Chill Lakeside, as the name suggests is a spot overlooking Boralegamuwa Lake. They are a new addition to the area, mostly offering Sri Lankanised Chinese fare as well as space to hold functions and parties.
Food
You won’t be strained for options here as they have rice, noodle as mains and a range of protein dishes like chicken, prawn, mutton, pork to name a few and also salads, soups.
First off we start with their Chicken Sweet Corn Soup (Rs. 650) that came steaming hot in a huge bowl. This is supposed to serve two, but it is easily shareable between three.
There was plenty of sweet corn swimming about in the mix, alongside the satisfyingly chickeny broth. The broth was thick, rich and savoury too and leaned on the sweet side but without losing balance. The texture from the elements went along well with the flavours in the soup, all adding up to a refreshing bowl of deliciousness.
Our Seafood Pad Thai (Rs. 950) was a huge plate, full of noodles, topped off with lemongrass. The noodles themselves were a bit hard and a tad oily than we’d have liked. It had a twirl of sweetness at the base, with chockfull of spices packing a decent heat. However, the crunch from lemongrass, thinly sliced garlic and capsicum along with with their flavours made this dish a flavour blast that makes you wanna keep on eating.
There were normal-sized prawns mixed in alongside the bits of egg and small pieces of cuttlefish and fish. The noodles gave a hint of kottu mee vibe, which is strange, but there was nothing else to complain about. The portion was enough for three, but we missed the peanutty flavour though.
The Pork Fried Rice (Rs. 790) is essentially fried rice mixed with pork. While they haven’t skimped on the bits of pork, we found fatty pieces more than we’d have liked. It felt like they had gone overboard with cumin in the dish, and we weren't the biggest fan its aroma on the rice.
However, the rice itself was cooked well, had a hint of pepper with a wok-fried aroma without being oily at all. There were bits of spring onion, leeks, carrots and lettuce adding the crunch to each bite and the portion size is generous here as well.
Ambience & Service
The ordering was quick and straightforward and our food came to us on time. The wait staff came to check in on as well making sure everything is in order and we saw no issues with their service.
But if you go in, you are greeted with an interior that looks more or less like your shape-eke-fancy buth kadey setup, so we asked if we can get a seat on the first floor to which they complied happily and arranged the seats.
The balcony-like area which you can access through their function hall on the first floor is the spot to be if you actually come here to “chill” at the “lakeside”.
They don't serve alcohol at the moment but do BYOB without a corkage fee.
Conclusion
Chill Lakeside stays true to their name offering chill vibes – given you manage to grab a good seat. The food here is flavourful, but there is room to improve as we feel and the portion sizes are quite generous. If you are looking for a spot to get some decent food while in the area that is group-friendly, this is a good option.
