The Paddington is located on Barnes Street and is a typical café with a lounge area with large, soft couches and then a separate dining area with tables. The Paddington offers the usual fare with pastas, kottu, sandwiches, steak, waffles, and will soon be introducing pizza to their menu. There are a range of fresh juices and milkshakes on the menu as well. 

I started off with the ‘Famous Chili Flake Prawn Pasta’ (Rs. 795) which really lived up to its name - the dish was spicy although not overbearingly so as far as Sri Lankan tastebuds go. There were plenty of prawns and the sauce was pleasantly creamy. There was also a fair amount of cheese sprinkled on top. 

The next seafood dish I tried was the ‘Grilled Spicy Modha Fish’ (Rs. 895) which was very well done. The fish was moist and perfectly cooked and the flavour of the fish wasn’t overpowered by the chili. 

The two chicken dishes which I tried were the ‘Jamaican Jerk Chicken’ and ‘Dino’s Special Grilled Chicken.’ The meat in both dishes was very well cooked as the chicken was tender and not dry at all. The sauce for the ‘Jamaican Jerk Chicken’ was just what you would expect- sweet and tangy and was well done. 

‘Dino’s Special Grilled Chicken’ had a piece of chicken ham and cheese melted on top which was a nice addition but the other chicken dish was the superior of the two. Both the fish and chicken dishes were served with mashed potato, boiled vegetables and a salad which were all pretty standard. 

For dessert, I tasted the ‘Chocolate Blast Waffle’ (Rs. 595) which looked great as it was covered in chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, Smarties, peanuts and was served with chocolate ice cream. The taste however underwhelmed as the waffle could have been lighter and fluffier. It was the chocolate sauce that did all the talking although the focus of the dish should have been on the waffle. 

The Paddington really shines with their drinks - the lime juice was perfect, refreshing and not overly sweet. Their ‘Kraft Oreo Milkshake’ (Rs. 495) was a standout as it had a good amount of oreos blended into it as well as one extra biscuit for dunking. 

The Paddington is a good place to chill out with a group and have a casual meal. They also have great lunch deals. 

By Upeksha Hettiarachchi
Photographs by Waruna Wanniarachchi