Who's up for visiting a new cafe? Well, not entirely new- The Grind has been around for a short while now. They serve up some of the prettiest meals you'll get on this side of the island in addition to some excellent coffee, too.
'Twas a bleak Tuesday at work. I could feel a strange sensation as if I was being weighed down, towards the end of the day. This would soon turn into a very high fever the next day, but I thought I was depressed so I decided to take a trip to The Grind. After all, Vishvi had been asking me to pay a visit for a while now. Anyways, nobody cares, let's move on!
The Food
The Grind specialises in dolled up brunch meals and homemade desserts. They've got some of the prettiest dishes I have ever seen. All their bread is from bread.lk and ingredients like the peanut butter used in their cheesecakes, is all homemade.
Let's take a look at the Smoked Salmon on Sourdough toast. This is a loaded slice that clocks in at Rs. 1000. Isn't it pretty?
Let's take a closer look:
Damn.
Very nice.
That poached egg was quite the tease, lemme tell ya. A soft incision with the butter knife was enough to make it drip all over like golden goo. This is a heavy slice of crunchy sourdough topped with avocado, roasted garlic herb butter, and salmon. Comes garnished with pomegranate seeds and is placed on a bed of beetroot pickle.
Now the flavour was top notch. The salmon contributes with its rich and buttery texture + taste combo, the avocado is bland as avocados go- but acts as a good base to back up all the other components with its mildly nutty undertone. The garlic herb butter wasn't very evident, but the pomegranate seeds added a beautifully delicate splash of flavour every now and then.
Definitely get it with the poached egg on top!
We got a Pulled Beef Brioche Sandwich (Rs. 800) to go. Even their takeaway options look good in their containers. I dunno how, but there you have it.
Now, this meal is a splendid union between sweet, fluffy, toasted brioche and a large serving of the softest pulled beef. However, I'd like to report that the overall taste was strangely more sweet as opposed to the savoury profile I was expecting. Sure, you get a nice zing from the tiny red chilli slices scattered about, but 'sweet beef' isn't exactly a component that my backwards tastebuds are ready to accept.
Nevertheless, it's still a delicious treat. The julienned carrots provide the crunch you need to contrast that soft beef, and the meal derives its rather sharp and acidic zest strewn throughout- courtesy of the cilantro leaves.
The Cappuccino (Rs. 450) looks simple but tastes great. For all you coffee enthusiasts- they use Whight & Co beans, all ground and whatnot off-site, but treated with utmost care in-house. The drink was light, and at the perfect temperature when it was served.
The layer of froth was dense, but creamily so. The coffee itself had a mild fruity aftertaste. I'd say it was a definite arabica variety of coffee bean, but talking coffee on here is like talking politics, so I'll refrain. 
I got a bottle of Green Juice (Rs. 500) to go. This is a concoction of gotukola, moringa, green apple, ginger, lime, lemongrass, celery, and king coconut water. It was delicious and refreshing. Although it's got a very earthy mouthfeel to it, and might be an acquired taste as opposed to its Orange, or Purple counterparts- this one definitely packs a punch in its rather vividly viridian appearance.
Pictured above are the Chocolate Chip Cookie (Rs. 150) and the Coconut Macaroon (Rs. 150).
I'll start with the latter. Coconut isn't really my favourite flavour. Bounty is the worst type of chocolate ever invented. The Macaroon is a healthy snack, sure. Lots of fibre to get your system churning. But I'll pass.
It's a ball of toasted coconut and chocolate, and I'm sure many people will enjoy its texture and light crunch. Give it a try if you like coconutty things.
The cookie was delightful! Large chunks of milk chocolate embedded in a chewy and light base make it a better dessert than the macaron, to be quite honest. Nothing further to report- it's sweet, it's chunky and highly satisfactory.
Service & Ambience
Service here is pretty simple. You order over the counter, sit at your table, and the food will be brought to you in about 10 minutes.
I absolutely love the ambience here. The place is bare, but minimally so. They haven't dolled the place up with noisy pictures, or prints all over and I believe this neat tactic plays a huge part in how you perceive and enjoy your meal. After all, why dirty up the place with the unnecessary decor, when all the frills are on your plate? It's a very professional, yet warm setting overall and we cannot wait to go back.
Conclusion
Pick this as your next lunch spot for when you want to meet up with your friends. The coffee is great, and sure it'll take a chunk out of your pocket, but it's all worth the chunk you'll take off their brunch toast options!
