July is almost ending and you know what that means people – YAMU’s Top 5 Dishes Of The Month that you’ve been waiting for! Okay, even if you are not waiting for it, this one is filled with 5 of the best dishes we highly recommend.
So here goes, in no particular order;
Mixed Fruit Pancake – Chocoholics (Kollupitiya)
Chocolate is good in any form and Chocoholics put a chocolaty spin on everything. Now they have opened up a second branch down 5th Lane and we found them keeping up their standards as expected.
Their Mixed Fruit Pancake is the embodiment of creativity. You got pieces of banana, strawberry, and grapes drizzled with chocolate sauce, and then five pancakes that are drenched in melted chocolate. This was a warm, gooey, eye-catchy mess and we loved it. The pancakes were spot on in their texture and paired extremely well with the chocolate while the fresh fruits did their charm to enhance the flavour.
Prawn Rice & Curry – Jeewa's Polos & Kuma's Natural Foods
There is an abundance of food at the good market and among those is Jeewa’s Polos & Kuma's Natural Foods. They've been there every Saturday for the past few years, and this amazingly messy plate of Prawn Rice & Curry comes from them.
A fluffy serving of kaha buth is hidden underneath the pile of curries. The well-made polos curry is a constant in their spread, and we loved it this time too. There were chewy, beautifully fat and delicious prawns while all the other curries – nelum ala, batu moju, umblakada sambol, kaju and peas just went together so well, creating a filling and enjoyable meal.
Topped Sourdough Toast With Bacon, Egg & Pol Sambol – Plus Nine Four
Almost hidden amidst the bustling city life, sits Plus Nine Four, with its arts of good food with coffee, in a chilled-out space. Their Topped Toasts are always something to look forward to, and it's one of the best things we've had the pleasure of indulging in this month. 
The bread was wonderfully crisp on the outside with the soft middle sporting a swirl of a sour taste. A little heat from the pol sambol, with the bacon holding a smoky, salty and meaty fiesta in your mouth while the hollandaise sauce giving a tang – it was simply brilliant.
Traditional English Fish & Chips – Urban Eatery (Street Rush)
Urban Eatery is a new member of the Street Rush food court in Mt. Lavinia and they pull off quality food, that is all made in-house.
Everything from the presentation to the flavour their Traditional Fish & Chips was lovely. The whitefish had the perfect texture, flaked off to chunks so easily and came enveloped in a crispy, light and beautifully golden-brown batter. The hand-cut fries were crunchy and delicious while the tartar sauce and ketchup helped twist the flavours in your favour.
Bibimbap – Hancook Kitchen
One wouldn't expect to find a good Korean food spot in Malabe, which is why we were over the moon when we discovered Hancook Kitchen.
Their Bibimbap comes in a heavy, iron pot placed on top of a wood board with at least five kinds of fresh veggies. There’s corned beef hidden underneath the egg and even though the sauce seemed like the generic bibimbap sauce, everything together pulled off a flavour that we will never forget.
Among the excellent stuff we tried, the Turkish Baklava from Just Baklava, Brown Sugar and Porkynator earn honourable mentions for hitting us hard with the quality and flavours of what they serve.
That's it for this month and we’ll be sure to try more delicious places for you and get back to you in a month with the best of them. Till then, Bon Appétit!
