Everyone who knows me knows that I eat 50% of my meals outside. I’m such a foodie… I like to try all the latest restaurants and I’m not scared of a little spice.
This last month in particular, I’ve had a BILLION lunch dates, and they were great opportunities to try out some of the restaurants I hadn't been to.
The Manhattan Fish Market – 10/10
As soon as I walked in to this place, I loved it. The entire staff screams out a greeting at you; friendly, smiling, employees get me every time.
Zak and I, who usually never have a hard time ordering, really could not figure out what we wanted because we wanted to try everything! After a few minutes, Zak ordered the Grilled Glory Dory (Rs. 990) and I chose the Shrimp Aglio Olio (Rs. 990), but I substituted it with the creamy sauce. For drinks, I got the Tropical Breeze (Rs. 390) and Zak got the Citrus Mint (Rs. 390) – which we’d heard so much about previously.
Looking around, the décor is pretty simple and straightforward: brick layout, framed photographs, and basic furniture with a couple of sofa seats. The drinks arrived shortly – the Tropical Breeze was super tasty but the Citrus Mint was definitely the star out of the two. Made with some sort of crushed lime and mint slushee, it was amazingly fresh and tasty.
Within a few minutes, we were served the main course. Seriously ya’ll – minutes! The food was fresh off the grill, and I have no clue how they got it out to us so quickly, that also while being semi-packed, but they did… and it was heaven. The creamy sauce in the Shrimp Aglio Olio made my taste buds do the Macarena, and while I devoured a flavor-filled mouthful, I could see Zak digging into his Glory Dory. Glory Dory, indeed.
Presentation wise, mines was pretty straightforward: spaghetti and shrimp tossed in creamy sauce and placed to be demolished! Zak’s dish, which comprised a rather large slab of Dory, white rice, steamed vegetables, and a tiny sauce bowl seemed rather crowded. It took a while for Zak to even realize there was rice under the fish. We both thought that the portions were just perfect; usually we never have space for dessert, but this time we had just a bit of space to share an order of the Tuscan Tiramisu (Rs. 590). A swirl of coffee, cheese, and cocoa – it truly was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Our total bill came to Rs. 4,210.00 and we felt like it was totally worth it. For less than USD 40 we both got an amazing seafood meal, delicious drinks, and a mouthwatering desert. That being said, that amount is way too high… in Sri Lanka. I must state that for that amount, brown people can feed a family of six a much larger meal. We’ve gotten so used to eating copious amounts of rice and curry that this would seem like a snack to most. Still… I can see another visit to the Manhattan Fish Market in my near future.
The Chocolate Room – 3/10
Even then, I only rate it a 3 because that Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich was SUPER TASTY. Well it better have been… it took them 1 ½ hours to make. 90 minutes. 5,400 seconds. I ordered at 1:30 and got my food at 3 – I almost… almost… walked out. Honestly, I didn’t realize how long they had taken till like 2:50… my sis-in-law and I were DEEP in conversation.
My experience couldn’t have gone any worse… We started out with drinks; I ordered the Pinky Lemonade and Shaz got the Ferrero Rocher Shake. After about 15 minutes, I got a yellow drink. Confused, I asked my server if my ‘pinky’ lemonade was supposed to be yellow. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer my pink lemonade, well, pink. No, it wasn’t supposed to yeller – instead he had made me a Piny Cooler - some concoction involving pineapples. I’m not a picky person, so I said it was ok, sucked it up and drank my pineapple drink. Honestly it tasted like pineapple cordial, which one can buy at any grocery store. Nothing special at all. Shaz’s shake was WAYYY to thick. If you can pick up your milkshake, turn over the glass, and not have anything spill, it is NOT A MILKSHAKE. It was a frothy excuse for a shake that was so thick, you could choke drinking it.
We couldn’t be bothered with the drinks and went on to the main course – Shaz got the Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich and I went with the Nachos Grande. I’m a sucker for nachos, and the only nachos that come close to yum in Sri Lanka are the loaded nachos on the menu of Café Che, but I thought ‘what the hell, let’s give them a chance’. Big mistake.
Here I was, expecting “a large platter of tortilla chips covered with roasted chicken, hearty beans, warm cheese, and diced tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, pickled gherkins, and sour cream”. What I got was 15 tortilla chips with a spoon of beans and congealed cheese. Where was my roasted chicken? Where are my jalapenos, people?! Again, the waiter had gotten my order mixed up and put me down for the Nachos Supreme… which is the crap I just described. Never order it.
This time, I couldn’t settle, so I pointed out their mistake expecting quick service. Oh, it was quick alright. He walked into that kitchen and then right back out with a bunch of shredded chicken just put on top. Not wanting to risk sending my food back in, I asked for my jalapenos, olives, and sour cream separately. I got olives and gherkins. I didn’t even want the gherkins.
Shaz’s sandwich was good. I can’t deny them that. Soft, crunchy bread filled with a roasted chicken mixture that was moist and filled with flavor. The sandwich alone is worth another trip to this place… I’ll just go at 1 pm and have dinner there, eventually.
With an additional order of french fries, our bill came to Rs. 2,000 or something. I don’t even remember.
Having stated all of this, I believe that this place runs well when you order their desserts and other chocolate related items. The shake should have been better, but I think the cakes and stuff might be worth a try. Don’t take that statement to heart though, I don’t know if they’ll just start mixing the batter once you place the order.
The Sandwich Factory – 7/10
Is it just me or has the service at Sandwich Factory gone down a bit? I’ve been going to this place since it opened way back when. I love all of the food except the burgers (Rs. 300 – Rs. 700)… there’s just too much masala in them to constitute as a burger but that’s completely my opinion and there’s nothing wrong with them otherwise.
They offer a Sri Lankan version of Taco Bell and I love it… quesadillas, taquitos, soft tacos… all so good.
All of that being stated, anyone notice the quality and service go down as of late? I wasn't in Sri Lanka last year, and I don’t know what happened, but when I went again recently, I wasn’t that happy. The guy behind the counter had his own issues going on and you could see it from the way he snapped at me when I asked if the peppermint shake (Rs. 360) was available. The guy who served the food kind of just threw my taquitos (Rs. 450) on the table and ignored my request for some napkins and ketchup. The taquitos were kind of oily and made me lose my appetite for them… don’t get me wrong, I ate them. But I had to squeeze it with a napkin first… lol. Zak and I shared an ice cream sandwich recently… the cookie was pretty hard, and in general the whole thing was just meh.
I really hope they get it together – it’s one of my fave places to go stuff my face and their menu is completely within anyone’s budget. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the owner is kind of fine.
This last month in particular, I’ve had a BILLION lunch dates, and they were great opportunities to try out some of the restaurants I hadn't been to.
The Manhattan Fish Market – 10/10
As soon as I walked in to this place, I loved it. The entire staff screams out a greeting at you; friendly, smiling, employees get me every time.
Zak and I, who usually never have a hard time ordering, really could not figure out what we wanted because we wanted to try everything! After a few minutes, Zak ordered the Grilled Glory Dory (Rs. 990) and I chose the Shrimp Aglio Olio (Rs. 990), but I substituted it with the creamy sauce. For drinks, I got the Tropical Breeze (Rs. 390) and Zak got the Citrus Mint (Rs. 390) – which we’d heard so much about previously.
Looking around, the décor is pretty simple and straightforward: brick layout, framed photographs, and basic furniture with a couple of sofa seats. The drinks arrived shortly – the Tropical Breeze was super tasty but the Citrus Mint was definitely the star out of the two. Made with some sort of crushed lime and mint slushee, it was amazingly fresh and tasty.
Within a few minutes, we were served the main course. Seriously ya’ll – minutes! The food was fresh off the grill, and I have no clue how they got it out to us so quickly, that also while being semi-packed, but they did… and it was heaven. The creamy sauce in the Shrimp Aglio Olio made my taste buds do the Macarena, and while I devoured a flavor-filled mouthful, I could see Zak digging into his Glory Dory. Glory Dory, indeed.
Presentation wise, mines was pretty straightforward: spaghetti and shrimp tossed in creamy sauce and placed to be demolished! Zak’s dish, which comprised a rather large slab of Dory, white rice, steamed vegetables, and a tiny sauce bowl seemed rather crowded. It took a while for Zak to even realize there was rice under the fish. We both thought that the portions were just perfect; usually we never have space for dessert, but this time we had just a bit of space to share an order of the Tuscan Tiramisu (Rs. 590). A swirl of coffee, cheese, and cocoa – it truly was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Our total bill came to Rs. 4,210.00 and we felt like it was totally worth it. For less than USD 40 we both got an amazing seafood meal, delicious drinks, and a mouthwatering desert. That being said, that amount is way too high… in Sri Lanka. I must state that for that amount, brown people can feed a family of six a much larger meal. We’ve gotten so used to eating copious amounts of rice and curry that this would seem like a snack to most. Still… I can see another visit to the Manhattan Fish Market in my near future.
The Chocolate Room – 3/10
Even then, I only rate it a 3 because that Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich was SUPER TASTY. Well it better have been… it took them 1 ½ hours to make. 90 minutes. 5,400 seconds. I ordered at 1:30 and got my food at 3 – I almost… almost… walked out. Honestly, I didn’t realize how long they had taken till like 2:50… my sis-in-law and I were DEEP in conversation.
My experience couldn’t have gone any worse… We started out with drinks; I ordered the Pinky Lemonade and Shaz got the Ferrero Rocher Shake. After about 15 minutes, I got a yellow drink. Confused, I asked my server if my ‘pinky’ lemonade was supposed to be yellow. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer my pink lemonade, well, pink. No, it wasn’t supposed to yeller – instead he had made me a Piny Cooler - some concoction involving pineapples. I’m not a picky person, so I said it was ok, sucked it up and drank my pineapple drink. Honestly it tasted like pineapple cordial, which one can buy at any grocery store. Nothing special at all. Shaz’s shake was WAYYY to thick. If you can pick up your milkshake, turn over the glass, and not have anything spill, it is NOT A MILKSHAKE. It was a frothy excuse for a shake that was so thick, you could choke drinking it.
We couldn’t be bothered with the drinks and went on to the main course – Shaz got the Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich and I went with the Nachos Grande. I’m a sucker for nachos, and the only nachos that come close to yum in Sri Lanka are the loaded nachos on the menu of Café Che, but I thought ‘what the hell, let’s give them a chance’. Big mistake.
Here I was, expecting “a large platter of tortilla chips covered with roasted chicken, hearty beans, warm cheese, and diced tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, pickled gherkins, and sour cream”. What I got was 15 tortilla chips with a spoon of beans and congealed cheese. Where was my roasted chicken? Where are my jalapenos, people?! Again, the waiter had gotten my order mixed up and put me down for the Nachos Supreme… which is the crap I just described. Never order it.
This time, I couldn’t settle, so I pointed out their mistake expecting quick service. Oh, it was quick alright. He walked into that kitchen and then right back out with a bunch of shredded chicken just put on top. Not wanting to risk sending my food back in, I asked for my jalapenos, olives, and sour cream separately. I got olives and gherkins. I didn’t even want the gherkins.
Shaz’s sandwich was good. I can’t deny them that. Soft, crunchy bread filled with a roasted chicken mixture that was moist and filled with flavor. The sandwich alone is worth another trip to this place… I’ll just go at 1 pm and have dinner there, eventually.
With an additional order of french fries, our bill came to Rs. 2,000 or something. I don’t even remember.
Having stated all of this, I believe that this place runs well when you order their desserts and other chocolate related items. The shake should have been better, but I think the cakes and stuff might be worth a try. Don’t take that statement to heart though, I don’t know if they’ll just start mixing the batter once you place the order.
The Sandwich Factory – 7/10
Is it just me or has the service at Sandwich Factory gone down a bit? I’ve been going to this place since it opened way back when. I love all of the food except the burgers (Rs. 300 – Rs. 700)… there’s just too much masala in them to constitute as a burger but that’s completely my opinion and there’s nothing wrong with them otherwise.
They offer a Sri Lankan version of Taco Bell and I love it… quesadillas, taquitos, soft tacos… all so good.
All of that being stated, anyone notice the quality and service go down as of late? I wasn't in Sri Lanka last year, and I don’t know what happened, but when I went again recently, I wasn’t that happy. The guy behind the counter had his own issues going on and you could see it from the way he snapped at me when I asked if the peppermint shake (Rs. 360) was available. The guy who served the food kind of just threw my taquitos (Rs. 450) on the table and ignored my request for some napkins and ketchup. The taquitos were kind of oily and made me lose my appetite for them… don’t get me wrong, I ate them. But I had to squeeze it with a napkin first… lol. Zak and I shared an ice cream sandwich recently… the cookie was pretty hard, and in general the whole thing was just meh.
I really hope they get it together – it’s one of my fave places to go stuff my face and their menu is completely within anyone’s budget. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the owner is kind of fine.
