The Steuart by Citrus is home to & Co Pub and Kitchen. It is one of the nicest pubs I have visited in the city. With its rich interior and delicious pub grub, I will definitely be going back for more. It is situated at the bottom of the hotel known as The Steuart by Citrus (formerly the George Steuarts office building), which is located to the right of the clock tower in the Fort and down the very next lane on your right.

Taste and value for money – 5 stars 

& Co dishes out some of the most delicious food you can find in the city. Starting with the Sri Lankan Salad (Rs 300), with a beautiful marriage of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, gotukola and finely chopped onions dressed with a lime dressing, it is so light and full of fresh flavours. The thing about the dishes here are that feeling of them being made from the heart, almost like your mum has just prepared them and sent them out to you.

Among the other light dishes on the menu is the Baked Fish with Kankun and Lemon Butter (Rs 650). The fish is cooked in a parcel with kankun and lemon butter and once you open it, the scrumptious aromas just come right at you. It maybe a light and healthy option on the menu but it is certainly not lacking in flavour.

If you like fish and chips then you must try out & Co’s Traditional Scottish Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce (Rs 795). The secret to good fish and chips apart from good fish is the perfect crisp batter, this plus the divine homemade tartar sauce made it the best fish and chips in the city, in my book.

They also do a mean Sri Lankan Pork Curry with Basmati Rice (Rs 495) served with three varieties of sambol. You have the option of chicken or fish as well as roti instead of rice and the pol (coconut) sambol served with this combo is just stunning.

It is not easy to find Pork Lamprais in Colombo let alone a good Lamprais but I think I found a damn good one at & Co. The Lamprais (Rs 525) isn’t the traditional Dutch Lamprais, as it is served with a boiled and fried egg but the rest of the dish remains true to its rich flavours.

The star among the dishes I tasted was the Big City BBQ Ribs (Rs 1,500). This fall-off-the-bone rack of pork served with a delightful house coleslaw and thick chips just made my day!

While for dessert, we had their Eton Mess (Rs 300), which was the perfect way to end my time at & Co. This light but delectable dessert with macerated strawberries, meringue and cream was like a dream, a delicious dream.

Friendly staff – 5 stars 

The staff were hospitable and friendly and it is clear they are allowed to be themselves, therefore giving you, the customer, a pleasant experience. Another wonderful aspect that caught my eye was the increased number of female waiters. Well done!

Parking – 5 stars 

It may seem a bit cramped up but there was plenty of parking right in front of the hotel, the day we visited.

Toilets – 4 stars 

Some yellow tape to differentiate the small step to enter the toilets will avoid unpleasant tripping.

Address : 45, Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo 1
Tel : 011 5 575575
Website : www.citrusleisure.com/thesteuart/
Facebook : www.facebook.com/pages/The-Steuart-by-Citrus-Co-Pub-and-Kitchen/100190020330003 

By Natasha Fernandopulle
Photographs by Kanishke Ganewatte