Cioconut Lounge

107 Barnes Pl, Colombo 00700.

We’d heard a lot about this place and we finally got around to going there for lunch. Initially, we’d thought to have the Rs. 850/- lunch buffet, but decided to order off the menu instead.

First of all, service was inconsistent. Our order was taken fairly quickly, food arrived in record time, but everything else was super slow. We asked for a bottle of water (they don’t serve in glasses) which we didn’t receive till we went up to the cashier to pay the bill. Then, they tried to hand us a bottle to take home and put it onto our bill. We refused of course.

Creamy Mushroom pasta

On the other hand, the menu had variety. There are Moroccan and Arabic dishes we hadn’t seen elsewhere. We ordered the Chicken Arrabiata sandwich and Creamy Mushroom pasta. The pasta was swimming in cream, there were loads of olives and mushrooms and the seasoning was perfect. The sandwich was disappointing: there was almost no chicken, the brown bread was a little dry and the accompanying fries were the best part of the dish.

Chicken Arrabiata sandwich

The ambience of the cafe is very upbeat and it looks like a great place for a group meal. We just hope that our experience was isolated and this won’t be repeated. Might visit again to try their pies and desserts – we hear they’re really good.