Within the past couple of months, we've seen a steady increase in the number of BBQ spots in and around Colombo. Not that we're complaining; far from it. But, with all these meaty places coming into play, it's always a pleasure when we come across another place to get our meat on at.
Daddy's Smokehouse is very new to the restaurant scene in Colombo. With just 2 weeks of experience, we decided to see how they were. And as expected, we really did like it.
Ambience
Daddy's Smokehouse, whilst being a restaurant is first and foremostly a house. With a bit of garden and garage space converted into a lovely little resto-type space, we loved it!
A mix of wood, fairy lights and empty bottles of alcohol, the ambience at Daddy's Smokehouse fits the food to a tee. That being said though, they don't have a proper dine-in area, but, if you're willing to go with it, they have a table at the edge of their garden with a few rough cement blocks that serve as seats.
Plants of varying sizes and shapes, candlelight, a few mosquitoes that disappeared with the faint smell of the mosquito coil and the noise of the pond all adds up to an experience that more or less feels like something out of a book.
The Food
The food at Daddy's Smokehouse doesn't limit itself to just smoked meat. Instead, they also have the option of getting burgers, pasta, hoppers or even kottu apart from the meat they serve up.
We started with the Chicken Kottu (Rs. 400). With a generous piece of chicken that had been deep-fried to a crisp to just the right amount with the shell having a delightful crack when you bite into it and a super moist inside, we loved it.
The Kottu, albeit on the dry side was smothered in veggies and spice and didn't have that distinct kadey-likeness that you usually get when you eat kottu from out. With a serving of spicy gravy on the side and having a portion size fit for 3 (if you're getting more food), it was perfect.
The Pork Chop (Rs.500) was essentially just a slice of meat that had been cooked to just the right amount that the inside was tough and the charcoal bits added a lovely bitter note to the whole dish. With just a sliver of fat on the side, the meat had been cooked to perfection and had been smothered with just the right amount of spice that you could taste the meat without wondering what had happened to it.
The Chicken Breast with Vegetables (700) accompanied with 2 sausages (Rs. 100 for each) followed suit to everything else we had gotten before it.
The Chicken piece was big enough to overdose, one person, and just enough for 2 to share with something else. Cooked till the shell gave a slight crack when you bit into it and having a lovely white inside, we loved it. The only problem we had was with the veggies. We would have preferred if the veggies had been cut a bit bigger and a few more greens (preferably fresh with a vinegar dressing perhaps) added to the dish, it would have really helped give attention to the meat. That being said, beautifully flavoured, we liked it.
I'm not a sausage person. But I didn't leave till I finished mine. Served with fumes following it, the sausage was cooked well and tasted wonderful. For Rs. 100, it's a steal.
Drinks
They only had the Lime Juice (Rs. 175) when we went. But, beautifully tangy with just the right amount of sweetness, this was brilliant. A definite recommend on our part for this one.
Service
The restaurant is run by a young couple. Friendly and very attentive, they were wonderful. They have the cutest little girl who runs the resto with her parents who's just the (in the least creepy way possible) cherry on top of our experience.
Getting our food on the table within 20-30 minutes of us placing our order, we had nothing to complain about.
Conclusion
We loved it. The ambience is as storybook as it could possibly get and the food, whilst being very affordable was quite good. We recommend.
