As far as we can remember, Jagro started with delectable desserts revolving around strawberries. In fact, they are not just a dessert shop. They are quite dedicated to delivering year around quality strawberries to the local market too.
We have always liked their strawberry treats, which is why we were more than happy to find them at Food Studio in Colombo City Centre.
Food
Now, they are entering the fray with an expanded menu comprised of sandwiches, salads, soups and of course – the strawberry-centred desserts. Even though Jagro is well-known for their sweets, it was good to see that they offer savoury items as well.
There’s no better way to get mid-day energy on a rainy day than slurping on a hot bowl of soup. This is why we got the Mushroom Mania (Rs. 650) as the starter.
This cream of mushroom soup was delicious and served warm, with a hint of pepper and loads and loads of mushroom. The texture has just enough thickness and even though it looks grainy, it wasn’t so on the palate since every element had well-blended in together. The two pieces of garlic bread they serve on the side were toasted well, and had a slight crunch to bite.
Intrigued, we wanted to try their Chicken Steak with Caramelized Onions (Rs. 1100). This was a hearty sub with a mound full of filling tucked in between a whole wheat bun accompanied with a side salad.
The bun gave off a slight crunch with a mild sweetness, while being fluffy. Generously filled with a mix of chicken, tomato and caramelized onions, it was a mouthful. The chicken was glazed with a luscious steak sauce and was cooked to the perfect tenderness. Its meaty flavour comes through with a bit of tang while pairing amazingly well with the flavours and textures of the veggies. The culmination of these elements gave birth to one of the best sandwiches we’ve tried in a while.
The lettuce provided a fresh leafy crunch while the salad dressing paired well with the cherry tomatoes, tipping the overall flavour to the sweet side.
Nutella Goodness (Rs. 600) was another fresh addition to their menu thus we chose that as the dessert. This was a thin crepe with more than enough Nutella stuffed in together with some slices of flambéed banana and strawberry and dusted with icing sugar.
The crepé didn't have those crispy flecks that we were looking for, but it tasted really good. The filling inside featured a lot of bananas, which was kinda overwhelming. Would have been better if they could've featured more slices of strawberry in it.
Also, we couldn’t really tell if the bananas were indeed flambéed since it was soaked in chocolate syrup. If they could flip the banana to strawberry ratio, we’d have been happier since one expects strawberry haven from Jagros.
Ambience & Service
You can find the usual food court ambience here in Food Studio, with plenty of seating which probably would make you a bit confusing. The outside lounge area is a plus too if you want to enjoy a bit of fresh air along with your meal. We chose to sit there as we coupled our meal with some cocktails from Island Punch Bar.
The staff were friendly and didn’t take too long to prepare our food. They explained the items when we inquired and was happy to help.
However, we wish there was a better way to communicate that our meal is ready rather than having to walk up to the counter to check on it. So it's better if you can sit where they are visible to you from where you are.
Conclusion
With the name Jagro, we’ve come to expect strawberry paradise though seeing that they are handling an expanded menu is exciting. While we feel that they can polish up a bit more, they have more or less managed to keep up to the standards in the Food Studio outlet.
