Peppermint Cafe is the newest kid on the block of the saturated coffee scene in Colombo. Veering off from the usual, they've managed to highlight themselves for two reasons – they're the first 24/7 cafe in Colombo, and they welcome everyone, including your furry friend at home. Just a couple of days after the opening, we dropped in for a quick first look.
Food
Peppermint Cafe offers a wide array of dishes, from salads and pasta to grilled stuff and cakes. Aside from the vegetarian dishes, the rest comes as seafood and chicken-centered specialties. Their website is pretty informative, so you can get an idea of what they offer, and how long does it take to prepare them. It also states that they've got a separate menu for pets, which you can check out from the counter.
Featured here is the Spicy Grilled Chicken, served with a side of couscous, spinach, mushroom, and avocado (Rs. 1000). The chicken was excellently prepared, with a firm outside, while the inside was soft. Living up to the name, its seasoning was, in fact, spicy, but did not overpower the freshly grilled meaty flavors.
The freshly cut avocado slices added a rich, buttery, creamy feel to the whole meal, while the butter sauteed spinach and mushrooms were extra flavorful additions. We especially liked the couscous. Not only was it cooked well, it was seasoned adequately, and had a ton of sweet corn and green peas to munch on.
The Spicy Prawns with Cheesy Pasta (Rs. 1200) was a deliciously cheesy pasta served with a good amount of fettuccine cooked al dente. Well marinated in Tom Yum paste, the prawns had a fiery red color to it, while the pasta was basically a flavor explosion of Parmesan and Cheddar cheese. The spicy factor was doubled by the added chili flakes.
Overall, this one was so filling. I was full after 5, 6 bites, but kept stuffing my face with it as I did not want to let myself regret on the next day for leaving it unfinished.
We were quite full from our mains, so couldn't make up our minds to order something fancy off their dessert list (or cakes in that matter). So we opted for this simple cup of Passion Fruit Cheese Cake (Rs. 349) off the display.
Constructed with the usual layers of Graham cracker, cream cheese filling, and passion fruit coulis, it was a good one. The filling was so rich and creamy, and not very sugary, so we could savor the natural tart and sweet flavors of the passion fruit coulis as much as we liked. Even if you're not the biggest sweet-toothed person, this one would work fine for you.
Drinks
The drinks menu here is composed of mojitos, coffee (hot/cold), milkshakes and a bunch of smoothies. They even encourage you to design a milkshake of your own.
The Milo Dino (Rs. 690) had a good blend of Milo and milk, topped off with more Milo and choco-balls. It was lighter in texture than what we tried at Isso, but still alright. More Milo never hurts, and this one has a good amount of it, so what's not to like?
Peppermint Cafe uses an in-house brew of coffee in their coffee based drinks. The Cappuccino (Rs. 490) we tried came with a thick layer of microfoam, while the strong notes of coffee seeping through. However, its milk was a tad light in texture as opposed to being velvety.
Service & Ambience
The effort that has gone into this place's interior here is truly impressive. It's located on the top floor of The Boutique clothing store and opens to heaps of natural light so you can take some beautiful Instagram-worthy pictures while you're there.
They've got a bunch of cozy seating aligned with wooden tables, enough to accommodate around 20 – 25 people at a time. This is more of an outdoor cafe, and even if it's not airconditioned, they have some fans to keep you comfortable. And if that's not enough, it's not warm in here as it gets plenty of natural air to cool you down. 
The staff is well-versed, friendly and quick on their feet. The cafe was half full while we were there, but still, they managed to deliver our food within around 15 minutes.
Conclusion
If you're necrophilic, and looking for something other than regular kottu or burgers, worry no more machang, this place has got you covered. They're very new, but seem to be handling the crowd so well. We hope to do an exclusive full review soon, so stay tuned!
