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3/2/2006 Tasty Food Centre, MiriswatthaOne morning this week I was feeling peckish on the way into work and so stopped off at the Tasty Food Centre at Miriswattha. They advertise breakfast and lunch and having passed the place many times I decided to give it a try. It is fairly basic with the restaurant open to the road with just some screens in place. There were a couple of ceiling fans but no a/c. There are around half a dozen tables and half of these were occupied when I arrived. I asked the guy behind the counter if he spoke English and after getting an affirmative answer we started negotiations. It became apparent that I was too late for breakfast (it was about 11:00) but I there was some fish curry available so I ordered that. I was motioned to a seat and after a few minutes a waiter brought over a bottle of water which I declined. He then came back a couple of minutes with a glass of water which I also declined. I asked for Coca Cola but there was obviously confusion with this. A couple of minutes later the original guy behind the counter appeared to check if I wanted Coca Cola and he immediately brought one over once I confirmed that was indeed what I was after. The fish curry arrived soon after and although was cold was quite spicy and quite nice. A loaf of sliced bread appeared too and I used that to eat the curry with (no cutlery was in evidence). I actually quite like eating this style! The guy from behind the counter popped out after a few minutes and asked me if I wanted to try the potato curry which I readily agreed to. It arrived shortly afterwards and was also cold but was to die for! Not spicy at all but quite sweet. I had no problem of getting the bill which came to 165/-. I gave them 200/- and let them keep the change. Awesome value for money and no after effects from trying out one of the more downmarket places I have eaten in. Again, in reflection this is something I wish I had done more often! 2/25/2006 Nihonbashi Sushi Bar, Odells : ReviewThis lunchtime I called in at the Nihonbashi Sushi Bar which is located within Odell's department store. This was my first visit here, despite spotting this bar on my first visit to Odells in Dec 2003. Quite why we never came here is beyond me. Possibly because as Helen did the shopping during the week I rarely (if ever) came to Odells with her again.
Anyway, I was in Odells suitcase hunting and decided that it was a case of better late than never. I grabbed a stool at the bar (there are also a handful of tables available too). The bar was pretty busy and seats were rarely empty for long. It took me a few minutes to catch someones attention to get served. I ordered the Nihonbashi Tei (920/-) and had a 10-15 minute wait for it. The menu had pictures of all the dishes which I always find handy. The Nihonbashi Tei included sushi: 2 pieces of tuna on top of rice, 2 pieces of what I think was Sea Bream on top of rice, another 8 or so pieces of various fish on their own, pasta salid, glass noodles (or something very similar), 3 Tekka Maki, miso soup and ginger and woosabi. It was excellent. Again I wish we'd called here two years ago when I first spotted it as I'm sure we would have come here quite often. C'est la vie.
A plus for me is when all prices are inclusive. Although more expensive than Sakuras I have to say its a nice lunchtime venue with plenty of people passing by which if, like me, you like to people watch, makes the meal more interesting! 2/24/2006 Surades (Indian), Welisara : Restaurant ReviewSurades is a restaurant I have probably passed hundreds of times on my way to and from work. It is situated almost exactly half way (time wise) between my apartment in Colombo and our factory in Katunayake. I kept meaning to call in on the way home for work but somehow never quite got around to it. I had thought I had missed my chance when the sign they displayed outside, on the road disappeared just before xMas. However, it was replaced by another, although less noticable, one a few days later. So with my time in SL running out I finally took the plunge yesterday evening and stopped off around 21:00 on my way home from work.
The restaurant is set in its own grounds and has a large car park. When I got out of the car I was blasted by some music they were playing at high volume but once inside this couldn't be heard. I first of all walked into the main entrance but the restaurant was empty. After a minute of hanging about a waiter (who I think was possibly the owner/manager) rescued me and directed me to a side door where there was another room with around half a dozen tables of varying sizes. There of the tables were already taken.
I was provided with a menu straight away and the waiter returned after a few minutes to take my order. In the tradition of many restaurants in SL the menu is only a guideline . It turned out only a few meals were actually available so I selected the Chama Masala Curry (Kadala Curry), 100/-, got the waiter to recommend some Roomali Roti, 50/-, to go with it and asked for Mango Lassi, 100/-. A glass of water was provided immediately but I left this as I rarely chance what could be tap water. The meal took around 15-20 minutes to arrive. The Chama was in a small pot with a flame beneath and the roti arrived in a basket. As no cuttlery was provided (although there was some on one of the other tables) I decided to dive in with my hands and roti.
The decor was fairly basic. Shanti Vihar was the closest I could think of in Colombo. The a/c was set just right. There was a TV on in the corner showing a variety of programs all of which seemed to involve a lot of women crying for some reason. As the audio was in Singhalese I couldn't make head nor tail of the plot.
The meal itself was excellent as was the lassi. I had no trouble getting the bill. Service charge of 10% was added to the bill. I was pleased I'd made the effort to call here and as usual with these things wished I'd called a long time ago as this would have been a useful place to stop off if I was hungary on the way home from work!
As I was leaving the waiter flagged me down and complained that one of the notes I had given him was torn. In the UK this is not an issue. In fact you can even take two halves of a bank note to a bank and get it changed for a whole one. I changed the note for the waiter anyway as it made no odds to me.
2/21/2006 Cafe Japan - Home DeliveryThis evening I actually got back from work before 21:00 so I had decided on the drive home to take anothercanadiangirl's advice and try the Moshi Moshi restaurant. However, fate is really intervening to stop me going here as when I checked my mail box there was a menu for Cafe Japan in it. I have never heard of the place before, although Helen, my wife, thinks it was the one that closed down shortly after we moved to St. James, near to R&B on Duplication Road.
To my delight they even do home delivery and as I was pretty tired and have no particular delight in dining out alone I decided to order a delivery. A delightful lady speaking excellent English answered the telephone (2676464) and I ordered the Sashimi, Zaru Soba & Kappa Maki (1170/-). Although they claim to charge 50-200/- delivery charge there was no evidence of this and so I tipped the delivery man a couple of 100/-.
About 20 minutes after I had ordered the telephone went with a rather flustered sounding lady asking if she had taken the address for my Japanese delivery down correctly. She had and I quickly told her it was close to the British Council which she immediately knew. 10 minutes later the guard downstairs phoned to say there was a delivery man with food on his way up to me!
The food was excellent. Plenty of rice, soya sauce and chopsticks all came with the meal. If this is the quality of the take away I will try and get to the restaurant before I leave. Suffice to say I could heartily recommend Cafe Japan's home delivery service and I wish I had known about it much earlier.
The only downside to the evening was when I realised after over 2 years in Colombo I had found a reasonably priced Japanese Restaurant, that does excellent food and home delivery, just 10 days before I leave!
For the record Cafe Japen is situated at 36 Ward Place, Colombo 7 - not far from Odells, towards Borella. 12/30/2005 Teppanyaki at the Ginza Hohsen Restauarant, The Hilton, ColomboThis lunchtime we finally made it to the Teppanyaki at the Ginza Hohsen restaurant at the Hilton in Colombo. Teppanyaki is something I've always wanted to try but never found anywhere that could do it so once I found the Ginza Hohsen did it has been high on my list of places to visit this Christmas. We arrived around 13:45 and the Teppanyaki was empty although the main restaurant was about half full.
For those of you who don't know (and this included me until today) Teppanyaki is food cooked on a hot plate, usually in front of you as you sit at a table.
The Teppanyaki is at the back of the Ginza Hohsen restaurant and there are three Teppanyaki tables with 8 seats at each. There were around 8 dishes on the menu. The Teppanyaki meal was 5 courses and although I was hungary I wasn't convinced I was that hungary but seeing as we were here I thought we'd go for it. I went for the Mai course and Helen the Miyabi course. We ordered a japanese beer each as I always tend to try and drink something from the same country as my main meal.
The waiter brought our drinks out promptly and also brought out some side dishes he identified as soya and peanut sauces. He also checked to make sure we were happy using chopsticks, which we were, of course. The first course seemed to consist of some mainly egg slices along with some salad and slices of something completely unidentifiable. I found it quite plesant although I noticed Helen avoided it after having a small taste. Our chef arrived shortly afterwards, having switched on the hot plate shortly after we sat down. He was excellent entertainment throughout the meal showing great dexterity twirling the knife and pepper cellar about.
First off the hot plate was the oyster mushroom which was superb, if a little heavily peppered for Helen. Next was the seer fish that was to die for. Helen and myself usually just swap bits of our meal so we both get a chance to try the different things. Next up was the capsipcum which was also excellent. My lobster was next and was very good (although I have to say I find UK lobster much nicer than any I have had out here in Asia). The lobster meat had been taken out whilst it was cooked and places back in the lobster shell when served. Helen's steak was next and she chose to have it done medium rare. I have to say it was also spot on. The chef cut it up into slices so it was easily edible with chopsticks. Next was a vegatable we had been trying to identify as it sizzled away on the hot plate. It turned out to be potato and was again excellent. The final item off the hot plate was a prawn each. Again the meat was cooked out of the shell and the chef offered us the prawn heads which we both declined. To finish there was fruit but to be honest I just picked at it as I was pretty full by this time.
Rice and soup arrived during the course of the meal and both were excellent. The service was good and the extra can of Kirin that Helen ordered arrived promptly.
The total bill came to a staggering 9241.40/= of which 2400/= was for 3 cans of Kirin lager! So that went straight onto the credit card. But despite the exorbitant price (it took two strawberry pils in the Echelon bar before I could recover) I have to say I'm glad we did it. It was a great experience and the food was excellent but I don't think my bank manager will allow me to do it again for a very long time! Galleries Restaurant ColomboI have always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the Galleries Restaurant. I like it because the food is excellent, is presented impeccably and the surroundings unique but I dislike it because it is a bit pricey (by Sri Lankan standards), the service is lousy and the place always gives me the impression of being a place where people come to be seen at rather than a place people come because they genuinely like the place. The latter is possibly a misconception on my part but the first two objections are not up for debate. The fact that our apartment overlooks both The Galleries and the Cricket Club Cafe, both are a two minute walk from our front door and we have been to Galleries probably half a dozen times and the CCC around fifty times since arriving in Sri Lanka tells its own story.
Anyway, yesterday evening I was not feeling 100% and so I suggested we just go to a restaurant close to the apartment. My wife Helen suprisingly opted for the Galleries so I agreed, on one hand without enthusiasm because it is some way down on my list of favorite restaurants but on the other hand with some enthusiasm because generally you can't get a table without booking first and we had not booked! However, suprisingly, they managed to fit us in.
Now it is worth stating that the Galleries is worth one visit just to experience the unique surroundings. You walk into the restaurant through an archway into a small courtyard where there is some parking available. Note that parking at busy times is a bit chaotic. I know this from having to maneuveur my own car through the seemingly abandoned vehicles randomly deposited outside the Galleries whilst trying to get into the St. James car park opposite. (Incredibly Sri Lankan's are as bad at parking as they are at driving). From the courtyard you walk through a short corridor (where the doors to the toilets are located) and then on through a room with large fish ponds running down the length of them before walking through into the bar area. The bar area has several tables, a few dining tables and some comfy chairs. The bar area is separated from the main dining area by a few pillars. The dining area itself is partially covered and is dimly lit - only candles on the tables and back lighting providing any illumination once the sun goes down but this all adds to the atmosphere. There are several trees growing in the open air area, which again is only separated from the covered area by a line of pillars. You will need to dress appropriately for eating here - not by dress code as mercifully there does not seem to be one - but because there is no a/c and no fans. This means that unless you bring protection from insects you will almost certainly get bitten. I always wear long trousers and preferably a long sleeved shirt when eating here.
The wine menu is fairly restrictive - none of my beloved Chilean wine is available but there are plenty from Australia or France. I generally opt for the 3 coins draught lager. Draught lager can be a voyage into the unknown in Sri Lanka as the cleaning of the pipes does not seem to be done with the regularity you expect in an English pub but I have never had a problem drinking draught 3 coins at Galleries. The large 3 coins cost around 300/= each. I'd advise ordering your drinks pretty quickly as service at Galleries is notoriusly slow. Note that the waiters pour water into your glass out of a jug so I have no idea if it is tap or bottled water. I have sometimes chanced the water here but didn't do last night. Most the ex-pats will not drink water unless they see the seal of a water bottle broken in front of them. Whilst I have no idea how the Galleries operate I have actually seen at one hotel staff filling up water bottles with tap water so I'd advise against taking a waiters word for it anywhere.
The food menu offers an excllent choice of a variety of different foods. You can get steak, sea food, curries and a lot more all at between 500 - 1500/= each. Be aware that portions are of a very sensible size cleverly designed to ensure you'll need a starter and a dessert as well as a main course and I say this being someone who is not a big eater. However, the presentation is excellent making you want to spend a minute or so in silent contemplation of your meal before destroying the artistry involved in presenting it.
Whilst waiting for your meal to arrive (and this can take some time) the waiter will produce a basket of breads, usually with about 4 different types in, along with some butter. This are excellent and are complimentory.
Last night I ordered the Snitzel in Vindaloo sauce & Helen ordered the Chicken in lemon grass and ginger. Note that Vindaloo sauce is not the same as Vindaloo in the UK (which makes most Sri Lankan dishes taste decidely mild in comparison). Over here is tends to be a slightly sweet curry sauce between mild and medium in spiciness. Last night out meal arrived fairly promptly after 30 minutes or so (you can wait well over an hour between courses on some days) by which time we had demolished most of the bread. The main course was faultless and reminded me exactly why it is worth making the effort to eat here if you are in no hurry. It was difficult to pick which meal was better and I think the jury is still out on that decision. The service continued to live up to its poor reputation when I had to ask for another beer twice before one finally arrived about 15 minutes after my first request and about 1 minute after my second.
Unusually for us we decided to go for a dessert, a decision based both on the relatively small main course but also on the large selection of desserts they have here. I went for Bread pudding and Helen for some Hazlenut ice cream connconction. Both were good, but failed to quite live up to the main course, but having said that it was more a reflection of the quality of the main course than lack of it in the dessert.
The bill arrived fairly promptly last night and came to 4100/= including the beer, service charge & government tax. Note that all prices on the menu exclude sc & gt. All in all an excellent evening out and despite the inexplicable poor service (considering the number of waiters) I would always recommend someone to at least try the Galleries as it offers a unique dining experience that I certainly haven't found anywhere else in Sri Lankan. Just be aware when coming here that you need to allow plenty of time as the service can be slow and you really need to order three courses if you are hungary as the portions are not generous. Having said that the quality of the food itself cannot be faulted. 12/29/2005 Lagoon Restaurant, Cinnamon GrandYesterday evening Helen and myself decided to go to the Lagoon Restaurant at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo. The lagoon is a purely sea/lagoon food restaurant. We arrived around 19:00 and despite the restaurant only having one table already taken there seemed to be a problem with us not having made a reservation. Needless to say a table was found for us and we were quickly given the menu. We ordered a Chilean Chardonnay called Sunset to drink (2250/=) and I ordered 6 oysters for starters and Helen ordered a crab cocktail. The menus are written out on boards that are handed to you and only the starters and side dishes are listed.
For the main course you go up to the fish counter in the middle of the restaurant and simply decide what you want off the fish counter. Note that there is no live produce on sale, for which my wife was very thankful as she can't choose a living animal she will be eating later on! Its pot luck was is available on the menu as it totally depends on what has been caught earlier in the day, although I assume there are a number of fish (like seer) it would be a pretty safe bet to assume would be available most days. In total there were at least a dozen different fish to choose from as long as a variety of shellfish like lobster and both sea and lagoon crabs. All the seafood has the price marked per 100g and whatever you pick is weighed and price confirmed with you. Once you have chosen your main course you pick your accompanying sauce from a list off a board by the side of the counter. The waiter will advise you what sauces go with what fish. You can also request to have your fish filletted (which my wife did) or have it whole (as I did). You also specify the method of cooking. I opted for Red Mullat and my wife Red Snapper. We both asked for the fish to be grilled. I had garlic and my wife had citrus caper sauce. We also ordered rice and wok fried vegatables to go with the meal.
When we got back to the table the wine was served immediately and was excellent. Our starters arrived shortly afterwards. My oysters were served on a bed of ice with sliced lime and a bottle of tabasco sauce was also provided. Helen's crab cocktail was served with lettice and both were excellent.
The main course arrived 10 or so minutes after we had finished our starters and both were good, although we both agreed that mine was the pick of the two. Helen found only a single bone in her filleted red snapper. Both plates were completely empty at the end of the meal which is always a good sign.
The total bill came to just under 5400/= (but half of that was just for the wine). This included service charage and government taxes. The service was excellent and my only criticism of the venue is that once more than half a dozen or so tables are taken the restaurant gets quite noisy. I think this is probably due to the fact that the entire front of the restaurant is just glass. We weren't actually shouting at one another over the table but we were having to raise our voices to speak to one another. I'd have no problem in recommending the Lagoon as along with Beach Wadia is the best Sri Lankan seafood I have had in Colombo. I'd advise getting in early if you are a couple to avoid the noise issue but if you are in a larger party I guess it won't matter. 12/28/2005 Royal Thai & Rohans Restaurants & Union BarLast night we went to the Royal Thai at the Trans Asia. The meal was a big success. Both Helen & myself are big fans of Thai food, having picked up the taste originally in the UK and having it enhanced by a couple of trips to Thailand since being over in Sri Lanka. The Royal Thai is situated at the Trans Asia Hotel and we turned up around 19:00 and managed to get a table although quite a number were reserved (although none of the reserved tables were taken up by the time we left around 20:30). The menus at the Royal Thai are unusual in that they have wooden covers and are very wide but thin. The spiciness of the meals are marked out by a chilli symbol (none, one or two chillis). I went for a chicken green curry with egg plant (one chilli) and Helen went for some pan fried chicken wrapped in lemon grass with mushrooms (no chillis). Helen had a couple of glasses of house wine and I had a 3 coins lager to accompany the meal. The food was spot on and the service was excellent. The total bill came to less than 2000/=.
On Monday lunchtime I took Helen to Rohans restaurant on Union Place. Helen seemed suitably impressed, especially as when the waiter came over when he noticed she was struggling with the Chicken Tikka Masala she had ordered. He ascertained that the meal was a bit spicy for her, quickly disappeared off and returned with a bowl of curd, which certainly helped Helen manage the meal. Not only that but he produced a small glass of a syrupy liquid at the end which even disapated the lingering taste from my, much spicier curry. I tried a drink that tasted pretty much like liquid poppadoms and although not unpleasant I'm not sure I would have it again. We ordered Naan, paratha and rice to accompany the meal as well as a 3 coins irish dark for Helen and it all came to less that 2000/=.
After Rohans we went for a couple of beers at what is my favorite bar in Colombo, The Union bar at the Hilton Apartments. It is located just across the road from Rohans. It is a small bar with seats up at the bar and about half a dozen tables. It never seems to get very busy and the bar staff are always helpful and usually provide us with complementory nibbles (popcorn, spicy crisps and peanuts). Sadly they no longer serve 3 coins lager but they still have Lion and Carlsberg available. There are a couple of TV screens in the bar, usually showing cricket or other sport if there is no cricket on. The Hilton Apartments also has the added advantage of having a HSBC cashpoint in the foyer. 12/14/2005 Christmas Day Lunch/Dinner Recommendations In Colombo?Do any of my readers have a restaurant they could recommend for Christmas lunch/dinner? Currently I've not decided what to do for Christmas (other than I am staying in Sri Lanka) and so I guess I need to book this weekend if I haven't left it too late already.
Last xMas we had Christmas lunch picnic sat on a wooden bench in a tropical rain forest in Phuket so that will take some beating! The xMas before we spent at the Continental in Colombo and I may try that again as we enjoyed that very much too. Rohans Restaurant ReviewLast week I managed to track down Rohans Indian Restaurant. I had been trying to find this place for a few months. The secret in finding it seemed to be driving from the top end of Union Place in the dark as this had two benefits.
Parking is available down the side of the building. There is a side entrance which leads into the main restaurant. The place was pretty deserted when I arrived (around 20:00 on Thu) with just a couple of tables taken. There was no sign of any staff so I just sat in a table. Like London buses two waiters turned up at once and I managed to attract the attention of one of them. The menu was fairly extensive and was North Indian cuisine. For the life of me I can't remember the curry I ordered but it was excellent and would certainly have not been out of place in a Southern Indian curry house as regards its spiciness. The Keema Naan was unavailable so I ordered garlic naan and also steamed basmati rice to accompany the meal along with a 3 coins lager. The cost of the meal was around 500/= and was excellent value for money. Note that service charge and government tax are added to the menu prices. I would put the restaurant environment on a par with the Mango Tree, Amariths or Namastes. In other words more upmarket than Shanti Vihar or Amaravathis but not as up market as the Indian restaurants at the 5 star hotels like the Taj or Continental. The food was equally as good as any of those other restaurants and I can particularly recommend the garlic naan. Once I got a waiters attention after arriving the service was excellent. This is a restaurant I will definitely be bringing Helen to when she gets back over to Sri Lanka next week. 12/6/2005 Queen's Cafe & Amarvathi EateriesThe weekend just gone saw me re-visit two old favorites on the curry front :)
Saturday evening saw me pop into the Queen's cafe on Duplication Road, just across from the apartment block I live in. Although I have never eaten in the restaurant I have often taken a takeaway back to the apartment. However it had been a few months since I had last called in and when I arrived around 17:00 I was disappointed to see only Chinese food on the menu. It turned out however that the curries are only served in the evening after 19:00. The manager was very helpful though and let me order a curry for collection at 19:30. I went for the Chicken Chattinad, a garlic naan and some steamed basmati rice. All for less than 500/=. When I arrived back at 19:30 the food was waiting. I have to say either the chicken chattinad was not has spicy as before or my taste buds are getting too used to having spicy foodas previously this was just about the spiciest thing I have found in Sri Lanka. However, it was still excellent.
Sunday lunchtime saw me venture back to another old favorite, Amaravathis on Mile Post Avenue, between Galle & Dplication Roads near Liberty Plaza. Having had the 10 dish Vegetarian Thali a few weeks ago I went the whole hog and had the 14 dish one, along with a sweet lassi. Bear in mind these are small, cup sized & shaped metal dishes. This included papad and chapathi as one of the dishes and also there was plenty of rice. There were a couple of tea spoons supplied with the dishes and I used them to eat the various delights. I'm not sure if it is the established method of eating as Sri Lankans often use their hands to eat with, or whether I was supposed to tip the dish into my mouth, but anyway I used the teaspoon. This was a rare treat as at least one of the dishes was seriously spicy. I did resort to the lassi to cool my buring tongue at least once! I was completely pogged by the end of it all having consumed all 14 dishes and a good portion of the rice! The bill came to around 300/= which is ridicuously cheap for a meal of this excellence. You'd pay 10 times that in a 5 star hotel and get nothing better IMHO. However, I've rarely seen another ex-pat eating in here. This is one place I am really going to miss when I leave Sri Lanka. 12/3/2005 Taj Airport Gardens : Curries From Around The WorldI popped into the Taj Airport Gardens on my way home from Katunayake last night. I had noticed a banner hanging across the road earlier in the week advertising 'Curries From Around The World' and thought it was worth investigating. I had previously been to both their Northern & Southern Indian promotions and had enjoyed them very much. I had blogged about these but I notice for some reason my blog entries from the first half of June appear to have disappeared :(
The Airport Gardens is only a 10 minute drive from work (you pass it on the wat between Colombo & the airport) and I arrived there about 20:00. Fortunately I had just caught the promotion before it ends on Sun 4th Dec. The promotion is located in the restaurant (I forget the name) at the back of the Taj, next to the bar. I grabbed a table, ordered a lion beer and realised it was buffet so I had a wander around to see what was on offer. Basically 3 countries were covered, Sri Lanka, India & Thailand. The buffet was split into 3 areas with flags behind each area to denote which country the curries were from. (Although I have to admit I couldn't identify the Thailand flag to start with). There were four curries available from each country and a variety of side dishes. I had all 4 from India, 1 from Sri Lanka and 2 from Thailand - they were small helpings, honest! None were particularly spicy to me but very enjoyable none the less.
Its great that the Taj put on these promotions once in a while as it makes a very pleasant change.
The meal cost 1200/= and a lion beer 280/= which I think was pretty good value for money. It was certainly nice to have a variety of curries in one evening and at somewhere I have to pass anyway on the way home :) 11/23/2005 A Night Out At Cheers, Colombo PlazaLast night I met up, at Cheers, with some of the other ex-pats working at Crystal Martin, Alan, James & Lina along with Lina's sister and a visiting friend from England. We had a few drinks and a meal. I am not a big fan of Cheers. It claims to be an English style pub but strikes me as being more like an American bar. The food is pretty average and last night was pretty poor. I had fish and chips, the chips turning out french fries. I am indifferent to fries at the best of times and these were cold. The fish was fine. Most of the others grumbled about their food too and the fact it took so long to get served. The one saving grace of Cheers used to be the bread and butter pudding they served but sadly that disappeared off the menu a while ago. Personally I prefer the Cricket Club Cafe which doesn't try to pretend to be something its not - it simply is a one off! But although the meal was not a success it was still enjoyable to have a chat and a few beers. 11/22/2005 Sunday 20th November : Lunch At Shanti ViharToday was a lazy day at the apartment. I did go out for an hour or so, just to stretch my legs and grab something to eat. It had been a while since I had visited Shanti Vihar, a little gem of a restaurant only 10-15 minutes walk from my apartment, so I headed off in that direction.
My first task was to change the pin numbers on my master and visa cards, which after a battle with issuers had finally arrived in Sri Lanka from the UK. The letter than arrived with the pin numbers specified I could do this at a Lloyds TSB cashpoint. Not many of those in Sri Lanka (i.e. none). So I rang the international helpline to see if I could use the cashpoints over here. The international helpline hadn't a clue and told me to try them and see. I did and cash withdrawl was my only option so now I'm stuck with pin numbers I have no chance of remembering :(
I got accosted by the usual beggars and one child in particular was really annoying and kept grabbing my arm. Be very careful when they do this as I have heard stories of items going missing off your person when they do this. Luckily its never happened to me.
Arriving at Shanti Vihar, I went into the air conditioned back room. There were only two of the dozen or so tables taken so I plonked myself down in a seat and the menu arrived within seconds. I ordered The Masala Thali & Lassi. I tried to order a paratha too but the waiter queried it saying that the Thali came with rice and should be enough. I gave in and he proved to be right. I almost, but not quite finished the Thali on its own. The Thali was not quite as good as the one I had at Amarvathi's yesterday but not far off. The bill came to 203/=. If you fancy a really good curry at exceptionally good value for money and don't mind a fairly basic setting you can do no better than try the Shanthi Vihar!
On the way back to the apartment I saw one of the 'crab' men selling crabs at the side of or I really should say in the middle of the road. He did ask if I wanted one but I declined. Much as I lov3e crab I prefer someone else to prepare it for me! 11/18/2005 Lunch PacketsI thought I'd mention I'd had a couple of lunch packets this week. Lunch packets in Sri Lanka are packets of food sold round about lunchtime, usually wrapped in celephene and paper. They seem to be basically packets of rice and vegetables with a choice of meat (usually chicken or fish). They are often sold at small stalls set up the side of the road (or even by someone sitting on a stool with a box full of them by their side) but some restaurants also sell them to take out.
My first one this week was from Prawnies on Galle Raod and cost 110/=. I had to wait 10-15 minutes for the packet and when I got it back to the apartment it was nothing special but perfectly edible.
My next one was bought from a lad who sells them on the corner of Alfred House Gardens and Duplication Road. It cost 70/= and although was a little light on the chicken (there was one small piece) was the better of the two. There was a fruit that tasted very sour (like lime) and some small pea sized vegetables in a sauce as well as some potato. Papad (poppadom) was also supplied with the packet.
I remember some time earlier this year or late last year my wife, Helen, and myself buying a couple of lunch packets and spending a very enjoyable hour or so sitting in one of the parks in Colombo eating them Sri Lankan style (with our hands). When I first came out here to Sri Lanka eating a lunch packet was on my ToDo list and so Helen bought me one from near to the Hilton Hotel and brought it back with her. It was excellent.
I guess you are certainly taking a chance eating lunch packets but of the handful I've eaten I have never had a bad one. I think its a wonderful part of Colombo life and now Helen is back in the UK for the next month, leaving me to fend for myself, I think I'll be eating quite a few more lunch packets. For the cost (50-150/=) they really are excellent value for money. 9/30/2005 English Pie Promotion at the Hilton: Friday 23rd SeptemberSo this is it. 19:30 on Fri 23rd September and the start of our main holiday for the year. We thought we'd kick it off with an evening at the Hilton Hotel, Colombo, as we thought our friend Pete, who left Sri Lanka in March, was due to start his English Pie promotion round about now. So we grabbed one of our local Bajaj drivers, who happened to be working late and got him to drop us off at the Hilton for 200/=. We walked into the foyer but couldn't locate any mention of the English Pie promotion. However, we guessed the most likely place for an English pie promotion to take place would be in the Echelon Bar if anywhere and so headed in that direction. And who should my wife see walking just in front of us but Carol, Pete's wife. Carol confirmed that the pie rumours were true and that the promotion had in fact started last night and was indeed in the Echelon Bar. So we followed Carol in and grabbed a seat next to her at the bar, ordered a couple of glasses of the excellent Strawberry Pils, which I can heartily recommend if you fancy a beer with a difference in Colombo, had a look through the pie promotion menu and promptly ordered Steak & Kidney and Chicken & Mushroom Pies. I had the Steak & Kidney pie which was excellent. It was covered in gravy which was great but I wasn't sure about serving French fries with it - we'd normally have mashed or boiled potato with a pie in England but it does vary from region to region. The man himself, Pete, turned up resplendent in his English Pie Promotion shirt and at least 2 bottles of Carlsberg in hand and we spent a very enjoyable hour or so chatting to him and Carol, catching up on their news from the last 6 months since they left Sri Lanka. We decided to call it a night around 23:00 and will hopefully see Pete & Carol when we get back from our excursion up into the hill country, as we have invited them to stay with us for a few days after they finish at the Hilton. The English pie promotion continues until Sun 2nd October and the pies are 590/= each. There was a choice of around 10 pies including the less tradition English ones of Seafood Curry pie and Chilli Chicken, included for the benefit of the locals I would guess! I gather there is a separate lunchtime menu. 7/24/2005 Holiday Inn, Colombo : Jaffna Curry Evening ReviewThe long awaited visit to the Jaffna curry evening at the Holiday Inn finally came around last night. We attended this promotion last year on a whim and it turned out, for both Helen, my wife, and myself, to be a highly memorable experience - if for slightly different reasons.
The start was advertised as 19:00 and so we left our apartment around 18:45 and got one of our local Bajaj drivers to take us up to the Holiday Inn. The journey takes about 10 minutes. When we arrived at the Holiday Inn we were informed that the buffet was running a bit late and would start around 19:15. We were offered a table inside or outside and opted to sit outside, by the pool. Whilst not quite as idyllic a setting as some of the more up market hotels in Colombo the Holiday Inn poolside is still very pleasant. The waiter brought us a drinks menu and we ordered a couple of domestic beers (usually they are advertised as local - not sure why they use the term domestic here). Within a few minutes a couple of Lion Lagers arrived and some proper handled pint glasses, a rare treat in Colombo.
We waited until around 19:20 before making a move for the buffet. There were a couple of tables outside, where they were serving hoppers. I decided to give these a miss, as despite starving myself all day I knew I simply wouldn't be able to eat everything I wanted to. The buffet inside was placed along the corridor on two sets of tables and what a choice and display there was! I spent 10 minutes just wandering down around opening up the tops of the various pots and checking out the contents. Sadly, I can't remember the names of hardly any of the food I had. I really should have made notes at the time.
What can I say about the food? There must have been 20 curries to choose from and an equal number of side dishes. All of it was fabulous. I find the Jaffna food more spiced than the normal Sri Lanka fare, which tends to rely too much on chili paste for my liking. There were curried prawns, shark, mutton, chicken, fish (not sure what type), kidneys, potato, beans, breadfruit, crab, cuttlefish, a few we couldn't identity (and I few I've forgotten). Side dishes included things like bitter gourd, jack fruit seeds, plenty of sambol like dishes (I can't remember what they were called) with shark, crab, spring onion etc. mixed in, fried prawns, fried cuttlefish. There were two rices available, a tamarind & the other I think was labelled hopper rice. I found the tamarind rice to be excellent. A number of the dishes were pretty spicy but none had quite the potency of the remarkable curry I had last year that was sensational. I had three plate fulls before admitting defeat! Helen did very well, managing a plate and a half before losing sensation in her mouth. She did find some marzipan desserts that she really liked.
There was a three piece band on for the duration of the buffet. They played inside so we didn't hear much of them. They were what I, as an ignorant Englishman, would call a traditional Sri Lankan band playing music not dissimilar to what we would term Indian music in the UK.
Although the restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived by the time we left there must have been 30 or 40 people eating from the buffet, possibly more. There were two rooms inside that we could see and they could probably hold over 60 people with seating for an additional 20-30 outside.
Helen popped the the ladies whilst I got the bill. It came as a bit of a shock at over 5500 /=. However, a quick examination showed it was for four people and so I called the waiter back over and asked for him to check it. He quickly came back with the correct bill, apologising and said the cashier had given him the wrong bill (I've noticed in Sri Lanka it is always the cashier's fault when a wrong bill arrives). The correct bill came to just under 2,500 /=. The cost of the buffet was 890/= all inclusive and the cost of the beers 340/= all inclusive.
All the staff were very friendly and helpful and the service was very good. All in all an excellent evening out and I wish the Holiday Inn would put this on more often. I'd certainly come once every couple of months for such an excellent evening out. 7/23/2005 Jaffna Curry Time ApproachethAssuming Loki's dates and times for the Holiday Inn Jaffna Curry Promotion are correct I will there tonight. All the other ex-pats suddenly found alternative appointments or they had or simply looked at me in horror at the idea of eating a curry hotter than an English Korma ;-) WIMPS! So my poor, long suffering wife, Helen, has agreed to accompany me. I'll make sure we have the medical emergency number with us just in case she needs medical help! Personally I can't wait. I'm even giving up watching the Ashes for a couple of hours for this - unprecedented! Needless to say I will be writing a full report tomorrow of this latest gastronomic adventure :) 7/22/2005 Cricket Club Cafe Have Steak & Kidney Pie As A SpecialProbably of no interest to 99.9% of people in Sri Lanka but to us this was big news! There are few culinary delights to match a decent British steak and kidney pie so we had earmarked an evening out at the CCC once we noticed steak and kidney pie go up on the specials board.
Needless to say the CCC's attempt was not in the same league as a decent British one. My wife, Helen, gave it the thumbs down, but I thought it was perfectly acceptable, if not exceptional, and a nice change from curry! I wasn't too sure about the garlic and ginger we thought we detected in it but the steak and kidney were OK, although a little light on the kidney for me. Still it's always nice when restaurants attempt these sort of things out here and it was great to watch England And Wales give the Aussies a good seeing to whilst eating a vaguely British meal. Of course, the seeing to we gave them was nothing compared to the seeing to they gave us when we marched out to 'bat'. ;-) 7/17/2005 Spoons Restaurant, Colombo : Caviar PromotionThis caught my eye as I have never eaten caviar. The promotion runs from 27th July to 6th August and I might just pop along and see if my budget can stretch to tasting a bit of caviar. Spoons is one of the restaurants at the Hilton Hotel. From what other ex-pats ahev said it is somewhat out of my price range to eat there under normal circumstances ;-) |
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