Mathura at Melbourne Avenue, Colombo 4, the newest addition on the list of vegetarian restaurants in Colombo had a grand opening recently. Celebrities and politicians graced the occasion. There was a scrumptious buffet laid out for the invitees. 

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Ambience 

There are many areas for dining. On the ground floor it’s mostly an open area and one large separate room that guests can use if required. The upper floor has four separate rooms that you could reserve for a private party or if you need some privacy. There is a cosy looking balcony as well. 

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Food 

We tasted the Vegetable Basmathi Biryani, which is steamed aromatic basmathi rice tempered with vegetables served with onion raita (Rs. 470/-), Channa Masala which is gram dhal cooked in tomato and onion gravy (Rs. 500/-), Yellow Dhal Fry (Dhal Tadka) a delicious preparation of lentils tempered with a touch of cumin seeds (Rs. 500.00) and Aloo Gobi Masalaa, preparation of potato and cauliflower cooked with a rich spicy cashew nut gravy (Rs. 600/-) and the Vegetable Chettinad - a variety of vegetables mixed in different spices and fried with a touch of butter (Rs. 500/-). 

All these dishes were very tasteful with just the right amount of spices added. We tried out their Gulab Jamoon(Rs. 200/- per portion) for dessert. Although the inside felt a bit sticky, it was tasty. It’s only a very few places that get the Gulab Jamoon to the exact consistency, where the inside is just right and the outside is browned to the right amount, and flavour spot on. 

They also have on the menu Naans which is a fresh wholesome bread baked in a tandoori oven (Rs. 150/- each), Butter Naans and Garlic Naans and Rottis (Rs. 180/- each). Some of the South Indian dishes they have are Onion Dosai, Poori Potato Masala and Onion Uttappam. 

Apart from the Indian dishes they also have a few Chinese dishes that you should try out. Schzewan Spicy Rice(Rs. 470/-), Vegetable Noodle (Rs. 470/-) and Paneer Chilli Pepper Fry (Rs. 600/-) are some of the Chinese delicacies on the menu. 

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Service 

I observed that the staff were attentive and served the guests well. 

Toilets & Parking 

Toilets were very clean considering the fact that the restaurant was full and there were many guests. Parking is not an issue as Melbourne Avenue is a wide road and there’s ample space for many vehicles to park. 

Photographs by Waruna Wanniarachchi