I’ve never been to Europe let alone a café there but being too much of a movie buff has given me a pretty good idea of what it would look like. Although many establishments that have sprung up in Colombo have made considerable attempts to recreate the ambiance, atmosphere and adventure of the continent, few come close to my imagination. That is until I discovered Bubblelement, which was quite by accident.
First spotting the opening on a friend’s Facebook timeline, the whole “Bubble Tea” thing got me curious. Again in my head (where quite a bit goes on every second), I imagined regular tea mixed up and shaken vigorously so that a snowy foam would appear when poured out and that was what everyone referred to as the “bubbles”. So wrong!
Having also heard quite a bit about the new place in town we decided to make a visit to Bubblelement down Queen’s Road (opposite the Cricket Club Café).
From the moment you enter the chic little café there is so much to take in. The pastel and white furniture, the little trinkets that adorn the tables and hang from the ceiling, and the tongue-in-cheek sayings and quotations strategically placed to catch one’s eye all reminds you of something out of the classic storybook. The only thing that makes the place so-Sri Lankan is probably the constant chatter of families and groups of friends that have thronged the place since its opening.
Bubblelement initially set up shop in a converted garage in Galle and were an instant success with the tourists visiting the Fort and other attractions in the area. They decided to move to Colombo based on recommendations from locals who has visited (and loved) their very different offerings. The establishment has been open for only about 2 months now and they are already running out of space and happen to be looking out for larger spaces in the city.
The staff at the café is just something else as well and come with an attitude that most other establishments lack; friendliness. These guys come across as people who truly love what they do having been trained by the owner himself in preparing signature Bubble Tea.
So what really is Bubble Tea? Look to the wall on the right side of the main entrance and it will tell you the whole story. In short Bubble Tea is a tea-based drink first concocted in Taiwan in the 1980s. The tea is mixed/shaken (at least I was right about that part) with fruit or milk, to which chewy tapioca (manioc to us) balls or fruit jellies are added.
Bubblelement serves both varieties and we tried the Faluda, Oreo, and Honey Dew from the milk-based varieties and the Peach and Pear as well. All drinks are served with fat straws to ensure that every bubble makes its way to your mouth. The Peach and Pear has the fruit jelly clear bubbles which kinda pop in your mouth and has a strong flavour but the Honey Dew was certainly our favourite with the brown tapioca bubbles adding a unique flavour. It is also lots of fun!
The café also serves lots of comfort food. We tried the Chicken Alfredo Panini’s which come packed with lots of shredded chicken salad. Although the pol sambol and Sri Lankan beef curry with cheese we hear is the clear winner we were unfortunate not to try it as they had run out of the filling. There are also profiteroles, cream buns and cakes of the day to complete a meal that is not just affordable but satisfying. And when we say satisfying we don’t just mean the taste buds, we mean the soul.
So here’s our rating…
Location ** (Can do with a lot more parking and seating space)
Ambiance **** (We love the cosy, chic atmosphere and décor but it is a bit loud inside)
Service ***** (One of the friendliest staff in Colombo. Hope they keep it that way)
Food ***** (Feels good to be a kid again)
Overall ****
Ratings
***** We Love It!
**** Got It Right!
*** Getting There!
** Not So Great!
* Needs Serious Re-Thinking!
Written by #FoodiesColumn