By Naveed Rozais
Colombo City has its crop of much-loved hotels, each of which has its own unique food offerings designed to excite palates both local and foreign. Despite being such a small city (comparatively), Colombo has a wealth of food choices from all around the world.
That said, our hearts will always belong to our local fare. Sri Lankan cuisine has something for everyone, and this comes through in the Sri Lankan-themed nights now running at the Galadari Hotel every Wednesday.
The Sunday Morning Brunch was invited to experience this all-new themed experience which is essentially a subtle Sri Lankan takeover of the main lobby.
The drinks
Starting at the Lobby Bar, guests can treat themselves to a selection of Sri Lankan beverages from the Go Local Menu – a drinks menu curated by the Galadari team that focuses on local spirits and local ingredients to create drinks with truly unique flavours. Each drink on the menu is ‘Singlish’ blending Sinhala and English words to create catchy phrases like ‘Iced Tea Ashava,’ ‘A Little Bit Daiya,’ and the ‘Blackcurrant Gasma’.
The food
Another powerful part of the Wednesday night Sri Lankan experience at the Galadari is the Kata Gasma menu at the Lobby Bar – a fusion tapas menu that sees twists to dishes using Sri Lankan ingredients and preparations. We tried the Mini Pol Rotis with Garlic Prawns which were served on little individual platters and were perfectly cooked.
Some other interesting options off the Kata Gasma menu include the Sour Chicken Drumettes Deep Fried (Ambulthiyal Mix), Mini Savoury Helapa with Prawn Badun, and the Steamed Pumpkin Dumpling with Spinach and Lunu Miris.
The Coffee Shop also joins in on the Sri Lankan experience with a specially curated Sri Lankan buffet for those looking for more than just a bite. The buffet comes with a wide selection of all-time favourite Sri Lankan curries, action stations turning out unique interpretations of Sri Lankan dishes, and a dessert buffet that has traditional sweetmeats as well as simple, refreshing Sri Lankan desserts like curd and treacle.
The Brunch verdict
Galadari’s Sri Lankan night isn’t a smack-you-in-the-face Sri Lankan extravaganza like other Sri Lankan-themed nights tend to be. There are no thatched roofs, a village vibe, or anything like that to drive the point home. It is instead a more subtle and a modern take on the Sri Lankan experience inspired by the beauty of Sri Lankan cuisine and what it has to offer, paired with Sri Lankan music by the band Excalibur. It is about celebrating the best of the Sri Lankan experience in a fresh and understated way.