A Minute By Tuk Tuk has finally tuk-ed its way to the heart of Colombo, all the way from
Galle. They're perched on the Sunset Terrace (6th floor) at
One Galle Face.
Food
A Minute By Tuk Tuk has a seafood-centric menu, along with a couple of meat-based items and vegetarian ones. Pretty much like their menu in Galle, these dishes also have very catchy names. Taka Taka, Claw & Order, Posh Kukula – you get the gist.
We started off with All That Dim Sum (Rs. 550). Encased in a crispy shell, they were deep-fried and stuffed to their gills with slow-cooked polos (young jackfruit).
Boasting with curry flavour, the filling was mushy and not at all chunky. Make good use of the Chilli Sauce on the side to spike up the flavour.
All The Way From Galle (Rs. 1800) is actually one of the biggest sellers at their Galle branch. A serving of Southern-style Prawns, roast paan and kochchi pol sambol arrived in this one. If you're not a prawny person, you have the option of going with lagoon crab curry too.
Lavished with coconut milk and just the right amount of spices, the prawn curry was heavenly. It was deliciously creamy and had the spicy, milky and curry flavours well balanced. There were around 5-7 jumbo-sized, well-cooked, deshelled, plumpy prawns swimming about, alongside the bits of onions and fried drumstick leaves which added for the extra flavour.
The roast paan had an extra layer of crispiness to it, as it had been sitting on the grill for a while. Combined with the spicy pol sambol infused with a dash of kochchi, you're in for a true Lankan treat with this one.
This is the Face Off (Rs. 1400), a tuna steak featuring a roast coconut and Maldive fish crust, lying on top of a helping of yellow rice, lotus root salad, and dhal curry foam.
There were three tuna fillets that break off to chunks so easily, while the crust was firm and rich with the said elements. The dhal foam added a bit of moisture to the meal, while the rice was beautifully yellow, fluffy and flavoursome. Incorporated with the crunchy lotus root and gotukola leaves, it was a well-executed dish.
If you love passion fruit as much as I do, you cannot go wrong with this. Priced at Rs. 800, Passionately Yours is an assortment of passion fruit toast, passion fruit syrup and two scoops of passion fruit ice cream. There were a couple of spongy red velvet cake pieces lying around too.
The ice cream was definitely a highlight. With bits of passion fruit seeds embedded in its smooth, hella creamy texture, it was the perfect union of sweet and sour.
Drinks
Pictured above – Passion fruit Juice (left) and Tuk Tuk Coriander Lemongrass Mojito (right)
A Minute By Tuk Tuk serves a range of smoothies, mocktails, milkshakes, tea, coffee and freshly squeezed juices, and on the alcoholic side, they've got beer and wine. We got a glass of Passion fruit (Rs. 550) and Tuk Tuk Coriander Lemongrass Mojito (Rs. 750).
Both of the drinks were absolutely refreshing. The Passion fruit had only a little amount of sugar so the natural sweet and tart flavours of the fruit can easily emerge through.
Coriander-lemongrass combo in a mojito is a bit quirky, but A Minute By Tuk Tuk manages to pull it off. With the distinct smell of the leaves wafting through the drink, the mojito was limey and fizzy. A good one to beat the heat.
Ambience & Service
The ambience here is much colourful than the one in Galle and isn't short of cosy, chilled-out vibes. There's a bar counter aligned with stools if you're just interested in grabbing drink or two, and for those of you who are looking at a group-style meal, they have both indoor and outdoor seating arrangements for that.
You'll also notice this tuk at the entrance of the restaurant.
Our server was a friendly fellow who was well-aware of the items on the menu. The staff always has a smile on their face, which made us feel welcome. Plus, they only took around 15 minutes to bring out our food.
Conclusion
Our experience here was lovely. Adding Lankan touches to Western fare without copying it as a whole is what they do, and they do it quite well. Some of the items are a bit steep in terms of pricing, but they do a darn good job delivering some brilliant flavours.
*Photographs courtesy of: @raveen.re
The ambience here is much colourful than the one in Galle and isn't short of cosy, chilled-out vibes. There's a bar counter aligned with stools if you're just interested in grabbing drink or two, and for those of you who are looking at a group-style meal, they have both indoor and outdoor seating arrangements for that. 
Our experience here was lovely. Adding Lankan touches to Western fare without copying it as a whole is what they do, and they do it quite well. Some of the items are a bit steep in terms of pricing, but they do a darn good job delivering some brilliant flavours. 
