Food & Drinks
They've got you covered with a huge span of breakfast and lunch snacks – sandwiches, noodles, bagels, pasta, pies and shawarma etc., all packed in cardboard boxes and ready to go. They also serve a few desserts and both hot and cold drinks. Most of them are priced in between Rs. 300 – 500 range.
I tried the Teriyaki Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich and it was a good one. Priced at Rs. 410, it had a lovely crust that gives off a satisfying crunch, while the inside was soft and fluffy. Stuffed with a good amount of well-cooked chicken pieces, it also featured plenty of colourful bell pepper and lettuce. Every ounce of this filling was soaked in teriyaki sauce, making for a tangy, sweet treat.
The chicken had a bit of smoky flavour to it, and we're glad that they had gone easy on the sauce, so it doesn't overpower the chickeny flavours. This is a filling and delicious sandwich to keep you going for some good hours at work. My sister tried the Al Funghi Pasta (Rs. 460), which was quite alright at best. On the good side, it was generous with pieces of chicken and mushroom, but the pasta itself was quite dry and didn't have many flavours to go on. It needs a bit more white sauce to boot.
Our dessert was this cup of Raspberry Cheesecake (Rs. 330). With a layer of sweet raspberry coulis on the bottom of the cup, the cheesecake had a creamy texture, but it tasted more or less like whipped cream than actual cheese. A ripple of sourness drawn from the cheese could have made it so much better.
Brew 1867 by Dilmah is quite known for this range of bottled drinks, and we tried the Valentine (Rs. 220). Reminiscing the flavours of a faluda, it was a delightfully refreshing shake made by combining rosé and vanilla tea. The milky flavour was well balanced with the swirl of sweetness contributed by the rosé.
The coffee at Brew 1867 by Dilmah has room for improvement. Frothy, light, but carrying a bitter coffee note, the Cafe Latte (Rs. 290) didn't live up to our expectations. Plus, the milk wasn't creamy as we anticipated too.
Ambience & Service
This new branch of Brew 1867 is much spacious than the one in Navam Mawatha. It has more seating options – including comfortable booths for group dining, as well as steel chairs and tables. Given that it's surrounded by offices, it tends to get packed during lunch/breakfast time, and as we gathered, they get a lot of takeaway orders.
The staff here is well-versed, polite and efficient. A couple of them were quite weirded out when they saw us taking pictures of the food, but I guess it's not a common sight around here – as most of the customers are coming here for the quick grab-and-go.
Conclusion
This is one of the most convenient options for breakfast/lunch/snack, if you work at WTC. From what we observed, they're already quite popular. With a couple of tweaks here and there, they can easily improve their spread. Because, really, given how busy our workday schedules can get, we can certainly use a few more places like this.