When Healthy Living started off in 2013 they were known mostly for their healthy buth packets. Since then they've expanded their menu, so we went ahead tried pretty much everything.

The Food

For those looking for healthy food in Colombo, the choices are pretty limited, so having the option to get healthy meals delivered through Healthy Living is a real godsend. They're well known for their rice and curry which has a particular emphasis on less rice and more veggies. Since of late they've expanded their menu and introduced a bunch of new options which include rice with red curry, chapathi and salads. Everything is priced under Rs. 400, which is pretty reasonable considering the fact that it includes delivery.

The healthy living rice and curry (Rs. 290 - lunch only) comes in chicken, fish or egg. We've had it time and time again and it's been consistently good. It's not like most buth packets you come across, so don't expect huge amounts of rice. Instead you'll find that the portion is almost equal parts rice to veggies with a decent portion of chicken curry made from chicken breast, which means the overall calorie count on this will be quite low. Just think of it as a good red rice and curry with a bit of extra veg.

The chicken salad (Rs. 340 - dinner only) was also very satisfying. Having a salad delivered can be a bit iffy since the ingredients need to be fresh, but in this case we didn't come across any issues. The salad comes with lettuce, red cabbage, grilled chicken, bread croutons, green apples and grapes as well as a salad dressing. All in all this salad has a bit of everything with the crunch of the lettuce and the cabbage, the slight sweetness from the fruits and the savouriness of the chicken. Be judicious when it comes to the dressing though, since it is quite acidic.

The chapathi and chicken curry (Rs. 300 - dinner only) was next on the list. You get a generous portion of chapathi, along with a flavoursome chicken curry and a pretty strong tomato puree of sorts. While the chapathi tasted fine, the well seasoned and spiced chicken curry is what really brings the dish together. The tomato puree also works pretty well, albeit in very small quantities.

The grilled chicken and veg (Rs. 380 - dinner only) while decent, wasn't something I enjoyed very much, but that's mostly because I'm not a fan of boiled vegetables to begin with. Sticking with the healthy theme, the boiled veg comes free of salt which you're supposed to add to your preference. The grilled chicken breast was cooked well, but the sauce it comes with was just too peppery for my taste buds.

The final dish we tried was the steamed rice with thai red curry (Rs. 320 - lunch only). If you're not a fan of red rice, this is the other rice option that healthy living offers. You get a sizeable portion of steamed basmati rice, chicken red curry and a kankung stir fry.

The issue with the dish was that the chicken curry lacked the spice and seasoning we've come to expect from red curries, and with only 3 components, each has to be very good. The kankung gets a special mention here since it was really tasty, where I actually found myself going for the kankung more than the chicken.

Delivery, Orders and Service

Healthy living works predominantly as a delivery service, but only within Colombo. For those who live in the suburbs, they have a pick up point at Shrubbery Gardens, Colombo 04. Orders for lunch need to placed pretty early, between 7.00 am to 10.00 am, and between 12.00 pm to 5.00 pm for dinner orders.

 So we actually had a small hiccup when it came to one of our orders where we ended up getting a rice and curry instead of the Thai rice. Once we informed them, they handled the situation well by offering us the Thai rice the next day for no charge.

Conclusion

Healthy Living could be considered one of the pioneers of the health food movement in Colombo, with the likes of Calorie Counter following suit. They promise reasonable portions, tasty food with well sourced ingredients and they definitely deliver.