2016 Jan 12
There’s a new Irish pub in town!
With a lounge area that’s ideal for the perfect comfy date with your one and only or for meet up with the boys, or even for the get down and low dancing, Shamrock is officially one of our personal favourite places in Colombo. We wouldn’t say that it’s the best if you want to have clubbing-party kind of night, but it’s ideal after a long day of work, to snuggle up on one of their big sofas, and order yourself, a fine glass of wine or maybe even a sour arrack.
Shamrock, is particularly new and is right next to Red Snapper, a seafood restaurant with its gold and shimmery chandeliers and dark wood floors. The bar and lounge is open from 11 AM – 11PM and its located right behind the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct in Col 01, Fort. If you do find yourself lost, as someone for the famous, Stuart and Co. Pub which is also right behind Dutch Hospital. Shamrock is in the building right opposite Stuart and Co.
We dropped twice, once on a Saturday Night and the next a couple of days ago, and we were sadly the only ones there. So we can’t really vouch for how busy it is usually. But the fact that it was just us also added to the soft and homely mood the place has.
Ambience
Melancholy, dim lighting perfectly describes the lounge area. The club area however, consists of the dance floor with the DJ and the Irish set up of the bar and high stools with wine barrels as tables. Creamy white colonial and rustic looking sofas are positioned all over the lounge and the bar area. It’s the sofas and the lighting that adds the melancholy and homely look to the place. We must say, the waiters were very nice to us. They even spoke to us about the specials at Shamrock and what they thought we should try as first timers. He even went on to have a friendly chit-chat with us and told us how the atmosphere at Shamrock is great and needs better advertising so that people would actually turn up even on weekday nights, where he said, Shamrock is said to be quite isolate.
Nevertheless, what should be commendable is the smiles and cheerful looks on their faces and the speed of the delivery. Our food arrived within about 10-15 minutes.
Food and Drinks
Before you get confused, there’s two menus. The Shamrock one and the one from Red Snapper. The menu from Red Snapper is more of a dining kind of one whereas Shamrock is more the type of one with less complicated, quick-eats kind of menu. We didn’t try out anything from the Red Snapper, so we can’t vouch for it, yet.
The beverages at Shamrock are considerably less expensive because they are set in a price range of Rs.400 – Rs.1000. If we are to give you a list of the categories of beverages they offer and the price range, it would be as follows; In their ‘Brands’ category, to start out with Aperitif and vermouth, Port and Sherry or Vodka would cost you in between Rs.400-950 per shot and up to Rs.21,000 if you opt for the bottle. The next category is the selection of Vodka, ranging between Rs.400-8000 per shot and up to Rs.15, 000 per bottle. Gin, Rum, Tequila and Whiskey follow the same pattern of prices. It then moves onto their premium beverages that exceed this range of prices, but trust us, it’s worth it.
For those of you who wish to have a comfy date and sip on to a glass of wine, their white wine range would work best for you. And for those of you who wish not to get drunk, you need to go for the ‘Magic Island’ under their Mocktail Range. Needless to say, their Sour Arrack is a show stopper.
Then moving onto the Appetizers, the first thing that comes to mind are their ‘Famous Jumbo Chicken Wings’. It only costs Rs.650, but the portion is huge and the sauce and the spices are top notch. Would definitely recommend this. They also have snacks like Nachos to Ham and cheese omelettes to even Hot butter mushrooms. The price range again is between a Rs.600 – Rs. 900. We also tried the ‘Blackened Grilled Club Sandwich”, which we can assure, is not a let-down. The size of the portion actually makes it eligible to be a main course dish as well.
Their in-house specialities are commendable. Our first time there, we tried their ‘Pork kottu’. For all you pork lovers out their, the pork kottu is a must have. It will give your taste buds the perfect blend of Sri Lankan spices and the richness of the meat and, with melted mozzarella on top for just as low as Rs.550! The next time we went, we opted for the ‘Grilled Chicken’ which was Rs.880 and it was a bit of a let-down. The spices weren’t as infused in each other as we hoped for it to be and it was a little too salty.
All in all, we think that Shamrock is a place that is beautifully designed to render the proper Irish vibe. The drinks are quite up to standards and so is the food. They don’t necessarily offer a greater variety of food, but since it’s a bar and their beverage selection is quite vast, I think we can let the food selection slip under the rug. Though it’s described to be a club and lounge we think it well describes the latter than the former. It’s more of a place to chill with your friends after a long day of work or a week of hassle, rather than a place to party all night. With comfortable sofas and melancholy lights, it’s a place you definitely need to be. It’s just around the corner, behind Dutch Hospital in Col 01. If you do happen to visit the place and want to add to our review, please do tell us what you feel about Shamrock in the comments below.
Enjoy!
