Since its inception, Shangri La firmly established itself as one of the city’s top buffets to aspire to, among its competitors. Despite a wide selection of items available in their buffet, they have consistently managed to pull it off, providing an assortment of tasty food with something for everyone. Shangri La has two ifthar options at present - a buffet spread at Table One and a lighter option of short eats at the Sapphyr Lounge. We were invited to check out the buffet at Table One.

The interior of Table One is designed redolent of the bustling and vivacious character of Colombo’s markets. As such, the buffet is similarly spread out in keeping with the theme. The buffet spread for the month is relatively the same, however, and the only additions are the dates, congee, faluda and a few short eats. Since the buffet is spread out, the sections listed in the review are in no particular order.

The spread includes a variety of breads and cheeses - a little odd that the bread is placed quite a ways away from the rest of the salads/appetisers and is in the dessert section. The fresh seafood station has prawns, crabs, mussels and cuttlefish with a selection of sauces such as the cocktail sauce and wasabi mayonnaise to go with it. The salad section too had a variety that included quite a few vegetarian options. From Mixed Lettuce to Grilled Vegetable Salad, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad as well as Seafood Salad, Greek Salad, Minced Chicken Salad and Beef Salad, the section included a good mix of items.

One of the many live stations, chefs at the Pasta Station prepared pasta according to your personal preferences. The buffet also includes a few dim sums. The grill station of sorts included an assortment of items that included Beef stew, Grilled prawns, Lamb and Tandoori chicken. This area also included the Chicken Congee and the short eats as well as two varieties of Pittu Koththu. Adjacent to this section was the Sri Lankan and the Indian Food sections. Pineapple tempered, Cuttlefish tempered, Chicken curry, Potato curry, White rice and a range of local sambols made up most of the Sri Lankan station while the Chicken biryani, Dal makhani and Aloo gobi were found in the Indian station. An additional Asian section comprised noodles and meats prepared.

One station that sets the Shangri La buffet apart from its competitors is its Sushi counter. And that is to say, the items extend beyond mediocrely prepared sushi rolls and extends to fresh sashimi. Something we have not found in other mainstream buffets. The sushi rolls were probably the best we’d had in a buffet, and the sashimi was extremely fresh.

The counter also included Smoked salmon, Smoked fish, Smoked duck and Smoked beef. Despite the buffet remaining relatively the same, there was one notable addition - the Special ouzy - a whole roast lamb served on a bed of Oriental rice. Indeed a flavourful addition that appeared to be a huge hit with the crowds at the buffet.

The dessert counter has one of the largest spreads of Sri Lankan sweets and desserts in town in addition to the typical dessert options available. From Vanilla Panna Cotta with Watermelon, Passion Mousse, Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu, Cream Caramel and Vermicelli to Basa Boosa, Umali, Madeleine, Financier, Muhallabia, Namora, Cherry Crumble Tart and Rice Pudding, the selection was impressive!

Typically, when buffets have a large variety, there is a high likelihood that they will mess up most of it. A problem the Table One buffet does not fall victim to. An excellent spread with tasty food and great service make this buffet one of the best in town.

The price for the ifthar buffet is Rs. 3650/- Sunday to Thursday and RS. 3950/- on Friday and Saturday.

Address: 1, Galle Face, Colombo 2
Contact: 011 7 888288
Facebook: https://goo.gl/bY8YZG

Pics Kushan Pathiraja