Spice is a peculiar yet charming little restaurant located off the dusty, exhaust-filled Galle Road. Screened by a painted concrete slab, a passing glance from a tuk is likely to overlook the large dining space concealed behind. The restaurant slash kade hiding beyond the colourful wall is housed under an aluminium canopy, held up by scaffolding and corrugated sheets of ...
There are plenty of places to purchase alcohol in Colombo. Supermarkets, dodgy little wine stores, large liquor shops, ‘special’ delivery services, and so on. Thank God we’re not in Tamil Nadu. But in spite of our happy facility to procure a beverage, we still scurry to press duty free shopping lists into the reluctant palms of travelling friends and family. ...
Cheeseland Inc. is a company that brings down specialty cheeses from Holand. We dropped in to see what they had on offer and to try out some of the cheeses.
The quest for crack, sorry, crab is unending. For the true afficionado everyday brings with it the prospect of a hot tip recommending another source or a different style of the firm but succulent sweet shell-encrusted meat that your tongue never stops seeking. For a crustacean craver like myself you’d think that Colomboian life would be like wandering the ...
The third consecutive Colombo Guitar Fest organized by the Guitar Association of Sri Lanka will take stage at the Navarangahala (Royal College Hall) on the 19th of January. The festival will also be held at the Engineering Faculty at the University of Peradeniya on the 20th and at Nallur in Jaffna on the 21st of January. The festival will unnit ...
Chesa Swiss is probably the best place for steak in the city. The London Grill and California Grill are also very good – but we like Chesa the best. It’s been around since 1991, and both the food and service have been consistently excellent. But be warned, it’s expensive. Very, very expensive. The average dish costs around Rs. 3000 – ...
This is a list of Sri Lankan athletes completing in the 2012 Olympic Games, the sports they’re playing in and when you can watch. Where you can watch is given at the end, but note that there’s no guarantee that these events will be shown. July 29th (Finished) Badminton: Thilini Jayasinghe Sri Lankan Thilini Jayasinghe is in Group M of ...
Hansa Coffee has fostered a reputation as a lovely little cafe that serves our island coffee better than anyone ever has (this is surprisingly difficult) & they’ve also started to produce their own chocolate. It is also the home of Annasi & Kadalagotu Poetry Pilau, the next on 6 October, which is their honest effort to search out hidden poets & embrace existing artists, while serving you a latte. It ...
An epic house party you’ve got to pay to go to? This seems a little confusing right? But then there are just a handful of clubs in Colombo & the bouncers can be quite elitist, electing to choose patrons that meet their discerning taste which leaves those in the mood for ‘a rocking night’ a little unsteady. This event could well be a respite from ...
I really, really dislike Roots. Their drinks can be good, sometimes really good, but their service is awful. We went there twice this week, and ended up annoyed both visits. The First Visit We’d been walking around Ward Place around 4pm – it was really, really hot – so we made a quick stop at the ODEL Roots for a ...
(this review contains extensive and excessive godfather references. If you haven’t watched this cinematic masterpiece you might be confused but instead of apologizing I’ll just recommend you go and watch the trilogy – now. ) What is it with Italians? One of them marks out a turf, a business, a niche- be it bootleg alcohol, drugs, protection rackets or ‘construction’ ...
Saraswathie Lodge is another pure-veg South Indian spot on Galle Rd in Bambalapitiya. The ambience isn’t as charming as nearby Greenlands Hotel but the thosai is marginally better. It’s a bit rough around the edges on first impression as it fronts directly on Galle Rd and as a result is a bit noisy and dusty. Don’t let that put you off though, ...
The Gallery Café is a stalwart of Colombo’s dining scene. Occupying the former office of Sri Lanka’s and arguably South/South East Asia’s most renowned architect – Geoffrey Bawa – it significantly raised the city’s restaurant standards bar when it opened in 1998. 15 years later it still stands as one of Colombo’s best restaurants. The food consistently rises above the ...
In another century the GOH along with the Galle Face Hotel was the fast-beating heart of Colombo’s social life. The great and the good of Colombo society swirled and twirled over its immaculately polished dance floor and those disembarking at the Colombo port made immediately for its impressive white foyer. Times changed however and fortunes of the GOH mirrored those ...
The beauty of any city lies in its ability to transport you from one world to another in the space of a few meters. London, New York and Paris are famous for their collections of little worlds and communities – turn down a street, an alleyway, and you can enter what seems a completely different universe. It might not be quite ...
In the most unlikely place- a row of shabby kades on the turn off just before the Rowing Club, is the most magical little shop. Hewage’s Jewellers is the sort of shop you find in novels; a dark and slightly dusty treasure trove filled in this case quite literally with treasure. Ancient chests, cabinets, and cupboards crammed with gem-studded Kandyan ...
Last week, fancying a break from my usual rice and curry, I went in search of something a bit different on my lunch break from work. Having been highly recommended the biryani at New Majestic Hotel (on that row of restaurants opposite Majestic City), I thought this would be a good a place as any to start. Although the restaurant ...
