Located right next to the Regal Cinema in Colombo 02, lies the Sea Fish Restaurant – an establishment which opened in 1969 and underwent a refurbishment most recently, in addition to coming under a new management. The extensive but well curated menu consists of several local favourites when it comes to seafood, in addition to other types of dishes such as pastas, sandwiches, soups, snacks, noodles and offering rice, hoppers and roast paan.

Our tasting consisted of three dishes namely the Ceylon Sea Fish Signature Premium Mixed Boat, the Negombo Prawn Curry served with roast paan, and the Chillie Crab, in addition to batter fried cuttlefish served with chillie mayo and crumb fried mushrooms served with tartar sauce for starters. The cuttlefish was possibly one of the best I’ve ever eaten – soft, succulent pieces tossed around with chillie and fried onions and shallots, and paired excellently with the chillie mayo. The mushrooms were just the right amount of crispy, and made for an ideal dish to snack on whilst waiting for our mains to arrive.

The Negombo Prawn Curry served in a large clay dish consists of fresh, succulent prawns cooked in a deliciously spicy gravy with just the right flavours coming through. The roast paan which comes with this dish (you can order steamed rice instead of the roast paan), is perfect for dipping into the gravy and some cold butter on the side.

The Chillie Crab was excellent, and featured fresh lagoon crabs cooked in a thick chillie gravy. Interestingly, Sea Fish is the only restaurant I’ve been to that actually has a waiter offering to break the crab shells for you, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of doing so. The crab went great with the roast paan too, and what I appreciated the most was that these were simple favourites that had been prepared in the best way possible, with the flavours on point, and no complaints in terms of portion size, and well worth the price.

Finally, the gargantuan Ceylon Sea Fish Signature Premium Mixed Boat – an enormous platter consisting of grilled lobster, lagoon crab, jumbo prawns, cuttlefish, fried fish and lemon butter sauce as an accompaniment. This dish also includes two complimentary glasses of wine or beer, or four fresh fruit juices or four glasses of a carbonated beverage. The platter is large enough to be shared by four people, and ideal if you visit the restaurant with a small group of friends.

Desserts include ice cream, fresh fruit salad, chocolate biscuit pudding, bread pudding, and jaggery pudding. Prices at Sea Fish are all inclusive, which in Colombo is a rarity, and dividing service charge and taxes when splitting the bill can turn out to be tedious. The restaurant features an outdoor dining area, which is best enjoyed come dusk. There are three private dining areas too, two of which seat six people each, and the third which seats twelve.

Sea Fish is located at 15, Regal Terrace, off Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 02. They can be contacted on (011) 2326915, and for more information, please visit www.seafishcolombo.com.

By Sarah Kellapatha
Photographs by Manoj Ratnayake