In addition to manning a cafe, hostel, gelato stand and a villa, Pedlar's Inn also has their own pizzeria. This review details our experience here going back a year, in comparison to our recent trip earlier this month so y'all have an idea of how consistent they are quality-wise.
Ambience & Service
The pizzeria is right next to the gelato stand and they've got outdoor seating which they share with, you guessed it, the gelato stand. Seating isn't going to be convenient if the place is crowded, so be prepared to take-out.
When we were sitting outside, surprisingly enough, there weren't any flies buzzing about but rather tons of tourists. Nothing wrong with that, but keep in mind that this place is generally the Town Square of sorts where many a group of babbling backpackers gather, so things can get a bit noisy sometimes.
This picture was taken a year ago during the day.
This one, was taken earlier this month at night.
As you can see, nothing has changed except for the light. Even the chef is the same!
The Pizza
The fact of the matter here is that prices here are aimed towards anyone who's visiting on holiday. AKA tourists. Low quality product sold at an exorbitant price point to an unsuspecting alien? Yes, of course.
They aren't BAD. They're just not worth the price. For one, all the pizzas share the same biscuit-y crust that somehow tastes like Cream Crackers. The tomato sauce base is pretty much ketchup with like a tiny sliver of basil infused into it. The cheese is okay- it's mozarella for sure, but it tastes so bland it's like eating molten rubber/wax.
Last year, we ordered the Margherita and the Devilled Chicken. Each large pie costs about Rs. 1,100 and upwards- basically all in the Rs. 1,500 range.
The Margherita looks pretty, and comes with a sprinkling of oregano on top. However, it still boasted that same cream cracker-crust, ketchup and rubbery cheese combo. When combined, all these elements pull it off to an average standard, but if this is their best then they have no reason to call themselves a pizzeria.
The Devilled Chicken was the same as the margherita but with some devilled chicken bits sprinkled about. The chicken really didn't contribute to the dish so I tried a few individual pieces out. It's really just mildly curried chicken in sweet and sour sauce. Sigh.
During my weekend stint here earlier this month, I stopped by to see if anything had improved, choosing to settle on a half n' half Margherita and Garlic Pepperoni. The entire pizza came to Rs. 1100.
The Margherita half looks okay, and this time the sauce tasted similar to actual marinara which is saying something. However, it could do with a bit more basil or maybe even an anchovy thrown in there for an extra umami boost. The cheese was evenly distributed, but alas- it was the same cheese as before. Overall, not an entirely shoddy Margherita: just not the best one out there. Not even the okayest one, really….
The Garlic Pepperoni, GOOD GRIEF. I'm trying really hard to not lose it here. I mean, are you looking at this? Do you see pepperoni anywhere? Me neither. Oh, I detest looking at it. Every day I find it more and more confusing how some pizzerias think it's cool to cut up a bunch of store-brought sausages and call it pepperoni. There are a few in Colombo who still do this. Ugh.
I'm not going to comment on how the sausages tasted. They were in no way infused with garlic but rather came sprinkled with little chunks of garlic all over. WHYYYYYYYY!?!?!? 1/10.
Service
The chef seems like a really laid back dude. He's really nice- he set up a table for me and everything. I don't mean to trash his culinary skills like this, and I feel slightly bad. The waiters do a great job of bringing your pizza to the table and bringing you the cheque. Nothing to talk about here.
Conclusion
For a brand as well known as Pedlar's they really need to up their game. Especially if they're going to match up to new and upcoming eateries/pizzerias springing up in the Fort. But what do I know, I'm just a customer who's triggered over their mediocre marinara.
