Hebrews Cafe

Graffiti walls, amazing staff and all-day breakfast!

Walking into the cozy not-so-little space that is Hebrews Cafe on a boiling Lankan afternoon, the first thing we notice is the lack of aircon. The second thing we notice is that hey, we don’t even mind! Hebrews makes sure to greet you with cheer and the cutest interior and by the time you’re looking at the menu and wondering how the staff remain awesome even at 3pm, you’ve already fallen in love with the place. 

A newly opened all day breakfast place along the Dominoes, Manhattan Fish Market line up, Hebrews serves up great fare for reasonable prices. 

Drinks

Their choice of food and drink were limited to breakfast options, which meant that we could order tea, coffee or fresh fruit juices. We would have liked a bit more variety, but hey, the stuff we got was great!

Iced Mocha (Rs. 500)

The perfect balance of sweet and coffee, the iced mocha came in a large mason jar and was downright brilliant. It was very refreshing on a scorching afternoon and we were left thoroughly satisfied. For that quantity, we would pay 500 any day, so props to these guys!

Fresh Orange Juice (Rs. 300)

Slightly on the sour side, you could really tell that the orange juice was freshly squeezed. It also came in a large mason jar with tons of ice and was quite refreshing. I don’t think you can go particularly wrong with an orange juice, though, and this was good, as far as they go.

Appetizers 

Caesar Salad with Chicken  (Rs. 600)

You could opt to get the salad with smoked salmon too but we were a little skeptic, so we stuck to the chicken instead. The salad was a big bowl of lettuce, doused in dressing and topped with grilled chicken and croutons.

The chicken was a little under seasoned but it was nothing a little table salt couldn’t fix. We expected a slightly bigger portion for 600, but this works great as an appetizer or a light meal when you’re not feeling up for much. There wasn’t anything to rave about when it came to the salad but it goes down well as a so-so appetizer.

Mains 

Full Breakfast (Rs. 800) and an extra Hashbrown (Rs. 100)

This was a massive serving of grilled tomatoes, eggs, bacon, and a choice between bread or pancakes, and chicken or pork sausages. When we opted for the chicken sausages and no bacon, the staff at Hebrews were nice enough to serve us chicken ham instead. A* attention to detail!

We were so glad we opted for the pancakes because they were light and fluffy and absolutely delicious! Slightly on the sweeter side, it went amazing with the ham and the grilled tomatoes. You must be raising your eyebrows questioningly at this point but the contrasting flavours were a real kick for me and you should definitely try it out too!

We ordered this with a side of Hashbrown which was one of the best I’ve had! Light, crispy and well seasoned, we found no fault and lots of love for this golden little nugget.

The sausages were on the salty side but we weren’t too sure if they were made in-house. When we did tell the staff what we thought, they were glad we brought it up, so the next time we swing by, maybe the sausages will be more balanced.

The tomatoes were grilled just right, where the top was nice and grilled but the bottom still remained juicy and flavorful, making for a great way to cut the flavor of all that rich meat. The ham was probably from a packet and didn’t taste incredibly special, but still pretty tasty, and the eggs were perfect, with the yolk still runny when you cut into it. Delicious!

All of the items on the dish came in twos and man, by the time we finished it, we had to unbutton our trousers to make room for the rest. At 800, this is a more than appropriate portion and one of the best things on their menu.

Spicy Grilled Chicken Panini with Mozzarella Cheese (Rs. 600)

Served with a side of fries, the Panini came stuffed with tomato, lettuce, grilled chicken and mozzarella in between two slightly tough slices of bread.  The fries still had a bit of skin on them so you could see they were in-house and freshly made. They were fried to perfection and generous in portion.

There was no sign of spice though, and the sandwich remained the most unspicy Panini I have tasted to date. Regardless, the cheese was still gooey and delicious and the flavours were pretty great. It took me a while to get used to the different elements of the Panini, but once you do, you can’t get enough.

The thing about Hebrews is that it’s a wholesome dining experience. The staff are very friendly and  fast and make you feel very welcome. The décor is cute and spacious and the dishes come in massive quantities that almost put you in a food-induced coma. There were some funky tunes playing in the background and for a three-week-old establishment, they’re doing really good!

Have you been to Hebrews yet? What did you think?

Tip: The Full Breakfast is a must-have!