Foods

Sweet and Saucy Carrots On The Startup Cook

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.

CityRest Fort Reviewed

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.

Lemongrass Reviewed

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.

Arabian Knights Reviewed

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.

THE Nippon Mutton Rolls are back

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 & Coffee

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 Introduces Coffee Bags

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.

The Dutchman’s Street

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 Gourmet Food Packs

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.

Saman Villas Introduces New Menu

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.

Chinese Master Chef at Golden Dragon

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.

Flag & Whistle Reviewed

Located on the fifth floor of the Setmil Maritime Centre in Colombo 15, overlooking the harbour, this is a spacious, tastefully decorated restaurant. Although the drive to get to this beautiful location was quite a tedious task during lunch time, when we did eventually get there we were not one bit disappointed. Actually we were pleasantly surprised.

Easy Wrap On The Startup Cook

Easy and delicious is a not a very easy combination when you think of cooking. But when you have a hectic job and you have to make food for yourself, you have no choice but to simplifier the prospect of food. Wraps are the way forward in a world where 24 hours in a day is not enough. This particular dish is an easy make. All you need is chicken, cheese, some leaves and a few spices and you are good to go! You can make this before you go to wo

VU Rooftop Resto Bar

VU, the all new roof top resto bar at Best Western Elyon in Colombo 5 was launched just a few days ago. VU lets you disconnect from your usual mundane life and float above the chaos of the city as you sip your exotic drink indoors or out.

The Bake Cottage

Another week, another home baker and this week we met Amandi Eliyapura, whose magical hands and brilliant mind, are behind The Bake Cottage. Amandi doesn’t just whip up a mean chocolate cake but also makes delicious chicken pies.

Oktoberfest At The Hilton Colombo

When you hear of Oktoberfest I’m sure it’s the Hilton Colombo that comes into many people’s minds. That is probably because this festive event was made popular to the people of Colombo by Hilton Colombo. Year after year for the past 24 years, this entertaining event which goes on for over a week brings about a great deal of fun and frolic to the people of Colombo, and also for the many who visit our city during this period of festivities.

The Ceylon Crab Reviewed

Fresh, yummy and lovingly prepared meaty crab for the best rates in town? Yes please!! Our crab loving selves were pretty excited when we stumbled upon The Ceylon Crab on Facebook recently. A short Facebook exchange later, we had still hot crab and prawn dishes in clay pots delivered to our doorstep!

Ginza on the Edge Reviewed

Ginza is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants to start operations in Colombo. When they started up in 1987 they were at the Hilton Colombo. Now located at the picturesque Waters Edge, this restaurant serves authentic Japanese cuisine with a variety of Teppanyaki, Sushi, Sashimi, Yakitori and many more delicious preparations. We visited this restaurant for dinner recently to check out what they have to offer.

Cravings by Sue

It has been a while, just over four months to be exact, since my last review. As much as I loved staying home with my kids it is great to be back reviewing delicious goodies and Cravings by Sue was a great way to get back into the flow.

Churrasco Reviewed

Two weeks back, OZO Colombo launched its first ever Sunday Brunch at their EAT restaurant. Of Brazilian origin, a Churrasco restaurant serves unlimited grilled meat. OZO Colombo is the first in Sri Lanka to offer a Brazilian brunch.

8 spots for waffles in Colombo

Waffles have been around since the 14th century and that is a pretty long time considering we’re now in a world filled with the Kardashians and smartphones. Waffles are a Parisian dish along with multiple reproductions of it from Belgium to even Hong Kong!

The Grill at Paan Paan

Paan Paan launched their all new GRILL at the Paan Paan outlet at No. 84, Lorensz Road, Colombo 4. This is a great place for people living in and around the area to grab a quick bite and relax. The Chief Guest for the opening ceremony was actress Sangeetha Weeraratne. Amritaa De Silva was also among the celebrities who graced the occasion.

Spinach and Carrot Salad On The Startup Cook

It is with great difficulty that I cut rice out of my daily diet. I love rice and curry, so this lifestyle change is a great challenge. However I have taken the initiative to curb my rice intake due to health factors rather than reasons like weight loss. But because I have actually cut out my rice and curry, my consumption of vegetables has greatly demised as well. And that is not good.

Mizu Reviewed

Discovering Mizu was akin to mistakenly stumbling upon a secret, elusive, wordofmouth famous spot. We hadn’t seen any adverts about it or Facebook posts, a google search proved fruitless, and we had to actually call them up to make sure the place wasn’t fictional and actually existed!

Graze Kitchen Reviewed

It was a spectacular sight when we walked in to the all new Lounge and Bar at the Hilton Colombo. The interior themed around rainforests of Sri Lanka is amazingly beautiful with its abstract designs around you and granite paved floor. You could just sit at the lobby and enjoy a drink just gazing at the beauty around you and looking into the lotus pond through the glass.

We All Scream For Ice Cream

Living in a country where our temperature options vary between hot and hotter, we always need something to cool us down and nothing does the trick like ice cream! We went around Colombo hunting for the best ice cream spots and this is what we thought.

Eat Street CMB Reviewed

The Eat Street CMB street food festival kicked off on October 1st at Green Path, Colombo 7 and drew in quiet a crowd on a busy Saturday. A familyfriendly food festival, Eat Street CMB was open from 10AM to 10PM with a plethora of independent vendors selling various kinds of food, beverages, merchandise, crafts and many more! We decided to venture into the festival midday, braving the scorching heat to check what they had in store and try

Kuuraku Colombo Reviewed

Life Online dropped by Park Street Mews to check out the recently opened restaurant Kuuraku Colombo, which serves authentic Japanese cuisine. Kuuraku is a Japanese franchise operating 33 restaurants globally. Their restaurants are located in Ginza a prestigious area of Tokyo, Montreal, Toronto, Jakarta, and in a couple of cities in India and also China. This is the first one in Sri Lanka.

High Tea In Colombo Reviewed

High tea is often a misnomer. Most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea. In Sri Lanka anything between lunch and dinner seems to be referred to as high tea. Life Online checked out a few places in and around Colombo to see what the culinary experts have to offer in the name of high tea.

Sooriya Village Reviewed

Having been open for just a couple of weeks, Sooriya Village is definitely winning the hearts of everyone who walks in. Celebrating artistry of every kind, serving beautiful and divine dishes they are also celebrating the culinary. It stands out from every other place we have been to. The restaurant has a story to it and has been a dream of the family for many years which certainly adds to your experience.