Cafes are pretty much in an abundance now in Colombo. But, when it comes to the likes of Thalawathugoda, it really isn't the case. Which is why when Vishvi told us about Pitstop Cafe, we found ourselves in a bit of a puddle of a very nice version of surprised.
Thus, come one fine Monday afternoon, we made our way to Austasia to really look into what Pitstop Cafe is all about.
Ambience and Service
The cafe itself is hidden inside Austasia, so if you have trouble finding it, just look for the giant black, glass box at one end of the swimming pool. Because while there is a very good chance of you thinking it some changing room of sort, it's actually the restaurant.
The restaurant isn't all that large, but, decorated with an array of recycled chairs, barrelled tables and lots of dark corners and a few illuminated spots to which you will cling onto for decent lighting when taking pictures, we liked it. It's crisp, mysterious and all in all quite great. Plus, the kitchen is right there so you can see your food being prepared. Plus, given how nice the staff was, we had positively nothing to complain about.
Food & Drinks
The food menu at Pitstop cafe mainly leans on the Western side. Covering the likes of pasta, sandwiches and a whole heap of beverages, the options aren't sparse and we are grateful.
*Pictured above: Hazelnut Chocolate Macchiato (left) and Peach Iced Tea (right)
We started things off with a glass of their Peach Iced Tea (Rs. 350). Icy cold with sharp hints of black tea mixing in with the sweet peach syrup, this is the ideal drink to go with when you're looking for something light to get you off the heat whilst kicking off your meal.
With the Peach Iced Tea, we also happened to get one of their Hazelnut Chocolate Macchiato (Rs. 450). The ideal mix between what a drink and dessert should be, the drink was a brilliant concoction of milk, chocolate, coffee and syrup. Not too sweet and pretty much tasting like what you would expect a drink version of Tiramisu (just lighter) would be, we loved it.
As for food, we went with their Creamy Chicken Pasta (Rs. 400) with a dusting of chilli flakes upon our request.
Coming in as a pretty heavily laden portion, the pasta was a bit of a mess, but we didn't mind. Cheesy and packing a strong take on cheesy, the pasta was quite good. The chicken had also been cooked to the bare minimum so you could taste the meat in all its glory without having to worry about spices. However, we do suggest getting a sprinkle of chilli to give it a bit of a zing.
Lastly, we got the Chicken Sandwich (Rs. 250). Pairing the combination of a crunchy toasted bread, fresh veggies aand chicken in mayo, the sandwich was simple and quite good. But, we did find there to be a tad too much mayo in the mix. But, apart from that, it was a good snack.
Conclusion
If you do happen to be in the area, Pitstop Cafe is a worthy option to look into. The food is pretty decently priced and they do a really good job with what they make. So, kudos to that.
