Brew 1867 by Dilmah is one of my favourite cafes ever! They already have three outlets at Nawam Mawatha, Flower Road and WTC. They just opened up their fourth outlet in Fort, inside the Hatch Building. I'm an almost daily customer at Brew WTC and have been longing for an opportunity to do a review. So when I heard that they were opening up a new branch in Fort I jumped at the opportunity. Of all the major cafes I’ve been to, this is the best, and I say so for a number of reasons.

Their food always tastes fresh, is of good quality and is well worth the price (which isn’t too high to begin with). Their service is amazing, the staff always makes conversation and genuinely makes an effort to get to know you and more importantly your food preferences. Their range of coffee and other beverages aren’t too extensive and they keep it very simple. But whatever you order, the taste and quality are bound to be great. 

But that was all my previous experience. I didn’t know how this was going to turn out. So I went to the Hatch with an open mind to see how well they would fare! 

Drinks
This outlet (unlike the others) offers an extensive menu for drinks, ranging from coffees and Signature Dilmah Tea, to cold beverages like milkshakes, frappes and fresh juices and smoothies. We started off with a Mango and Strawberry Iced Tea (Rs. 350), one of the latest additions to their menu. Mango was the predominant taste here with hints of strawberry coming out at the end of each sip leaving a surprising but pleasant tang in our mouth. It also had tiny pieces of strawberry floating around for added flavour. 

The Masala Chai (Rs. 200) with Bombai Motai was an unusual yet lovely beverage. Had to be my favourite from what I tried that day. It's a traditional South Asian tea that's made by boiling black tea with milk and then mixing it up with spices and herbs. In this case, there was a strong cinnamon flavour and I couldn't stop drinking it. I know that most people wouldn't opt for herbal tea but I feel like this is something you should definitely try out. The Bombay Motai added it's usual sweet flavour but even without that I thought this was a winner! 

Their range of coffee isn’t too extensive but is of very high quality. I had a Caffe Latte (Rs. 400) which gave a very strong jolt of caffeine, perfect to kickstart your day. I would recommend not adding sugar and really experiencing the bitter flavour of the coffee itself, but for those of you with a sweet tooth, a sachet couldn't hurt. Should you go to Brew I also highly recommend their Kithul Avocado shake. The buttery, creamy avocado sweetened with kithul jaggery is my go-to beverage at Brew.

The Food
What makes this outlet stand out from the others is their introduction of the Live Cooking Station. You can get a number of new and exciting products like The Chicken Mongolian Rice, Mutton Kos Kottu, Pol Roti and even Poori with Aloo Gobi Masala. They also have their regular variety of packaged food ranging from rice and pasta to burgers, sandwiches and dessert items like cakes and cookies. 

Our first choice was a Vegan dish "The Vegan Garden Salad"  (Rs. 590) (Why? Well, since I never try out vegan options I just decided to see how it goes). I actually liked it. It consisted of a lot of cabbage, tomatoes, onions, tofu and was topped off with a sweet and sour sauce. The flavours all blended in together, it tasted fresh and could be recommended as a good starter! This was followed by the Seafood Mongolian Rice (Rs. 900). Seasoned well, and mixed with an abundance of fresh veggies, this was a very flavourful Mongolian dish. They had been very generous with their addition of cuttlefish and prawns and there was a chunk of it in every bite.

The Mutton Kos Kottu  (Rs. 950), their best seller of the day was also a winner. I'd never tasted Kos Kottu before so this was a totally new experience for my palate. But to be honest I feel like it's an acquired taste. It was quite spicy, had a moist texture and was stuffed with mutton but I feel like you really need to "want" the Kos part of it. If you like eating "Kos'' then this is definitely the pick for you! But if you're like me and prefer the traditional roti kottu, then it may not be your cup of tea.

Dessert
The Strawberry Sando (Rs. 450) was a sandwich filled with an insane amount of whipped cream and strawberries. I mean I personally would have preferred waffles over bread (as would we all). But this is a traditional Japanese dessert and culture must be appreciated. It tasted great overall but again I guess it's an acquired taste. 
All things considered, I believe that this outlet at the Hatch did indeed live up to my expectations. It's a cosy place and is ideal if you want to go and chill with your friends or even sip a cup of coffee while getting some work done. So do check out Brew at the Hatch for great service, quality food and affordable prices!

Address - Hatch Building. No.14 Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha, Colombo 00100

Photos: Varuna Wanniarachchi