The Station

A delectable beachside experience!

The Station has been around for the longest time and is one of the more refined beachside establishments with multiple seating options, clean toilets and good service. It’s a staple amongst more upscale uncles looking for a solid Hot Butter Cuttlefish and beer by the sea and dishes up some great Sri Lankanized Chinese dishes.

Drinks

With prices no different to those of any Colombo bar, the drinks at The Station are subpar but work quite well as a boozy wash-down to the food. The cocktails we tried out didn’t really live up to all the hype so maybe refrain from experimenting and stick to the staples.

Summer Sunset (Rs. 800)

 

This drink was an amalgamation of rum, orange juice, grenadine syrup and sprite beautifully presented in a perfect representation of a sunset. Unfortunately, the Summer Sunset is easy on the eyes but hard on the tongue. The whole affair was extremely artificially sweetened. I guess you can taste the orange at the bottom of the copious amount of sugar but really, it was just diabetes mixed with a little alcohol. I’d advise against trying this one out.

Passion Fruit Mojito (Rs. 850)

 

The Mojito was pretty okay, with the punch of rum definitely pulling through. The ice was a little too melted by the time it came to our table and the promised “fresh passion fruit juice” didn’t really deliver but the bottom of the glass had sugar crystals and passion fruit seeds, giving it a crunch. The overall flavor of it wasn’t satisfactory though.

Frozen Rum Mint Slush (Rs. 700)

 

This drink was one of our better choices, it came in a heaped glass of green crushed ice, and was very visually appealing. It’s on the sour side and is super refreshing on a hot day. You don’t realize it because the drink is so delicious, but the kick of alcohol is quite apparent and will get you slightly tipsy by the end of it.

Appetizers

Seafood Platter (Rs. 1,358)

 

Two words: seafood heaven. The Seafood Platter was a large serving of golden crumb fried calamari rings, prawns and fish, made to perfection. It’s served with a mayonnaise dipping sauce and is ideal to have as a bite with a few beers or to share as a starter.

Mains

Their food range is pretty expansive with meat options from beef to lobster to crab and even a few pasta dishes but we decided to try out a few staples.

Seafood Fried Rice (Rs. 750)

 

Their rice options come in pretty large quantities with one portion being enough for about two very hungry people or threepeople with regular appetites. The seafood fried rice came with little pieces of fish, cuttlefish and prawn tossed into long grains of basmati rice, flavored to perfection.

Singapore Style Noodles (Rs. 790)

 

The Singapore Style Noodles was pretty spot on. A sticky, vermicelli type noodles, tossed in with julienned carrots, cabbage and spring onions. You don’t even particularly need any curries to go with it because the flavors of the noodles were enough to make it a meal on its own.

Sweet and Sour Chicken (Rs. 778)

 

I still haven’t come across a Sri Lankan sweet and sour dish that has captured my heart and the chicken at The Station wasn’t an exception. I suppose the delicate balance of flavors is a pretty difficult thing to bring to life but The Station made a good attempt. The batter coating of the sweet and sour chicken was a little thick and the meat tasted a little flaky, like fish. However, the chunks of pineapple and capsicum brought some sense of adventure to the dish and combined with the rice, all works out pretty well in the end.

The Station Special Kangkung and Cashew (Rs. 528)

 

We weren’t sure what was special about the kangkung when we placed the order, we were hoping for tons of cashew tbh, but the dish arrived doused in soy sauce and chilli pieces, mixed in with pieces of baby corn, button mushrooms and very little cashew pieces. Regardless, the kangkung was seasoned well, delicious and went quite well with the rice.

Hot Butter Cuttlefish (Rs. 838)

 

Saving the best for last, The Station has one of the most consistently good HBCs in town! Crunchy, spicy and absolutely delicious, the cuttlefish comes tossed in the usual capsicum and sauces and is executed just right. I could definitely just eat a portion of this as a meal.

Their dessert options range from the usual ice cream to brownies to a blueberry cheesecake that wasn’t available on the day we went but then again you’d be too stuffed by the food anyway and probably wouldn’t have an appetite for dessert.

The food arrives at the table pretty fast but service could tend to get slow if you’re sitting upstairs and not in direct view of the waiters. There’s a calypso band that plays songs on request from time to time but the waves crashing against the shore, salty wind through your hair and Chinese lanterns create a nice ambience as well. The Station consistently dishes out a pretty fulfilling dining experience if you’re willing to spend a bit of cash.

Tip: definitely one of the best Hot Butter Cuttlefish dishes around!