Lalanee Perera is an incredible multitasker. She is the Chairperson of Qwest Destinations (Pvt) Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s leading destination travel and tour companies, and is more impressively, a successful home-baker of 35 years with an unwavering clientele and good word-of-mouth.
The wood-fired pizzas at Pizza Factory, the newest pizza dining experience in Colombo are edible works of art. Finished to perfection with thin and crusty textures and a hint of smokiness, the team of culinary experts working behind the scenes at Pizza Factory are dedicated to providing customers with a one-of-a-kind authentic Italian wood-fired pizza experience.
It is that time of the year to savour some oily kavum and crispy kokis. But have you ever thought traditional Sri Lankan sweets would also be an attractive gifting option? This is why Athi Rasa was founded so that customers would have the option of selecting an assortment of premium, traditional Sri Lankan sweets for any occasion. Made with authentic ingredients and a lot of love, the traditional sweets also come in attractive gift boxes.
Cutting through the noise of the increasing gastronomy affair in Colombo, beyond the fusion cafes and the fine dining restaurants – Puff by Joe offers a warm homecooked meal that’s a much-needed addition to the food scene in the city. Puff by Joe is a partnership by long-time friends Oshi Jayatilake and Joe Amirthalingam.
Banker by profession, baker by passion – BakerBanker101 is the creation of banker Tammy Fernando and her husband Shehan Fernando. “I am a baker by heart and a full-time banker by profession and 101 stands for the basic rules of baking or the basic rule of thumb in baking a.k.a 101! The brand represents not just one but two completely different career paths that I have chosen to take on”.
What started out as a home experiment of making homemade peanut butter inspired Kavindi Emmanuel to start her own business along the same lines. “I’m a huge fan of peanut butter but store-bought ones are pretty expensive in Sri Lanka and they contain preservatives. During the 1st Covid lockdown period while I was working from home, I wanted to do something related to cooking because I enjoy cooking’’.
Brew 1867 by Dilmah is one of my favourite cafes ever! They already have three outlets at Nawam Mawatha, Flower Road and WTC. They just opened up their fourth outlet in Fort, inside the Hatch Building. I’m an almost daily customer at Brew WTC and have been longing for an opportunity to do a review.
One of the long-standing restaurants in the Galle Face area, Navratna - Taj Samudra’s traditional Indian restaurant serves up traditional Mughal cuisine and is possibly one of the very few places which pride itself on the authenticity of it all.
As someone who loves meat, I have never actively sought vegan food. But glancing through the PowerCrunch Granola website tempted me into giving it a try. A venture that resulted from a bet with her husband, Sabira Deen started off with granola before gradually expanding her products as more and more requests came in.
Fresh out of school, Poojani Rathnayke knew nothing about cakes or baking but a work opportunity with a talented home baker only grew her passion for it. She learnt the basics and the techniques from scratch and began her business Sugar Blossoms in 2019. “My first work experience allowed me to have a growing passion for baking that is what started my journey as a home baker.’’
Galadari’s official bakery/pastry shop Cafe 64 needs no introduction. It’s already an immensely popular spot among food lovers in Colombo. The quality of the food, the service and better still the setting is one of the best you will find. Their latest promotion, however, is a tad different from what they usually offer and it came as quite a pleasant surprise.
A cure for every Friday night out that makes you just want to laze around the next morning, the folks down at Graze Kitchen - a name synonymous with the Hilton Colombo itself, have come up with a great way of spending your Saturday: All. Day. Breakfast. This weekly event aims to feed the hungry stomachs that go out for a very hectic Friday night and just want some wholesome food without having to wake up before 10 AM.
Located down Chitra Lane Colombo 05 “Mongolian Street” by Shevon is an innovative street food restaurant that allows you to experience the wonders of authentic Asian Fusion Cuisine. With a vast selection of Mongolian street food and a touch of magical Sri Lankan flavour, Mongolian Street is the ideal place to satisfy your fusion food cravings.
How do our food experts cook and eat? Dheeshana of Sri Lanka’s first meat-free boutique hotel Theva Residency takes our Q&A!
Dinushka Jayawickreme started Bola’s Bakeshop back in 2018 and successfully manoeuvred her home business during the turbulent times of lockdown last year. “Bola’s Bakeshop takes after my nickname – Bola. Most people don’t even know my actual name so it seemed like a good way to own it by naming my home business after it!”.
Run by mom and daughter duo, Ramani and Shavindri Attygalla, The Ceylon Baker is a brand created to highlight the synergy between the two.
Catering to our perennial love for chicken is Burning Bird, the newest entrant into Sri Lanka’s burgeoning food culture. A cloud kitchen - meaning that they only operate via deliveries and have no sit-down service - BB has wings, starters, sides, and even family platters for you to pick from!
Filling up the time baking during the lockdown, Senali Dioni Pathirane started her home business towards the very end of the quarantine period. “I have been incredibly passionate about baking since the start, I was always in the kitchen whipping something up, of course - there were many trial and error moments and unfortunately it was my family who got caught to taste all the cooking fails as well as the ones that were successful’’.
Cinnamon Grand’s newest 24-hour gourmet dining restaurant ‘PLATES’ stepped up to the task by offering a dining venue with an unparalleled collection of flavours from around the world. The restaurant offers both buffet and a la carte dining.
A bouquet of flowers is a quintessential component of Valentine’s gifting, but what if you could gift a bouquet of red roses that don’t wither away? And most importantly, one that tastes delicious? Introducing a new range of edible floral bouquets curated especially for Valentine’s Day is Blooming Cupcakes and Bouquets, a venture by Surani Jayaweera Jayamaha.
In this series, we talk to people who turned their passion for food and baking into a business idea amidst lockdown and COVID-19 fears. Some have been in the market for years and others saw the new opportunity and took it!
It’s our third visit to David’s Dangerously Delicious Char Siu (DDD as it has come to be known over the years) and we were happy to see that the only thing that’s changed since our last visit in December 2019 is a bigger menu.
Stepping into the most romantic day of the year, The Bake Out is introducing their Valentine’s Day boxes curated and customised to those who want to express their love in the sweetest way one can.
Table by Taru at Lake Lodge Villa in Colombo 03 is just shy of a month since its opening and our initial thoughts were that there are bound to be a few kinks and mistakes to be worked out here and there that can be forgiven. But Taru’s sharp-eyed observations and the staff’s ready willingness to correct and perfect allows for none and we realized that it is this strict ethic that would set Table by Taru apart from the rest.
In this series, we talk to people who turned their passion for food and baking into a business idea amidst lockdown and COVID-19 fears. Some have been in the market for years and others saw the new opportunity and took it! These home businesses are changing the game and have overcome the odds of running a business during the quarantine.
If you asked Hasanthi Gunatilake whether she knew she’d one day be an up-and-coming home-based chef – she’d probably answer in the negative. She’s a pre-school teacher by profession – has been one since 2005 after finishing her Advanced Level and she continues to teach full time even today.
How do our food experts cook and eat? @lankanfoodjournal’s Nuzrath Nazimudeen takes our Q&A!
In this series, we talk to people who turned their passion for food and baking into a business idea amidst lockdown and COVID-19 fears. Some have been in the market for years and others saw the new opportunity and took it! These home businesses are changing the game and have overcome the odds of running a business during the quarantine.
Setting yourself apart in the very competitive home-based food business in Colombo is a commendable feat for anyone, but Dish Functional by Zainab Nalir easily manages to rise above the rest with her mouthwateringly delicious, hearty fare - both savoury and sweet - while most importantly, ensuring that the taste and quality of her food are always consistent with a generous sprinkling of heart and soul.
Having initially started off curating customized cheese boards, Natasha Wickremasinghe soon realized the demand for her home-made cheese dips. Utilizing the same brand name which means ‘Gourmet Platters’, Natasha kicked off her own brand of cheese dips that are now party favourites.
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