These past few months have seen me visiting a number of home bakers and cooks. The experience has been refreshing thanks to the fresh flavours and attention to detail that these home based cooks present. My last review for 2016 features Sabrina and Iman Mohamed, the motherdaughter duo behind The Vanilla Bean Bakery.
Here’s a roundup of cookies we’ve found quite intriguing in Colombo, from its looks to its texture and flavour. After all, we were bound to prove Cookie Monster’s chocolate chip cookies are no match to the local favourites.
This week I’d like to introduce you to a mother and daughter duo, Roshan Ibrahim and Nishreen Savanghan who churn out delicious date based chutneys and cakes.
Beach restaurants in Sri Lanka have always got a special place in Sri Lanka mainly due to popular coastal belts and their settings. However, Mount Lavinia is one such destination that has a mushrooming number of beach restaurants which are either new settlements or have been there for a while. Situated in the vicinity of the magnificent Mount Lavinia Hotel is La Langousterie, which has a history of over 50 years in the industry.
With Christmas just round the corner, Grocery Box brings to you all that you require to make your Christmas goodies. For busy working mums and also dads who like to cook but have absolutely no time to spend finding a parking spots and staying in queues at checkout counters, here’s a great new option.
Tired of spending endless hours trying to whip up the perfect Christmas cake? Perhaps it’s finally time to relax this season and be jolly, as Life Online tried and tested several places in and around Colombo to help you serve your Christmas best at the table. Here’s a list of 9 places we visited to pick the top 3 cakes of the season.
Besides its nutritional benefits, this pasta recipe makes for an ideal dinner. Tis the season of festivities, and visitors are bound to make an appearance themselves. A bowl of this delicious pasta that is quite convenient to eat is exactly what you need to serve your ravenous guests.
It is that time of year again when indulgence, especially when it comes to food and drink is on the cards. So we thought we’d make it a little easier for you by picking out some of the best options in town to indulge in some delicious holiday treats.
Authentic Arab cuisine is difficult to find in Sri Lanka, especially when what you want is originality, not altered by any means. The Lebanese Restaurant signs off this worry of finding authentic Middle Eastern cuisine!
California Grill at the Galadari Hotel brings to you Journeys, which is a Friday evening treat for anyone looking for an exclusive fine dining experience. This long and winding magical journey is something you need to indulge in and experience.
It was the love for food that resulted in Chadini Fernando trying her hand at cooking. She has always loved food, but never really cooked as much. Once she started cooking, she realised how much she enjoyed it, and this was when The Hungry Monkey was born.
Shawarmas are an incredible part of Arab cuisine that’s been born and bred within the Middle East and some going as far as Spain. The shawarma in far simpler terms would be a meaty grilled sandwich, but it’s all about the meat and the intriguing flavours. Being an undeniably delicious street food around the Middle East and few parts of Europe, we’ve got this delicious goodness in and around Colombo’s top Middle Eastern restaurants.
La Rambla by Tasty Caterers has been completely revamped and now serves authentic Thai cuisine by Chef Papat Pachid. Located at 69, Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia, this cosy little restaurant offers an exciting gastronomic journey and boasts of being Mount Lavinia’s only authentic Thai restaurant.
Little Miss Shortcake is a home baker who is relatively new in the ever growing home baking scene in the city. The young lady behind this little bakery is Ashmita Wijesinghe (20) an aspiring chef.
We dropped by to check out what The Sandwich Factory had to offer. They do have their own range of healthy food but what we wanted to check out was what they had to offer after a partnership with Healthy Life Clinic.
The Bayleaf restaurant recently launched an exclusive Wine & Tea Room. It is a classical and interesting setting with a tasting space for enthusiasts to enjoy prestigious wines, along with gourmet food and artisan teas. This concept of Harpo’s is a totally different to what we usually see and it sets the mood for wine tasting in total relaxation and offers you the opportunity of enjoying a selection of 50 SingleEstate teas.
Big Mama’s specialises in catering for small dinner parties of eight to 10 people, while they also have lamprais available throughout the week. The lady behind the yummy food at Big Mama’s is Marie Wickrematunge who says her recipes originally stemmed from her Dutch Burgher roots (her mother was a Dutch Burgher).
The Ceylon City Hotel, situated at 11, Upatissa Road, Colombo 04, is a fairly new addition to the Sri Lankan hospitality industry. On the fourth floor is their multicuisine restaurant Flamingo which serves a variety of dishes that includes Italian, Western, Indian, Arabic, Chinese and Sri Lankan fare. As it has been open to the public recently, we popped by to check it out.
Kopi Kade is the brain child of AustralianSri Lankan, Nimeshan Namasivayam, whose childhood in Sri Lanka was spent watching episode after episode of Sri Lanka’s longest running TV show
Dinner can always be simplified. If you are fighting for time, consider making a single vegetable rather than several of them. Think about pairing flavours instead of increasing the number of dishes. Now this carrot dish makes a delicious accompaniment with some saucy chicken on a steaming bed of rice or noodles.
Tucked away in the heart of Colombo Fort, CityRest Fort is an excellent location of lodging for the budget sensitive traveller. Although it follows the rather novel, popularised hostel or motel concept, it certainly hasn’t compromised on quality. Here’s our review on their food and accommodation for both locals and nonlocals.
We’ve seen how Colombo is filled with restaurants offering numerous Indian dishes, but when it’s Indian and authenticity is what you need, then Lemongrass Restaurants is your place to dine at.
Here’s where to go for Arabic food and a wide range of Middle Eastern favouritesfromFalafel, Fattoush, Hummus and Shawarmasall made from carefully sourced fresh ingredients, quality spices and Middle Eastern herbs.
We were a family who rarely ate from out, as my mum was and still is someone who promotes homecooked food be it rice and curry, cakes and desserts or short eats. There was a short list of food items which were not homemade, that we were allowed to indulge in as kids, and among them was the Nippon Mutton Rolls from Hotel Nippon. So naturally, we had to give them a try.
One Up All Day Breakfast is a little cafe breaking all conventional breakfast rules by serving breakfast all day long from 8:00AM to 4:00PM from Tuesday to Sunday. Owned by Divanka Candappa, the cafe is located right opposite St. Peters College on Galle Road and is right above Tom Yum.
Soul Coffee, Sri Lanka’s premier handcrafted coffee supplier, recently introduced their latest innovation, coffee bags, at a launch held at the newly opened Coffee and Company. The first product of its kind in the market, the specially designed coffee bags conveniently brew in the cup with no residue or clean up needed afterwards. Soul Coffee Bags are for lovers of fresh, flavourful coffee looking for the convenience of brewing coffee anywhere.
Located inside the Dutch Fort of Matara, The Dutchman’s Street is taking over the Southern coast with its one of a kind ambience and delicious food. They serve a variety of cuisines each outdoing the other. What makes your experience even more special is the family who owns it. They make everyone who walks in feel welcomed and embraces you with their hospitality. Next time you are in the vicinity make sure you drop by.
MA’s has been a household name among Sri Lankans for three decades, with 2016 being their 30th year in operation. They don’t just produce spices but also have a range of sauces, seasonings, pastes, chutneys, ready to eat curries and pastas as well as an organic range of products, with the idea of giving a helping hand to anyone interested in making home cooking a little easier, without hurting your wallet.
Sri Lanka’s first boutique hotel, Saman Villas is located in the small fishing village of Aturuwella in Bentota. Established in 1995, the hotel is synonymous with luxury by offering above par service and quality holiday experiences.
Golden Dragon, Taj Samudra’s Chinese fine dining restaurant, specialises in the tantalising cuisine of the Sichuan province. Sichuan food is about flavours; spicy, salty, sour, sweet, bitter, smokey all combined into one dish. You can enjoy authentic specialities here as traditional Chinese music plays in the background.
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