8 Sea View Avenue Colombo 3
Open 11:30 AM to 2:45 PM, 6 PM to 10:45 PM
168 Sea Food Palace is a veteran among Chinese eateries in Colombo and is still hugely popular among locals. They do a decent take on Sri Lankan Chinese with efficient, but the place looks quite run down now.
168 Sea Food Palace is a veteran among Chinese eateries in Colombo and is still hugely popular among locals. They do a decent take on Sri Lankan Chinese with efficient service, but the place looks quite run down now.
As the name suggests, they've got lots of seafood. 168 has everything from shark fin (boo), abalone, lobster, shellfish and crab, with a good variety of dishes for each. Besides the seafood, they've also got the usual chicken, beef, lamb and pork as well. Rates are also quite reasonable with small portions (enough for 3) priced between Rs. 450 - Rs. 750.
From what we tried, The fried rice with salted fish and chicken (Rs. 468 for S) was underwhelming. The issue with this one was that it was just so ordinary. The "salted fish" were pretty much just fried fish cubes and the chicken was shredded and mixed in which is something I generally associate with fried rice from street side eateries.
We had no such complaints about the hot butter cuttlefish (Rs. 598). The cuttlefish were cooked just right with a batter that was crunchy and flavourful, if a bit mild on the spice. Two things we appreciated about this was that while the batter was crispy, it wasn't dripping with oil and the pieces were just the right size. A portion for three at Rs. 600 is also a pretty tough price to beat.
The double cooked pork (Rs. 498) also ticked the right boxes. They've got a bunch of other dishes for pork but I have a particular affinity for pork belly. Unlike other places that mix in a ton of onions with this type of preparation, you get a good amount of meat. It had a good balance of flavours with a bit of sweetness and the flavour of the oyster sauce and soy sauce coming through nicely. The catch however, is that this is dish is very much Sri Lankanized and extremely oily.
The sizzling prawns (Rs. 698) were very mediocre. When the dish came to the table and the sizzle had settled, we had a feeling this wasn't going to be very impressive just by looking at it. The prawns were just pan fried then mixed in with the sauce. They tasted as bland as they looked with hardly any seasoning. The sauce helped a bit but there was no where near enough of it.
The service at 168, like most other Chinese restaurants, was very fast with the food being ready in about 15 minutes. The waiters - clad in bright yellow waistcoats - were efficient and attentive. But most of them did seem exhausted. All in all it's a very streamlined service.
Wish we could say the same about the interior of the restaurant though. You get generic metal chairs with cushions which aren't the most comfortable, along with table cloths with more than just a few holes in them. We can imagine the state being such at a restaurant with hardly any customers but 168 is quite the opposite. Which is ironic since they call it a "Palace".
168 Sea Food Palace hasn't had much publicity in the recent past, but still has a strong local following and judging by some of their dishes we can see why. We feel they could be in much stronger position if they tidy up the place and make it more presentable.
168 Sea Food Palace is a veteran among Chinese eateries in Colombo and is still hugely popular among locals. They do a decent take on Sri Lankan Chinese with efficient, but the place looks quite run down now.
There was a positive review of the Chill Crab at 168 by LT's Gourmand so I decided, perhaps ill-advisedly, to take a Singaporean visitor to try it out.
Open 11:30 AM to 2:45 PM, 6 PM to 10:45 PM
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
3/5
This place now has Zero ambiance, but the food is still OK
The food however gets quite delayed when they are busy. Although it is called a Seafood Restaurant they have the full range of meat dishes too. The stewards are senior hands and are knowledgeable about the menu.
The menu prices at around Rs 700 to 800 for a small portion, appear to be cheap, but the menu prices are misleading. The bill comes padded with 30% more which includes a 10% charged as Service Charge ! The Labour department should take note and Diners should refuse to pay this 10% charge as it is not being passed on to the service staff. This restaurant pockets this 10%.
They do have alcohol but they also allow you to bring your own bottles without a corkage charge. However they do charge for giving you a bucket of ice. This may be the only restaurant in Colombo charging for a bucket of ice. The sodas and tonics are charged at around Rs 200/- a bottle.
For dessert they only have lychees and ice cream
4/5
we ordered prawn balls,mixed fried rice,hot butter cuttlefish,pork n mutton……it was really tasty….and the portion sizes were well worth the money(total was 3800for 2ppl )……the first impression of the restaurant was not that great……cos it lookz real shady….my opinion dont go ther for ambiance,….just go for food……but check the bill before u pay….as they mucked my one up twice….will definitely recommend n visit again…………and gona try the crab……:))))
I think the review is not so fair, given that you wanted to try Singaporean dish in a Chinese restaurant. You could have tried one of their signature dishes.
I fully agree with YAMU. Except for the hot batter fried cuttle fish, other dishes are basic. Boiled and added some sauce. Sometimes if you order two dishes both taste the same and no difference. Rice is hard and sometime 3/4 cooked probably y to keep for the next day also.
The place is very basic and not comfortable to be relaxed place. Interior decoration looks v. bad. Only attraction is that you are allowed to come with your own drink.
AVOID THIS PLACE, we came here at 7am, but after 15 minutes of waiting for a waiter to get our orders, still no one came. so we opted to leave the place and just eat at the nearby burger king. This place is one Sh_t hole for a service.
One reason they have local customers is because they let you bring in your own booze (with no corkage) if you want to have a drink with your meal. Same applies for 88 Chinese Restaurant near Police Park.
I went to this place last Saturday. I have the following observations.
(a.) They had live crabs and dead fish/prawns/lobsters at the entrance.
(b.) It was smelling pretty bad. The crabs had defecated in the tanks and it was pretty disgusting.
(3.) Inside is generally OK.
(4.) Food was mediocre. Nothing special. But relatively cheap. Prawn fried rice was very dry and the chicken with cashew nuts was also nothing special.
Overall I'd give it 2 stars. I'd give it 3 stars if they get rid of the live-crabs and dead seafood at the entrance. That was quite an eyesore and I will not go their simply due to this reason.
Went their last Saturday. The live animals (crabs) and dead seafood at the entrance was an eyesore and was smelling. Food was mediocre but cheap. I would not go their because the live animals at the entrance was disgusting.
3/5
Mr.Bina
Hm
3/5
GayanP
This place now has Zero ambiance, but the food is still OK
The food however gets quite delayed when they are busy. Although it is called a Seafood Restaurant they have the full range of meat dishes too. The stewards are senior hands and are knowledgeable about the menu.
The menu prices at around Rs 700 to 800 for a small portion, appear to be cheap, but the menu prices are misleading. The bill comes padded with 30% more which includes a 10% charged as Service Charge ! The Labour department should take note and Diners should refuse to pay this 10% charge as it is not being passed on to the service staff. This restaurant pockets this 10%.
They do have alcohol but they also allow you to bring your own bottles without a corkage charge. However they do charge for giving you a bucket of ice. This may be the only restaurant in Colombo charging for a bucket of ice. The sodas and tonics are charged at around Rs 200/- a bottle.
For dessert they only have lychees and ice cream
4/5
Achintha Perera
Rated 4/5