Tastea.

Surrounded by a myriad of tall buildings, offices and various other paraphernalia lies a cute little coffee shop, totally new to the increasing list of cafes in Colombo. This coffee shop is none other than Tastea.

Midst a very ordinary day, we decided to check this place out, and it made our day so, so much better.

We know what you're thinking. It's a cafe. Calm thyself. In all seriousness though, this place has the nicest people and the cutest interior. It's bound to make anyone happier. I mean, just look at that wall. Smile central, that's what it is.

Drinks

They have a whole range of drinks to choose from – from the usuals like coffee and mojitos to cheese tea and weirdly named iced teas.

On the right, we have the Americano (350). They use Tizoto coffee beans which is an in-house grind. We found the coffee to be quite good. It wasn't overpoweringly strong but at the same time, there was enough consistency to say that it was far from watery. I'm no coffee connoisseur, but even I can tell when it's pretty good.

The miniature dessert storm on the right identifies itself as the Earl Grey Cheese Tea (350). It is now one of my favourite tea-based drinks of all time. No, it doesn't taste like normal milk tea, but yes, it is very much cooler than bubble tea. The whole drink was just so light and mellow, which kinda makes you feel like you're drinking some weird, tea/ milk/ cloud concoction. I genuinely hope you try this. If you don't like it, you can always drop it off at our office – thanks in advance.

Food

In terms of food, they don't have much of a selection. They had a few waffles, egg tarts and sandwiches to choose from. We ended up getting the Classic Waffle and a Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich.

At Rs. 260, the Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich was quite the steal. It was served with an egg and a vegetable salad on the side.

The salad was wonderfully fresh. Served in mustard and vinegar dressing, it makes you feel like health nation once you're done with it. The sandwich itself was nicely stuffed with well-seasoned chicken and mushroom, while the bread was beautifully toasted with a slight crunch to it.

Perfectly cooked with tiny bits of leeks hidden inside, the egg was a flavorful addition. It was my personal favorite.

Beautifully dusted with icing sugar and a drizzle of honey, the Classic Waffle (Rs. 120) made us embarrassments to humanity. How, you ask? Well, cutting it made it look like we didn't know how to use a knife or a fork, that's why. Tough as a nail, this one was. Anyhow, all your skills as a caveman are all made worth it when you eat it. Sigh.

The Ambience

We really liked the ambience here. The place itself is quite small with just a bunch of tables and tiny velvet cushioned stools while the acoustic covers of random pop songs play in the background. It had this wonderful chilled out vibe to it. The staff is comprised of two super friendly Chinese ladies, who are pretty quick on their feet.