A cosy little spot down Vauxhall Street which opened just around a week ago, the Mint Restaurant has nothing to do with mint but does present you with a fresh blast of an exciting array of food.
The Food
With swordfish, seer fish, prawns, cuttlefish and caviar, all in one dish, you could almost hear Ariel sobbing as everyone except Sebastian joins us for this dish. The Sea Bass (Rs. 530), presented with iceberg lettuce, made us sink into an ocean of great taste (what is it with icebergs and sinking amirite), and the fish, along with the olives and the salad dressing, made an amazing combination. The salad was crisp and fresh, and added to the great taste. 
"He stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni!"
We've all heard this song about Yankee Doodle, and the term macaroni in the 1800s was slang for "anything highly stylish or fashionable", and this Cheese and Chicken Macaroni too, is certainly in the in.
The Cheese and Chicken Macaroni (Rs. 750) came in a generous portion and was quite delectable. We would have loved it if there was more chicken in the dish, but the steaming macaroni and cheese, along with a sort of sprinkling of odd chunks of chicken had the ability to transform the dish into a wholesome meal.
The Filet Mignon (Rs. 1250), beautifully prepared beef, was heavenly! As you poked the beef with your knife, the protein oozing through, and take that first bite of the almost delicate beef, you are hit with a sense of satisfaction almost akin to the one we had when the Sri Lankan Cricket Team won 3-0 against Pakistan.
The set meal we chose (Rs. 1350) came with a Crispy Chicken Submarine, a drink (Nelli Nelli) and a dessert, the Crème Caramel.
The chicken in the crispy chicken submarine lived up to its name. It wasn't very succulent, but perfectly crispy and combined with the other elements at play, it was quite relishing.
Mint Restaurant had done justice to this Gallic classic – the Crème Caramel. They had added an unintentional or intentional twist, where, instead of the usual gently jiggling nature, it had adopted a sort of watalappan-ish texture, which nevertheless, did not deteriorate the taste.
*Pictured above – Papaya juice (left) and Nelli Nelli (right)
The Nelli Nelli drink was basically the Nelli cordial that you usually get, and it was pretty sweet. We would've loved it if the drinks were a bit more chilled out. The Papaya Juice (Rs. 250) that we had was quite refreshing. The juice was quite thick and fresh, which was ideal.
The Service and Ambience
The restaurant itself is not located in a huge place, but they've capitalised well with the space they have and arranged everything in a way which can host a number of people at once without ever feeling like the cafe is crowded or that someone is taking up your personal space. The tables were adorned with straw mats which gave off a quaint feeling, and the place was spotlessly clean.
The staff were also very accommodating and friendly, and greeted us with warm smiles, and were very helpful through the entire process.
The Conclusion
While also hoping they might tweak their prices a teeny bit, we'll definitely be coming back to explore the rest of the menu. They might take a few extra minutes to prepare the meal, but it's totally worth it.
