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.
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 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, 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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