Colombo's restaurant industry is starting to buzz.
New restaurants are opening each month and the quality
of food is improving all the time. Some of the cooking
is innovative too, making clever use of Sri Lankan
flavours within traditonal western classics. Red
Dot has selected its favourite restaurants to help
you plan your evenings. Whether you are hankering
after a simple masala thosai for lunch or a romantic
three-course dinner, we hope the following list
will help you choose.
Spoons
The Hilton Colombo, Echelon Square, Colombo
1.Tel: 254 4644.
Open 1030 am to 12 pm.
The transformation of Gables, the Hilton’s
overly formal fine dining restaurant, into Spoons
was a masterstroke. The creative and contemporary
atmosphere will not be matched anywhere in Colombo
while the modern décor – dominated
by an open grill kitchen – allows for a more
boisterous atmosphere. The restaurant has an international
fine dining menu and great cocktails. Highly recommended.
The restaurant is converted into a bar later on
in the night serving martini cocktails. Expect to
pay approx. Rs.2000 p/p upwards.
The Gallery Café
2, Alfred House Road, Colombo 3.
Tel: 258 2162
Email: paradiserd@eureka.lk
www.paradiseroadcolombo.com
Sri Lanka’s leading restaurant, mainly because
of the unique ambience – the café used
to be the workshop of Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s
most famous architect. His imprint remains strong,
with the ornamental pools, latticed gates and an
open-air dining courtyard. Sri Lanka’s leading
photographers and artists hold regular exhibitions.
The fusion menu is mouth-watering but the end results
are inconsistent. Some dishes though can be exceptional.
Save room for the deserts. Expect to pay Rs.1500
p/p for a 3-course meal without drinks.
Chesa Swiss
3, Deal Place, Colombo 3.
Tel: 4712716/ 257 3433.
Open 7pm-11pm.Closed on Mondays & Poya days.
Consistently superb Swiss food. One of Colombo’s
very best restaurants and highly recommended. Many
Swiss specialities are available: fondue, rosti,
spatzli, raclette etc. Excellent cheese board. Wine
list is exclusively Swiss. Expect to pay Rs. 1500
p/p for a 3-course meal without drinks.
Koluu’s Tulips
383 Duplication Road, Colombo 03.
Tel: 5522111.
The newest restaurant-cum-bar to be added to the
Koluu’s chain, Tulips is unashamedly bold
and bright. Boasting the longest stainless steel
bar in the city, it’s modern, trendy and lively.
It’s popular for a pre-club drink for well-heeled
Colombo residents and also for dinner. The international
fusion menu is limited but the dishes are imaginative
– almost as innovative as the décor.
There is a DJ on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Expect to pay Rs.1500 for a three-course meal.
Il Ponte
Hilton Colombo, Sports Complex, Lotus Road, Colombo
1.
Tel: 254 4644.
Open 12am-11pm
Colombo’s best Italian restaurant with a wide
range of anti-pastas, salads, dried meats, pastas,
risottos and pizzas baked in an authentic pizza-oven.
The open-air setting, next to the Hilton swimming
pool, also makes for a comfortable, laid-back and
romantic atmosphere. Expect to pay approx. Rs.2000
for a three-course meal without wine.
La Rambla
18 Tickle Road, Colombo 8.
Tel: 2685992
Colombo's first Mediterrean restaurant offering
relaxed dining in a pleasant outdoor setting next
to a swimming pool. The restaurant tagline is "Sicily,
without Al Capones relatives", but some of
the dishes are unsurprisingly not entirely authentic.
However, the food is generally tasty and reasonably
priced. The wine list offers excellent value. Situated
on the outskirts of the city's centre.
Tao
The Colombo Plaza Hotel.
Tel: 2320001.
A new addition to the Colombo Plaza’s growing
list of excellent restaurants. Tao is their answer
to the astonishing success of the Gallery Café,
aiming to provide dining in a stylish and relaxed
ambience. The fusion menu, which balances the classical
techniques of the west with the vibrant flavours
of the east, is imaginative and comprehensive. After
an initial settling-in period, the food is also
now of a consistently high standard. Moreover, somewhat
surprisingly, the menu is also reasonably priced.
Expect to pay Rs.1500 for a three-course dinner.
The Lagoon
Colombo Plaza Hotel.
Tel: 2320001
The Lagoon opened in 2004 and soon established a
reputation for being the best seafood restaurant
in the city. An exhaustive list of fresh shellfish
and fish is available, all cooked in a variety of
ways with a selection of sauces. The décor
is smart, chic and modern. Outside dining is also
possible overlooking the hotel pool. Highly recommended.
Expect to pay Rs.1500 upwards for a three course
meal without drinks.
Navaratna
Taj Samudra Hotel, Galle Face Green, Colombo 3.
Tel: 244 66 22.
Open 12:30pm-11: 45pm
Navaratna is the Taj’s leading restaurant
– as you would expect from India’s premier
hotel chain – and probably the leading North
Indian restaurant in the island, although the opening
of the Mango Tree is providing competition. Recently
refurbished, the dining room is up market and stylish
while the food is consistently superb. Highly recommended.
Expect to pay Rs.1000 per person without drinks.
The Mango Tree
82, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 03.
Tel: 5379790.
An excellent new north Indian restaurant in the
centre of town. Very popular and advisable to book
in advance. The menu is extensive with many unusual
and innovative dishes. The dining has a modern feel
and there is also a chic bar for pre-dinner drinks
(the cocktail menu is even more extensive than the
food menu) or after-dinner coffee. The service can
be slow and slightly chaotic. Parking is limited.
Expect to pay Rs.1000 per head.
Shanti Vihar
3, Havelock Road, Colombo 5.
Tel: 2580224
Shanti Vihar is a no-frills restaurant serving up
delicious South Indian and exclusively vegetarian
food. It has as bustling and chaotic atmosthere
and is extremely popular. The prices are extremely
reasonable and Red Dot recommends it highly for
a quick lunch.
Ginza Hohsen
The Hilton Colombo, Echelon Square, Colombo 1.
Tel: 254 4644 etx: 2123.
Open 11am-11pm
The restaurant is considered the most authentic
Japanese restaurant in town with an up-market, elegant
setting and friendly staff. They have regular food
promotions throughout the year. Don’t pop
in expecting a cheap meal though – the prices
are high and you should budget for spending at least
Rs.2000 per head without drinks.
Sakura
15, Reinland Place, Colombo 3.
Tel: 257 3877.
Open 11am-11pm.
Sakura is well-loved by Colombo, offering good Japanese
food at very reasonable prices. Guests sit cross-legged
on low tables. The service is speedy and friendly.
The menu helps Japanese beginners order with simple
photos of each dish. Expect to pay around Rs. 1000
per head.
Long Feng
Trans Asia Hotel, 155, Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner
Mawatha, Colombo 2.
Tel: 254 4200.
Open 12am-11pm
The Long Feng is a beautiful Chinese restaurant
with a light and modern interior - the glass wall
opens out onto the garden. The food can be exceptional
and the restaurant is widely regarded as the best
Chinese establishment in the town. The menu offers
a wide variety of dishes. Expect to pay around Rs.
1500 per head without drinks.
Royal Thai
Trans Asia Hotel, 155, Sir Chittampalam
A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2.
Tel: 254 4200/ 244 9184.
Open 12am-11pm
Trans Asia’s flagship restaurant, the Royal
Thai is clearly the best Thai restaurant in Colombo.
We advise you to book in advance. The menu is imaginative
and extensive with a choice of over 60 dishes to
choose from. The service is attentive and warm.
Expect to pay around Rs. 1000 per head without drinks.
168 Seafood Palace
8 Sea View Avenue, Colombo 03.
Tel: 2573456
Open 11 am – 1045 pm. 168
Seafood Palace is the most authentic independent
Chinese restaurant in the city, filled night after
night with the local Chinese expatriate population.
The décor is simple and tasteless, but there
is a bustling atmosphere and many happy customers.
The menu is extensive and but the food is very good
and the prices very reasonable. Expect to pay Rs.750
per head.
Frangipani -- July
2005: Closed for renovation.
126, Havelock Road, Colombo 5.
Tel: 258 0678.
Open 12pm-12am
Part of “Koluu’s’’ chain
of restaurants, boasting a characteristically loud
décor - a case of colonial meets psychedelic.
Offers well-priced fusion food – the quality
is variable and the combinations ambitious –
and an economical wine list. An excellent venue
for a light-hearted and entertaining evening with
friends but not recommended for food buffs. The
cocktails are a must try, especially ‘Koluu’s
New Kiss-Bacardi, Tequila & Blue Curacao. Expect
to pay around Rs.1250 per head.
Tantra
42 Sir Mohammad Marcan Mawatha, Colombo 3.
Tel: 0114-714788
A new restaurant and lounge
that has been opened up above the Glow. Yet to be
reviewed by the Red Dot team but initial reports
are good.
