HONESTLY’S VERDICT

In a word:  Refreshing

Food: Well executed Western style cafe dishes infused with the best of Sri Lanka’s fresh produce

Service: Laid back and effective

Presentation:  Beautiful little haven hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Galle

Ambience:  Chilled and peaceful

Location:  Tucked behind a store in one of Galle’s traditional Dutch-style courtyard houses

Value for money:  About 4,000Rps (about £20) for two juices, two mains and a slice of cake.  Nothing’s cheap in Sri Lanka anymore.

Worth a visit?:  Another highly recommended foodie find, definitely worth hunting out when you’re looking for a healthy alternative to the delicious local dishes

Poonie’s Kitchen in Galle Fort came highly recommended to me by both Verity at Ebb and Flow Jungalows and Tim at Unakanda.  After a disappointing first visit (after finally finding the place, we discovered it doesn’t open on Sundays!), we finally managed to grab ourselves a table, soak up the relaxed atmosphere and eat from the menu.  Happy days!

Food:

The menu at Poonie’s Kitchen is very much as you’d find in a cafe in London, Sydney or New York; a short but sweet selection of healthy dishes and drinks.  The dishes are well executed, which is a really refreshing change; we’re used to being disappointed with attempts at healthy western-style dishes in Sri Lanka.

I went for the juice of the day, an exotic blend of pineapple, guava, mint, and local cure-all herb, gotu kola.  For my main, I had the roasted pumpkin salad.  My other half had the coconut smoothie and the chicken and mango sandwich.  We shared a slice of carrot cake.

I loved my juice, mainly for the fact it had gotu kola in it (fast becoming my fave Sri Lankan herb for it’s whole host of healing properties).  It was also delicious blend, not too sweet and not too heavy on the herbal or green, and came in a chunky jar with the side of frozen ice down the side – a very clever way of keeping the drink cool.

The coconut smoothie was delish, again, served in a chunky chilled jar.  A little sweet for my liking, but it went down very well with Jeremy.

My salad was amazing!  I shouldn’t need to write more, although the photo doesn’t do it justice.  Just look at that rainbow of colours and a huge serve to boot; a massive pile of mixed local leaves, rocket and basil, roasted pumpkin, red cabbage, grated carrot, avocado, cucumber, bean sprouts, pomegranate, crumbled feta cheese with a couple of crisp homemade seeded crackers on the side and a nice light dressing.

My other half enjoyed his chicken, avocado, mango and rocket sandwich, which came served on the best brown bread I’ve tasted whilst in Sri Lanka!  The sandwich was thick, tasty and moist and enjoyed by Jeremy, although he did have food envy over my salad!

Poonie’s carrot cake was a delight; super moist it had almost a raw texture to it (think light with visible grated carrot), not too sweet, and with a naughty butter cream icing!

Service:

The wait staff at Poonie’s Kitchen are pretty laid back yet attentive and effective at putting exactly what you wanted in front of you.  I like the laid back approach, I get distracted by the adorableness of waiters trying too super hard to please!

Presentation:

Poonie’s Kitchen is a treat for the senses; a beautiful alfresco space, tastefully decorated in a soft teal blue, fish pond, wall art, potted plants, a huge frangipani tree, shelves of recipe books and trinkets, flyers for local businesses, the peacock door handles, coconuts and a huge vase of local tropical flowers and leaves.

The food looks fabulous too, presented on wooden boards or ceramics, to be honest, I didn’t notice the vessels, I was distracted by my massive pile of food!

Value for money:

One thing that really impressed upon me on this visit to Sri Lanka (our fourth trip) was that food is expensive.  The cost of eating out can often be in line with that of London and Sydney.  Of course you can eat at local places for super cheap, but if you’re looking for western dishes expect to pay approximately half to two thirds of what you’d pay at home.

At Poonie’s, the bill came to 4,180Rps which is just under £20 for two juices, two mains and a dessert.  It’s certainly not going to break the bank, but if you’re looking for cheap local eats, this and indeed the whole of the South West coast of Sri Lanka isn’t the place for you!

Contact:

Address: 63 on Pedlar Street, Galle Fort, 80000, Sri Lanka

Tel: +94 (0)91 2 244030

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Poonies-Kitchen-401911303293245/

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday 10.00 to 17.00

Closed Sundays