98/1, Havelock Road, Colombo 05,
Open 11:30 AM 2:45, 6 PM to 10:45
88 Chinese Seafood Restaurant is a long time player in the local Chinese food scene. It's incredibly popular among b0th locals and Chinese expats, and while it wasn't terrible, it didn't really live up to the hype.
88 Chinese Seafood Restaurant is a long time player in the local Chinese food scene. It's incredibly popular among b0th locals and Chinese expats, and while it wasn't terrible, it didn't really live up to the hype.
Since the owners of 88 are Malaysian Chinese the food is not quite as authentic as the likes of Tang Dynasty or Anzu's, but more so than local favourites like Chinese Dragon and 168. As is the case with all the veterans among Chinese eateries in Colombo, 88 has a vast menu along with some very reasonable prices. Small portions are priced between Rs. 450 - Rs. 650 and large portions cost about Rs. 200 - Rs. 300 more. Portions aren't huge but we'd say they were just right for two.
The chicken and prawn fried rice (Rs. 518) was pretty decent, though it won't really blow your mind. While it could have done with a bit more seasoning, we liked the fact that they didn't skimp on the prawns or chicken and the fact that the rice wasn't overly oily.
The hot garlic chicken (Rs. 588) was the pick of the dishes we tried, with a good balance of sweetness and spice. They stuck to the tried and tested preparation of lightly batter fried chicken in thick soy and oyster sauce with diced garlic. The soft chunks of boneless chicken and the somewhat heavy kick of the garlic is what really makes this one shine through.
We had high hopes for the hot butter cuttlefish (Rs. 628), but it ended up being quite underwhelming. The portion was also quite small compared to the other dishes. While the cuttlefish was cooked well, the pieces were very large and the batter was very thin, lacking seasoning and flavour.
The belly pork in shrimp sauce (RS. 618) was okay but it tasted quite one dimensional. The reason I call it one dimensional is because this one was well seasoned but didn't really have much spice or sweetness to enhance the flavour. But if you're looking for a salty pork dish, this one won't disappoint.
The interior of 88 has a striking resemblance to that of 168 Sea Food Palace. In the same sense, this isn't really a place you go to for ambience but it seems like a good place for a casual family meet up. The only issue is that the tables are pretty close together so don't expect much privacy.
The service at 88 is like a well oiled machine. The food was ready in less than 7 minutes, which has to be some kind of a record, but it really does make you wonder how in the world it's possible. But with the crowds they get, I wouldn't be too surprised if they make some of the more popular dishes in bulk.
If you're looking for something new we wouldn't suggest 88, but if you're looking for a time tested restaurant, then you'll most likely leave satisfied.
88 Chinese Seafood Restaurant is a long time player in the local Chinese food scene. It's incredibly popular among b0th locals and Chinese expats, and while it wasn't terrible, it didn't really live up to the hype.
88 Chinese Seafood Restaurant is a long time player in the local Chinese food scene. It's incredibly popular among b0th locals and Chinese expats, and while it wasn't terrible, it didn't really live up to the hype.
සිංහල මෙතැන අපි කෑව හොට් බටර් කට්ල්ෆිෂ් එකේ තිබුණේ තරමක් වෙනස් රසක්. සාමාන්යයෙන් කන්න ලැබෙන ක්ලැසික් හොට් බටර් කට්ල්ෆිෂ් නෙවෙයි මේ.
Address
98/1, Havelock Road, Colombo 05,
Directions
Off Havelock Road, just before the thunmulla round about. The turn off is a little way past Xilaton, next to La Passion
Contacts
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Open 11:30 AM 2:45, 6 PM to 10:45
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
Hainanese chicken rice with steamed garlic prawns and fried sweet potato leaves are a pretty good combination.
food & prices are amazing :) the atmosphere is not great .but you can take your own booze :)))
This is where you can get Hainanese Chicken rice a la Hong Kong. We've tried all over including 5 Stars but here is the closest to HK. Good pricing and eat n leave ambiance.
Food was amazing & price is very reasonable too. Totally in love with the sizzling bean curd. Best I've taste so far.
The best for me was the pleasant odor you get as soon as you enter the place and the steam boat is exquisite :D
Best value for money Chinese tasting food I've had in CMB …always a good sign when oriental people eating in an oriental restaurant : ) w/c is what I've found everytime I've eaten there….
88, 88…Not so great. I think the take away orders far outnumber the amount of diners, so the service is appalling - they mixed up our order, refused to exchange dishes; overall disappointing…Might be just having a bad day, but the food wasn't particularly good either… :-(
Does anyone know if they have small separate rooms too, suitable to have a small private dinner for a family ??
88 is on a long line of age old establishments that just cant get the value and health food formula right - they made their money when people didnt know better and our diabetes, heart issue and obesity rates were not so bad. But now we are in crisis at a national level with health issues and no one polices the quality of food that is served in these establishments whether they use large amounts of MSG or other chemicals.
Now its time to go the way of the novelty eatery and make room for better quality options.
Putting this sauced up crap in your body is just wrong on so many levels. people should realize that this style of food is an inferior good now!
I do not recommend this to anybody merely due to the rude attitude of the security guy in charge who did not even know how to talk to the customer properly. The management also didn't even care and didn't take any positive action.
Restaurant used to be good because it was ran by a Singaporean man… Now, a Shanghainese man from China has taken over it and ran the place without integrity… We asked for 1 whole Sri Lanka crab but only 1 crab craw was served instead of 2 per crab and usually a Sri Lankan crab craw has 3 sections and only 1 section is being served… When confronted he claims that all good crabs were being exported out to the rest of the world… Well, if u ask for a whole chicken and 2 drum stick and 1 Wing missing, can't be that honest…
Avoid at all cost because most of the north Asians are cheats…
This used to be a favourite place to go to a couple of years ago, but I went recently and the quality has deteriorated, especially the hygiene. There's a bad odour near the kitchen, and both my wife and I got food poisoning.
Their sea food fried rice only had rice (only with oil), 2 small prawns and 1 cuttlefish. This was actually a take away order. really got surprised after opening the box of this rice. Can't believe why they are charging more than Rs. 800 for this cheap quality fried rice.
You should have try malayasian style fried noodles!!
(Which is meegoreng it’s the name malayasian people call)
Plus devilled kankun!!
It was really delicious.same as malayasian restaurants.
4/5
isuruh15
Had a decent meal over there. Perfect for small groups with 4-8 people. Can get many Chinese dishes with good quality.
Affordable prices, suits for middle class people.
5/5
Swash514230
5/5