu, but it was something more than your regular omelette. But don’t get me wrong, this was a great omelette, but there was still a little lack of oomph and that Jaffna-esque spice.
MAINS
Jaffna Crab Masala Pittu — LKR 1,250 (5/5)
The star of the show! Now what Jaffna cuisine review would be complete without the iconic Jaffna crab curry and some pittu?! Coming with a generous crab, a pittu roll and a pol-sambol like no other, this dish completely redefined Northern Sri Lankan cuisine for me. You could tell how fresh the crab was by the way the shell broke, and the meat itself was sweet and tender. And the pittu? Definitely one of the best I’ve tried — fluffy, airy and coconutty. And don’t even get me started on the crab curry gravy. I kid you not when I tell you that it was TO. DIE. FOR.
We were served this dish with the crab (along with the gravy in a separate bowl), and a pol sambol made from coconuts brought down from Jaffna — because according to the owner, the flavour of coconuts there cannot be replicated, and having tried it myself… I can concur. And we also did get this with a side of coconut milk for just LKR 200.
Friendly reminder: This won’t be pretty, so prepare to get messy and don’t wear white like I did! And make sure to get a little bit of everything when you take a bite, because the way all the flavours come together is really unlike anything else!
Chicken Pittu Kottu — LKR 1,650 (5/5)
Just like how we make our string hopper kottu, the pittu-kottu stems from the same idea — combining all the leftover food at home together and making it all the better! The chicken was lathered in the thick Jaffna-spice curry and together with the pittu-kottu, we couldn’t have had enough. This was a very hefty portion and definitely worth trying out yourself.
Jaffna Mutton Kottu — LKR 2,350 (4.5/5)
The ‘Jaffna’ in the Jaffna Mutton Kottu comes in the form of flavour. With a serving of mutton, this hefty portion of kottu was a treat! It’s not the best kottu in town but it’s definitely up there — and the Northern spices in the dish really set it apart!
Jaffna Fish Curry — LKR 990 (4/5)
While those rich Jaffna flavours were the star once again, the fish curry was a little too spicy for the flavour of the fish to come through BUT the coconut cream in the gravy made this dish quite something. And if you are a fan of spicy food, this might just be perfect for you to have with a portion of pittu, pittu-kottu, rice or even some toasted bread!
Jaffna Cuttlefish Curry — LKR 1,550 (5/5)
Now putting the crab pittu aside, this Jaffna Cuttlefish Curry is probably gonna be the reason I will keep coming back to Coffee Colombo, if nothing else. The cuttlefish meat was cooked just right, leaving it tender and almost melting in your mouth (nothing rubbery or chewy about these squids). The curry/gravy itself was also flavourful and the toast bread with the pol sambol was the perfect carrier for this!
We did buy the 4 slices of toast bread separately for an added LKR 450 and it included a side of pol sambol. But this cuttlefish curry can go perfectly with anything from pittu to pittu-kottu to rice to bread!
DESSERT
Watalappan — LKR 450 (4/5)
Now, this humble watalappan was a tad bit too sweet for our liking. But after the spice train of food that came before, this together with a sip of our Jaffna Nelli Crush was the perfect ending to the meal and we couldn’t complain.
DRINKS
Jaffna Nelli Crush — LKR 680 (5/5)
Screaming green or dazzling green — whatever it may be — this Jaffna Nelli Crush is the real deal! Made with the OG nectar brought down from — you guessed it — Jaffna, this drink was such a refreshing change from the usual mocktails of Colombo. Cool and sweet, this Nelli Crush got us feeling a little nostalgic after remembering that this tasted almost like the ice-packets we all used to love back in the day, after a long day of school.
Lychee Mojito — LKR 650 (5/5)
It’s almost unfair for the Lychee Mojito to be following the much appraised Jaffna Nelli Crush, but we put our bias aside for the sake of this humble mojito. And our verdict? We loved it. It wasn’t crazy iconic but still, this too was a welcome change from the usual drinks we see on the daily.
AMBIENCE
Located on the ground floor of Colombo’s Eurolanka Hotel, Coffee Colombo offers a lot more than what simply meets the eye. Its warm and cosy space isn’t decked out with the finest interiors but the food and the homely atmosphere really makes up for it. It almost reminds of the café that Lorelai and Rory frequent in the Gilmore Girls!
So whether you’re going out for a meal with your family or catching up with some old friends, the ambiance at Coffee Colombo is sure to be unlike anything you’ve experienced — and in the best way!
The post Coffee Colombo | Restaurant Review appeared first on Pulse.
Source From Pulse.lk
Author: Maneth Samarasinghe
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