Life’s Good Kitchen — Restaurant in Colombo

While Life’s Good Kitchen boasts a beautiful atmosphere and well-thought-out décor, my recent experience was extremely disappointing and left a lot to be desired in terms of customer service and professionalism.

I had made a reservation in advance for a small birthday celebration, clearly informing the staff that we intended to cut a cake. Over the phone, I was told there was a minimum spend of LKR 3,000–3,500 per person, which we were happy to comply with. However, from the moment we arrived, the service began to fall short.

We brought helium balloons—without any intention of putting up decorations—but were immediately told décor wasn’t allowed, with no prior communication on such restrictions. We respected the request and returned the balloons to the car, but it set an uneasy tone.

We proceeded to order food and while our starters (two bowls of soup) arrived, we attempted to begin the cake-cutting. At that moment, we were abruptly told that we could not cut the cake until we finished our entire meal. Not just place the order, but finish eating everything. This felt unnecessarily rigid and disrespectful, especially considering we were following all spending requirements and had clearly communicated our plans in advance.

When we requested to speak to a manager due to the tone and attitude of the staff, the individual who introduced himself as the manager and owner, Mr. Hiran Ganegoda, joined us. Unfortunately, his behavior was even more disappointing. Instead of addressing our concerns with professionalism, he made condescending remarks, including, “This is not a charity. You can’t just order French fries, cut cake, take pictures, and leave.” This was not only uncalled for but completely false—we had already placed the order for the starters and was planning to order the mains after cutting the cake.

The food itself was underwhelming—bland and forgettable. The only positive takeaway was the ambiance, but good décor cannot make up for poor service and a lack of basic hospitality.

Customer experience matters, and unfortunately, this visit showed us that at Life’s Good Kitchen, it is not a priority. I do not recommend this place for any celebrations or...

A Disappointing Experience – Would Not Recommend I visited this restaurant to celebrate my birthday, expecting a pleasant evening with good service. I had chosen this place for its nice ambiance and because of a positive past experience. Unfortunately, this visit was far from enjoyable.

I placed my order before my two friends arrived—one starter, a pizza, three drinks, and a platter. I planned to order more food once they joined. While waiting for the food after my friends arrived, we decided to cut the birthday cake. However, before we could even open it, a waiter approached us and insisted that the cake could only be cut at the end of the meal. Initially, we thought this was a polite suggestion, but we later realized the real reason—they wanted to ensure we met a spending requirement before allowing us to cut the cake.

What made this worse was that the policy was never communicated upfront. Instead, the waiter informed one of my friends that each person had to spend at least 3,500 LKR per meal to be allowed to cut a cake—an unreasonable rule. If this was their policy, they should have informed us beforehand rather than taking our cake away to store in their chiller.

To add to the frustration, the service was terrible. The waiter was unfriendly, impolite, and made us feel unwelcome. So we decided to leave. Our total bill had already reached 10,990 LKR (almost 11,000), including the service charge. Had the service been better, we would have stayed longer and ordered more food and drinks. Sadly, they didn’t even let us cut our own birthday cake despite our ongoing bill being almost 11,000 LKR.

This restaurant completely ruined the mood of our gathering. The experience was frustrating, and we left feeling disappointed and unwelcome.

If you're looking for a restaurant that values its customers and provides good service, this is not the...

A Disappointing Experience – Would Not Recommend

We visited this restaurant to celebrate our friend's birthday, expecting a nice time and good service. Unfortunately, our experience was far from pleasant.

Our friend had already placed an order, so we decided to cut the birthday cake while waiting for the food. Before we even opened the cake, a waiter approached us and said that the cake should only be cut after the meal. At first, we thought this was a considerate gesture, but we later realized the real reason—they wanted to ensure we met a spending requirement before allowing us to cut the cake.

What made it worse was that this rule was not communicated to us at all. Instead, the waiter only informed one of our friends privately while we were away taking photos. Apparently, each person was required to spend at least 3,500 per meal, which is completely unreasonable. If this was their policy, they should have been upfront about it before taking our cake away to store in their chiller.

On top of this, the service was terrible. The waiter was hostile, impolite, and made us feel unwelcome. Our total bill came to 10,990 (almost 11,000), including the service charge, yet they still refused to let us cut the cake.

The ambience was nice, but it became clear that they don’t actually care about their customers or the dining experience—only the bill and how much we were spending. Instead of making us feel valued as guests, the entire experience felt transactional and unpleasant.

Would not recommend this place to anyone. If you’re looking for a restaurant that values its customers and provides good service, this is NOT the...