Arts
Treat your taste buds and feast your eyes
A breakfast menu that has something for everyone. Pix by Indika Handuwala
The work week can be stressful as we all know, and more often than not, in the mad morning rush we miss out on breakfast. But there’s always time to enjoy life’s little pleasures like an indulgent breakfast or an expertly brewed cup of tea. Why not make that morning meeting a working breakfast? Or trade in working at home on your laptop for a pleasanter ambiance and a healthy meal to motivate you and keep you inspired?
Tea Avenue, one of the many restaurants in Colombo’s crowded food scene is located at No. 55 Barnes Place, Colombo 7, nestled at the junction where Barnes Place meets Wijerama Mawatha. It is open early – from 6.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and up until 1a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tea Avenue’s new breakfast menu available from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day of the week we found has something for everyone.
We started off with the Waffle Eggs Benedict, served with smoked chicken, and the other with Avocado. I for one have always been a little sceptical of avocado as a savoury, but my doubts were soon dispelled.
Tea Avenue slightly departs from the Classic Eggs Benedict, serving it on waffles instead of the usual halved Muffin, and sans bacon, thus being halal- friendly. Topped off with smoked chicken/avocado and poached eggs, with a generous serving of hollandaise sauce and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, the beautiful presentation ensured that if not a treat for your taste buds, it was at very least a feast for your eyes.
The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, and when broken, the golden yolk cascaded over the waffle. The richness of the Hollandaise sauce made the dish an indulgent one, but this was mildly countered by the burst of freshness provided by the pomegranate seeds. The creaminess of the avocados added to the richness of the dish.
This was paired with the Chai Latte, which was light and fragrant, tasting predominantly of cinnamon and nutmeg, and perfectly juxtaposed with the richness of the Hollandaise sauce in the Eggs Benedict.
Next, we tried a customer favourite, the English Breakfast and the Standard 36 Milk Tea. Once again Tea Avenue has got creative- with the usual English Breakfast, substituting the bacon for halal- friendly chicken sausages. The sausages were succulent, and the sunny side up eggs were well cooked and cast in perfect circles. The hash brown, though quite oily, was delicious, and we couldn’t stop munching on it. But the highlight of the dish was Rosemary and olive oil infused toast, which was so good, it seemed sacrilegious to eat it with butter and mask its taste. Interestingly the Rosemary bread is baked in-house.
The Standard 36 Milk Tea was an elevated homage to the standard Milk Tea served in every Sri Lankan home but set apart by its gourmet taste attributable to Tea Avenue’s specific brewing process. Fans of the Standard 36 Tea will be excited to know that packed Standard 36 tea leaves will soon be available for sale at Tea Avenue, enabling you to have your favourite cup of tea, even at home.
Finally, we tried the whole wheat bread with Avocado with the added optional poached eggs. It was served on rather large slice of toasted whole-wheat bread and garnished with tomato and onion cubes. It was a light and guilt-free yet delicious, dare we say healthy breakfast item. Coupled with the Standard 36 milk tea, it was a perfect meal, you could afford to eat every other day.
We also sampled the hot chocolate with cream, which was one of the more indulgent items on the menu. The chocolate was thankfully not too sweet, but the cream was rich and filling. If you don’t have a big appetite, this beverage alone can fill you up.
Though we didn’t sample it, their Breakfast Menu also offers several sweet dishes, including the blueberry waffles with cream.
The ambiance is one of elegant lounge with the interior being a modern twist on the classical colonial style.
The seating arrangements vary from high-backed lounge chairs and low coffee tables, to outdoor seating, and dining tables and booths, thus accommodating most social gatherings, be it group meet-ups, a casual date or business meeting.
They also offer facilities such as private meeting rooms that can be booked in advance. This coupled with their wifi facilities and ample parking, makes it an ideal location for a business meeting or brainstorming session.
Ambiance: A modern twist on the classical colonial style