It was a photograph of a chalkboard sign that drew us to The Pure Kitchen, in Rosmead Place, Colombo 7. Sent to us by our friend Dennis, who was passing by, we thought we’d take a chance and set off for brunch. The creative and quirky signboard immediately caught our eye where a bright orange carrot stood out as the letter ‘I’ in otherwise grey lettering. Situated in Jawatte Road until a few months ago this restaurant now nestles inside the fabulous Fern BnB. The January heat was really baring upon us and we welcomed the cool, calming effect we had as soon as we entered through the doors. The restaurant is a nook on your right and can seat about 10 – 12 people in one go. The vibe was soothing and calm with shades of green, mustard and browns used for décor. Beautiful hand-painted vines adorned the walls all adding to the calm.
Ramesh and I were cheerfully greeted and was immediately attended to. We also noticed that Pure Kitchen was on Uber Eats considering the steady flow of orders they were getting, it looked as if they were a crowd favourite. We dived into the ordering process immediately and asked our server to help us in choosing a vegan meal. The menu offers Super Bowls, Specials, Salads and healthy treats. The vegan meals are clearly indicated with the ingredients listed for convenience. There aren’t too many vegan options, but the chef is flexible in serving you a vegan version of the dish of your choice.
I ordered a Spinach and Chia Green Juice and really wanted to try the Tofu and eggplant bowl, but since it was unavailable I settled for a Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad while Ramesh had an eye on the zoodles. The zoodles came in with either chicken or prawns, but our server ensured that they could do a vegan version. Made out of zucchini, zoodles replaces pasta and is a wonderful gluten-free, healthy option. He also went for the watermelon juice. Pure Kitchen has some lovely smoothies if you are vegetarian.
The drinks were delivered first. So I confess, I had some trepidation about the juice as I am not a fan of spinach. I eat it only in a dhal curry and still make faces. But with the first slurp through the metal straw, it was love at first slurp! Yes, there is a slippery weirdness to it. But it works. Do be brave and have it! Ramesh who preferred a safer bet enjoyed his watermelon but was also pleasantly surprised by the green gooeyness.
The food arrived in ten minutes and I was informed that the chef had not included the feta cheese mixed dressing that comes with the salad and used a different house dressing to suit my vegan needs.
Tabbouleh is a Mediterranean salad that contains finely chopped vegetables and herbs (especially parsley) it is usually served with bulgur wheat but Pure Kitchen serves it with quinoa. The quinoa was well cooked and the dressing had the right balance of olive oil, lime, salt and pepper. It was also a generous serving!
Ramesh’s zoodles were topped with a yummy tomato sauce. Zoodles: zucchini + noodles is a gluten-free variant of a pasta/noodle. It was quite delightful and the flavours just burst in your mouth. My only disappointment was that the zoodles were not long enough. It’s a personal preference bu zoodles for me, has to be long. Of course, Pure Kitchen makes it a lot easier to eat and perhaps that just goes to say that there is no pleasing some people. (Me – sorry!)
For dessert, we opted for a slice of the Vegan Chocolate Cake. Quite a generous portion and oddly familiar, we inquired if it was baked in house and found out that it was supplied by Butter Boutique. (Mystery solved!) Pure Kitchen is also another venture of Rukshi Nethikumara who owns Butter Boutique. It was absolutely delicious! This could go well with vegan ice cream and a fruit coulis. (Hint, hint!)
Overall, we absolutely loved Pure Kitchen, from the ambience to the service it was a soothing and calm experience. The food was healthy and yummy too. A healthy mind and a healthy body are all we need in the hectic lifestyles we lead and Pure Kitchen offers them both.
Until the next yummilicious vegan food review it is TTFN from me, Suramya.