Nest Restaurant is a popular member in the suburban BYOB scene of Colombo. If you're in the vicinity of Boralesgamuwa and looking for a place to grab a bite or two alongside your own bottle, this is a safe option. They don't charge a corkage fee.
Food
Like many BYOB places in Colombo suburbs, Nest has a menu that's focused on Lankan style Chinese treats. We went with the Pepper Pork (Rs. 950), Hot Butter Cuttlefish (Rs. 900) and Nest Special Mixed Fried Rice (Rs. 900).
Boasting with strong hints of margarine, the Nest Special Mixed Fried Rice was a plate of well-cooked basmati tossed in with bits of chicken, prawns, cuttlefish, pork, sausages, carrots, spring onions and roast cashews. The margarine flavour and aroma here was a bit much and it affected the texture of the rice too; making everything oilier than they should be. However, it's a giant portion that's enough to feed three people.
Probably not the hottest take on Hot Butter Cuttlefish we've seen, but Nest's version of HBC didn't disappoint. The pieces of cuttlefish had just the right chewiness and were encased in a light, crispy batter. There was a tiny sprinkle of chilli flakes slipped in, but it didn't bring much of heat to the taste.
Our favourite out of the three was the Pepper Pork. Beautifully maroon in colour, every ounce of these piggies were smothered with pepper. They seemed to have fried the meat before seasoning, which has added that superb layer of crispiness to its exterior. Plus, the addition of lightly cooked chunks of green chillies and onions made for an extra layer of crunch and heat.
Ambience & Service
It's a three-storied establishment with a hooded rooftop area which is where we chose to sit at. The kitchen lies on the first floor, while the other two are dedicated to seating.
There were hordes of ants running around on our table, and we had to clean it by ourselves as there were no staff in sight. The chairs and tables in this area are quite basic, and it's a bit noisy up here too.
Therefore, we highly suggest you check out the second floor. It seems to be well-maintained in comparison to the rooftop.
The service is a bit tricky here. If the staff sees you coming in, it's fine. You'll get your menu and food on time. But, if you're ordering something later, you might have to run down and order it from there as the servers do not seem to hang around after delivering your food to the table.
Conclusion
It's quite all right, really, especially if you live in the area, or are passing by. In terms of pricing, they're a bit on the expensive side; pretty much on par with the Chinese restos in the central of Colombo.
