The White House, Maharagama undoubtedly is a much better White House to visit during these times than the very famous White House, due to obvious reasons. Two miniature sculptures of white horses guarding the entry, and a single sculpture of a white lion welcoming us with a broad grin, the White House Restaurant is situated on a floor above the hotel.
They serve a Sri Lankan-Chinese assortment of food, with rice, noodles and soup being the focal points of attention. Was the food tyran- I mean, President worthy? Let's find out!
The Food
We opted for the Egg Fried Rice (Rs. 790), the Chicken with Cashew Nut (Rs. 1190) and Pepper Fish in Garlic Sauce (Rs. 1350).
The rice itself came in a huge portion, which could easily feed three people, and was adorned with rings of onion and capsicum, but looked a tad bit dry. Our suspicion was confirmed with the first mouthful we took, but although it was a bit dry, overall, it tasted good, with the nicely prepared chunks of vegetables adding to create a wholesome taste.
The fish was probably the highlight of the meal. Made to taste spicy, the chunks of fish tasted like it was coated with a thin layer of batter, which gave it a very crispy taste, and it also perfectly complemented the rice. With bits of garlic and green chilli also contributing to the taste, it had that additional zing we were looking for.
The Chicken with Cashew was a tad bit disappointing mainly because of the scarcity of the cashew nuts. There might have been a maximum of a little over a dozen in the entire dish. Nonetheless, the chicken itself was cooked well and tasted like a mildly flavoured devilled chicken.
Service and Ambience
The White House Restaurant is a very chilled out and quiet place. With a lowkey canopy of trees surrounding the restaurant, music playing in the background, it's a very pleasant place to hang out at. Spacious as well as clean, we were impressed with the ambience.
The staff too were friendly and accommodating, and the food took around 15-20 minutes to arrive.
Conclusion
Pictured above: Egg Fried Rice, Pepper Fish and EGB
Lowkey enshrouded in greenery, the White House is a charming place to hang out or throw a small private party. Given that the portions are huge, the problem of the food being a little costly can easily be curbed by sharing the food amongst a group.
