Located down Park Road, Mackie's Restaurant is one of Colombo's newer Chinese restaurants. Colombo has more Chinese restaurants than China does, but after looking at some mouthwatering food pictures on their Facebook, we could not stop ourselves from going to this place.
Ambience
Mackie's does Chinese Food. And like most other Chinese restaurants in town, they also have the recurring theme of red. While they don't necessarily reek the colour, most things from the serviettes to the big red lanterns outside were pretty obvious indications that we were in fact, in a Chinese restaurant.
Anyway, the ambience at Mackie's was alright. With comfortable chairs and cooling air conditioning, we can't really complain.
Food
The food menu at Mackie's was quite large. So, you have bit of a problem if you're as indecisive as we are. Anyhow, after much deliberation, we decided to go with a Nasi Goreng (Rs. 975), Hot Butter Cuttlefish (Rs. 1150), Chilli Chicken with Cashew (Rs. 850) and Button Mushroom with Greens (Rs. 750).
Packed with flavour, this plate of Nasi was oozing out with chilli paste. We did manage to retrieve around three prawns and a few pieces of chicken, but it wasn't entirely impressive. The rice was cooked well, a wee bit oily for our liking, and, it was a hefty portion – even three people can share it. 
Next came the Chilli Chicken with Cashews. This was actually our favourite part of our meal here. With around six well-cooked pieces of steaming chicken, it was a pleasure to dispose of. Perfectly spicy and with loads of red chilli pieces and ketchup, this was similar to the chilli chicken at Chinese Dragon around a decade ago. Basically, if you do go, we suggest getting this. It even had a pretty generous amount of cashews just hanging around.
This is the Button Mushrooms with Mixed Greens. It had quite a bit of mushroom in it. Essentially, the only way we can properly describe is saying that it's a curried version of mushroom chop suey. Also, the mixed greens are actually hidden underneath all the mushrooms. All in all, a wonderful surprise really.
If you're visiting a Chinese restaurant in Sri Lanka, ordering a portion of HBC is mandatory. The Mackie's version of HBC was quite flavourful and crispy, we were a little disheartened by the fact that the portion was pretty small. You don't realize till the absolute end when you're faced with the large remains of capsicum and spring onion. However, packed with spice, it was a delight to devour while it lasted.
Drinks
As for drinks, Mackie's has a small spread of various items to choose from – from shakes to mocktails to sodas and water. We went with a Blue Lagoon (Rs. 425) and a Virgin Mojito (Rs. 395).
Positively picture perfect in appearance, The Blue Lagoon was super, super, SUPER sweet! With strong hints of cordial infused into it, this was thick and not ideal if you're not into very sweet drinks. However, it would be great if you're looking to beat the heat.
Ahh, the Virgin Mojito. This was fantastic! With truckloads of lime and mint packed into the drink, this was neither abundantly fizzy nor was it unbearably sweet. We absolutely loved it.
Service
The Service at Mackie's was okay. While they did manage to take our order in record speed, they took ages to bring it to the table. It's rather strange considering the fact that we were the only ones in the restaurant. Also, the staff tends to stare a bit, which weirded us out.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Mackie's is quite alright. They do resemble most Chinese restaurants in Colombo, but their prices are a tad steeper than most. Nevertheless, it's alright if you happen to be in the area, and looking for some solid Sri Lankan-Chinese food.
