The number of cafes in Colombo is rising. Almost as fast as the rising sea level, but that's a bad joke so we won't go there.
The Platter is a super cute cafe down Havelock Road, and it's just 8 days old. We dropped in for a quick first look.
The Food
They're more of a bakery than a cafe, with a bunch of snacks to munch on. We tried a few and here's how it went.
*Pictured above – Pizzeria (left) and Croissant (right)
- The Pizzeria (Rs. 100) was essentially a bunch of pizza topping ingredients rolled into a bun. Packed with jalapenos, bits of sausages, mozzarella, and a drizzle of tomato ketchup, it reminded us of the Pizza Bun at BreadTalk.
- The Croissant (Rs. 75) was more of a bun than a pastry. It wasn't flaky, but even though it doesn't show on the pictures, the top part of the croissant was nicely buttered and would have gone beautifully with either a cheese or a chocolate filling.
*Pictured above – Fish Pastry (left), Chicken Bun (middle) and Choco Mint Whet Slice (right)
- One thing is for sure, The Platter is not stingy when it comes to their fillings. The Chicken Bun (Rs. 80) was a sizable bun with a spicy blend of vegetable and load of shredded chicken. The bun itself was soft and the filling was full of flavour. All in all, it's a success.
- The Fish Pastry (Rs.60) was a flaky, puffy pastry, rich with flavour, and didn't have too much margarine to have it crumbling all over you. The filling inside was a delicious mixture of fish and potato. A bit more fish would have made this better, but still, we liked it.
- The Choco Mint Wheat Slice (Rs. 230) on the other hand was sadly the rain cloud to a day that could have been perfect for drying your clothes. All we could taste was a mix of cooking chocolate, and coconut oil. No mint was found.
Ah, the Cheesecake! At Rs. 300 you get a big slice of cheesecake and it's worth every cent. They could have certainly improved the presentation, but flavorwise, it was quite the steal.
It's not the average cream cheese, biscuit and coulis alliance. The whipped cream on top gave it that wonderful lightness to complement the denseness of the cream cheese. To me (and anyone else who doesn't like strawberry syrup) it was a saviour in disguise because it helped with distributing the intense sweetness brought on by the syrup. Which it could have done without tbh.
Apart from the pastries mentioned above, they also had Strawberry Profiteroles, Eclairs and a few other cakes.
The Drinks
As for drinks, we got the Strawberry Fuschia and the Cafe Mocha.
The Strawberry Fuschia (Rs. 600) was their version of a strawberry mojito, but it was not as fizzy as one would have expected from a proper mojito. It was a tad too sweet for my liking but my friend seemed to enjoy it. Served in a massive mason jar, it was cold, it had the minty aspect to point and a tinge of strawberry syrup or cordial in the mixture. This could be the sweet escape you're looking for to leave behind the heat of the city.
Served in a tall glass with a massive blob of whipped cream on top, I personally liked the Cafe Mocha (Rs. 420). It was sweet, milky and there was a perfect balance between the coffee and the chocolate. They were nice enough to ask if I wanted it heated again an hour after ordering. So, if you're looking for something rich but not too much of a caffeine fix, I suggest you try this.
They also have juices, other hot and cold beverages and a malt drink of sort in glass bottles.
Service and Ambience
The only way to describe The Platter would be with the word cute. Light blue walls and white furniture, the whole place screamed picture book cafe with the smell of coffee and freshly baked bread. The warm lighting, the giant cake in the counter and the mildly chilly environment provided by the air conditioning made it seem like any food-loving introverts happy place.
The fact that they were playing very soft classical Japanese music gave it a very calm vibe. They don't have a lot of seats, just around three tables with four chairs each, however, the chairs, although wooden were quite comfortable and kind if perfect if what you're looking for is a place to catch up on your weekly/monthly gossip session.
Hats off to the guy who served us. He looked genuinely happy to see us when we walked in and was super friendly about everything. From explaining the process of how and where the food was made to asking us for suggestions for possible improvement.
Conclusion
Overall, The Platter was a pretty good experience for us. It's perfect if what you're looking for is a small yet peaceful place to hang out with a friend or two or even just to grab a snack on your way to work.
