Located at: ITC Ratnadipa, 21 Galle Face Centre Road, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka

Visited on: 16th July, 2024

(See edit from 30/08/2025 below.)

Peshawri is ITC Ratnadipa’s North Indian restaurant, located on the third floor. One of the first things you notice about the hotel, as a whole, is the stunning, endless view of the Indian Ocean that you get across the entire front façade, through its glass panelled-walls. The interior is a vast expanse of opulence, with the elegant, high ceilinged-lobby located on the second floor, and some of the restaurants accessible by escalator from thereon. The restaurant itself has been thoughtfully curated, with a Mughal-inspired interior that is a tasteful mix of rustic colours, fabrics and textures. As expected, prices are in keeping with the hotel’s luxury status.

We tried Peshawri’s Non-Vegetarian Single Diner Experience (LKR 9,000++), which is essentially a set menu. The vegetarian alternative is available as well. The menu offers a choice of three kebabs out of six options. We went with Machli Tikka (marinated modha fish, cooked in a tandoor), Seekh Kebab (spiced lamb mince, skewered and grilled over charcoal), and Tandoori Jingha (marinated jumbo prawn, roasted over charcoal). The other options were Murgh Tandoori (marinated skewered chicken, cooked in a tandoor), Murgh Malai Kebab (creamy boneless chicken, char grilled in a clay oven), and Kadak Seekh (batter-fried, char-grilled chicken mince stuffed with green chilli and cheese).

The fish kabeb had great flavour, was well-marinated and cooked to a nice consistency. The prawn truly was jumbo-sized, and also had a nice mild char and flavour on the outside while retaining a bit of bite in texture. The minced lamb kebab came in the form of a kebab stick and had definitely been spiced with the ginger, green chilli, coriander, cumin and saffron that the menu description mentioned – you could taste it in the meat.

The kebabs were served with three accompaniments. The first was a Murgh Makhani (butter chicken), whose gravy I quite liked. It went very well with the bread, which I shall come to shortly. The texture was good, as was the flavour – possibly a touch spicier than most butter chicken curries that you would come across. There was a fair bit of chicken in it, too. Next was the Dal Bukhara (black lentil curry, simmered overnight). This was decent, too, although the chicken curry was definitely my first preference. Truth be told, the quantity of food on this set menu was too much for someone with my size of appetite – given that the whole affair was meat-heavy and the gravies were rich. The Mixed Raita did not impress. While the presentation was interesting, I found the texture to be a little too viscous, and the taste lacking the punch that you usually taste with a good raita. I also prefer the veggies to be finely chopped for a bit of crunchy texture here and there.

For our choice of bread, we went with Butter Naan. It came hot and crisp, glistening with a fine layer of molten butter, and had a nice texture and thickness that made it feel light but filling enough. It was great for the chicken and dhal gravies. Rumali roti was among the other bread offerings – the list of which I fail to recall now – and might have been a better match for the kebabs. However, I did like the butter naan by itself, as well as with the curries.

From their dessert options, we tried their Kulfi and Rasmalai. The portions felt a bit large after the indulgence of the heavy main round, and I would definitely have liked the kulfi to be a little lighter and creamier than the dense, somewhat grainy texture that it was. The flavour was nice, though, and the vermicelli and almond slivers added layering to the dessert’s texture. The poached cottage cheese dumplings of the rasmalai were soft and light, and the reduced milk sauce had a nice saffron flavour to it. Other dessert options on offer were Gulab Jamun and Phirni (rice-based dessert with milk, cardamom and nuts).

It was a good overall experience at Peshawri, with the set menu enabling us to taste a variety of what their kitchen has to offer. As mentioned earlier, the portion was larger than what we could manage individually, which meant that there was a fair bit of food leftover. However, I wasn’t blown away by the culinary experience, and with the gross total for the Single Diner Experience coming up to around LKR 12,100 per person (not including beverages), I would give it a second thought before going for seconds.

Yummy rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Edit:

On a second visit to Peshawri on 30/08/2025, we ordered their Murgh Makhani (butter chicken, LKR 4,200), Machli Tikka (tandoori modha, LKR 4,500) and Dal Bukhara (a signature dish – black lentils cooked for 24 hours, LKR 2,800) with Tandoori Naan (LKR 750 each) and Pudina Paratha (LKR 750). It was coincidence that we ordered most of the same items that we’d tried with the set menu on the previous occasion. However, we were very pleased with what we ordered, as they all tasted good. The tandoori naan certainly was on point – just the right thickness, and cooked to perfection.

What I do want to highlight, though, is the beverage that we tried. The Lassi Shop (LKR 1,600) is prepared with yoghurt, almond, pistachio and saffron, and can be ordered in one of four flavours – strawberry, mango, salty or sweet. We tried strawberry and mango flavours, and they were both absolutely delicious. Smooth, thick, a little nutty, a little fruity, and perfectly balanced. We loved them!

We also appreciated the fact that the friendly staff have been trained to share and explain the concept of Peshawri restaurants at ITC Hotels. It was rather insightful, and gave greater meaning to everything from the menu, to the preparation, restaurant set-up, décor and beyond.

TEL’s yummy rating stands as was.

Yummy rating: 4.0 / 5.0