Cafe Noir Blanc

Cafe Noir Blanc is reminiscent of its parent based in Pelawatte, being only a hop, skip and a jump away, in the heart of Colombo, in the neighbourhood at Thimbirigasyaya. Conveniently located opposite Anim8; don’t be confused by the unassuming exterior. For those who walk in expecting the typical cafe experience, be prepared to be blown away by the luxurious ambience on offer. This being our first visit, we were quite excited to find out if the cuisine on offer matched the unparalleled ambiance.

Whoever penned the phrase, “spoilt for choice” probably first glanced through Noir Blanc’s extensive array of multi cuisine dishes. Using cutting edge technology to its advantage, the friendly waiter handed us the menu, which was detailed on a tablet PC. The sheer variety available was incredible, from an All Day Breakfast, to burgers, pastas, paninis, mains, and desserts. 

Drinks

Black Cookie Frappe- Rs. 620

The Black Cookie Frappe was an outstanding beverage, perfect to quench the thirst of both coffee lovers and chocolate fans. It was thick and creamy, with little pieces of cookie swimming in the Frappe – and a strong hit of it coming through.

Noir Triple Berry Blend- Rs. 620

The Noir Triple Berry is a perfect concoction consisting of strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. The pieces of fruit added up to make this crunch worthy drink a much loved surprise.

Raspberry Mojito- Rs. 600

The Raspberry mojito was refreshing, filled with mint leaves and lime. This drink is significantly sweeter than the others, but perfect for a hot summer’s day (which is almost everyday here :P).

Creme Brulee latte- Rs. 620

Finally, the Creme Brulee latte was a little masterpiece in a glass. The only hot beverage we ordered, this was spot on from presentation onwards. With the coffee being medium roast, this gives a good kick of caffeine to the custard-like creamy beverage. Also worth mentioning is the beautiful presentation, where the colours of the drink went from a light cream to a darker brown; so aesthetically pleasing to the eye!

Appetisers

Sweet Potato Fries- Rs. 280

Next came in the Appetizers, led by a portion of Sweet Potato Fries. Guys, these fries are probably where the “Fries before Guys” slogan initiated, because they were heavenly! The perfect combination of crunchy, spicy and savoury, with a light touch of sweetness to balance it out.

Carrot and Coriander Soup- Rs. 380

We also ordered a carrot and coriander soup, which came in a wide set bowl accompanied by a piece of garlic bread. The soup was creamy and well executed, with subtle and well-balanced hints of the carrot and coriander coming through with every sip. However, don’t underestimate this little bowl, which actually turns out to be quite heavy, given that it was cream-based.

Mains

Stir Fried Beef & Ginger with Garlic Butter Rice- Rs. 980

We ordered one of the mains – specifically the stir fried beef and ginger, which we could have with either spaghetti or with garlic butter rice, where we selected the latter, as we felt it would be more complementary to the dish as a whole. The stir fry had ample amounts of tender, flavourful beef, mixed in with a healthy dose of baby corn, button mushroom, peppers, and onion. Our only concern in this dish was the garlic butter rice, as it came off a little dry, and tastes more like plain white rice. However, we really did like the dish overall despite the minor shortcoming.

Chicken Lasagna- Rs.880 

Next up we opted for their Chicken Lasagna, which had the perfect cheese to meat to lasagna sheet ratio, with all three components coming together to create a beautiful dish. It was somewhat soft and tasted exquisite. So if you are the type to go for classics, we’d definitely recommend this one!

Homestyle Panini- Rs. 840

We also ordered their Homestyle Panini to have a look at. This came with a side of sweet potato fries and coleslaw, bringing the whole dish together. The Panini had a thick layer of their chicken filling mixed in with some interesting ingredients, such as Eggplant. We would have liked if the slice of cheese in the Panini melted into the sandwich – however, this dish still scored all the points needed to make a good meal.

Desserts

Banoffee Pie- Rs 480, Double Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake- Rs. 520

We finally wrapped up with dessert, even though we were beyond stuffed at this point. After much debate over what we would order, we finally settled for a slice of their Banoffee pie and Double Chocolate Brownie cheesecake. Both options were a hit, as the Banoffee pie was creamy and chocolatey, with subtle undertones of the banana and coffee coming through.

The Double Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake really came through as well, with its soft, creamy layer of cheesecake complementing the rich, chocolate base.

The staff were friendly and accommodating, taking their time to explain each dish to us, should we have any questions, showing good understanding of their menu. Our order came up pretty fast as well, so you don’t have to wait eons to dig in!

However, what really came through for us was the luxurious, 5 star worthy ambience. With its fold and velvety undertones, we could see the careful effort put into all the furniture, the carpets, the lighting. With hints of gold seen throughout the Cafe, we could really see their attention to detail, with this being seen in their funky gold cutlery and coasters, to the large, intricately designed mirror placed as a centerpiece upon entry to the cafe.

Overall, Cafe Noir Blanc has continued to meet the high standards set by their cafe in Pelawatte, In terms of the excellent food, wonderful ambience and sound service. Their prices definitely reflect the experience, with our total bill coming up to just over Rs. 8,000. This seems pretty steep, but considering the number of dishes we had ordered, and the fact that more than 1/8th of bill accounted for taxes (I’m looking at you, NBT and VAT), this was more than justifiable, and worth every penny paid.