Colombo is not couple friendly. Or well it isn’t unless you have a fairbit of cash in hand. A lot of public/publicish spaces – Viharamaha Devi Park, Crescat mall actively discourage couples- the park has times when even mixed groups and married couples can’t enter and the mall prevents couples from sitting on their benches! Places that are more ...
In my appraisal of the Crab Company I laid out Colombo’s crabby dilemma. Basically we live in a country famed for its fleshy crustaceans yet getting your hit of high quality crab in Colombo is nowhere near as easy (or cheap) as it should be. One place that’s always been an exception to this crab conundrum is Yarl Eat House. ...
An image from UBER BangaloreLittle known fact, YAMU started as an idea for a cab app like UBER. That never happened and here we are. Probably a good thing,
It’s a little hard to come by any alternative means of entertainment in Colombo, this being a fairly small city set in it’s ways. Sometimes it’s a bit too hot to conceive stepping out of your comfort zone and you tend to just go with the flow. Alternative Sundays held at Kamikaze seems to be a sort of semi-open mic evening that lends a platform to local talent. ...
Another essential stop on the Five at Fife tour tour- is Tasty. A general purveyor of edible items it specializes in Ceylan tapas, also known as short eats. This brand of patisserie focuses on the fusion of western pastry – filo, puff, choux, shortcrust, with Sri Lankan fillings- seeni sambol, fish curry, spiced chicken, whatever it is that goes inside cutlets. At their best short ...
The former Nico’s in Talpe’s had a makeover, Tyra style – and their big reveal is a party on the beach with some of the most fun (funnest?) DJ’s around. There’s apparently a 3000sqft dance floor, but that could just be cheeky-speak for beach, the 2 fully stocked bars with Belvedere & Rockland on the other hand can’t really be left open ...
One of Wellwatte’s non-vegetarian heavyweights Mayuri is a well established venue for Tamil meat curry classics- which actually means sea food and goat meat curries. Often visited at lunch for inexpensive sambar, rice and maybe some squid curry, Mayuri is also one of Wellwatte’s crab contenders, along with Yarl Eat House, Omex hotel, and the more upscale Yaal restaurant. On our ...
by Daniel Alphonsus Fort, the heart of Colombo (which thanks to a bypass in the form of the Dutch Hospital is now happening again) also has the cheapest beer in the country. At 190 bucks (20 rupees above retail), the Ex-Serviceman’s Club (open to all) is as cheap as it gets. Minus marks for its all male clientele and grottiness, ...
Oh my. This is some naughty advertising – we love it. It’s for Koluu’s upcoming burlesque show on October 19th at 7 PM, at the Cinnamon Grand. Koluu’s back with his annual burlesque bash in aid of the Sunera Foundation. This one’s called ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boys’ and it’s pretty much guaranteed to make the aunties gasp. If ...
As the government is trying to impeach the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Law & Society Trust is stepping up to host a panel discussion on the subject. The discussion is led by K. Kanag Iswaran P.C. (Board Member, Law & Society Trust) and JC Weliamuna (Human Rights Lawyer who also worked with Transparency International). Weliamuna’s views on ...
Entering the main hall of the International Book Fair So the Colombo Book Fair is on, till the 26th of September. Doesn’t sound like a big deal does it? But it is. The annual Colombo International Book Fair is the largest consumer/public fair in Colombo- attracting, their website claims, over 1 million visitors over its usual nine day run. The ...
While a handful of Colombo restaurants have gone on to achieve immortal status a far greater number haven’t made it. Over the years they’ve fallen by the wayside and been kicked to the curb of history. Leaving only intermittent, insatiable cravings for dishes that can no longer be found and rose tinted recollections of days when everyone was younger ...
The process of converting sucrose into ethanol is fascinating. Inducing yeast to transform sugar into alcohol is one of my favorite past times. Few things pass a weekend afternoon brewing beer and making mead. Upon arriving in Sri Lanka, I was introduced to treacle, and I am happy to report that this golden-brown syrup makes an excellent base for ...
With the T20 World Cup being hosted by Sri Lanka, YAMU takes a look at the high end options for sitting back with a beer whilst cheering on the Lions. Cricket Club Café As the name suggests, this place is all about the cricket. It’s filled with cricketing memorabilia dating back to the 40’s, and everything on the menu’s ...
The Vespa is a fantastic dodgy bar a stones throw from the beach in Kollupitiya. Down Sea View Lane, it’s an absurdly large property for what is essentially just a crumbling verandah and an expansive, ill-tended lawn/parking lot. Here you can get a bottle of Rockland Arrack for Rs. 1240 and quite tasty deviled pork for Rs. 380. Two portions ...
Why don’t more people go to Casa Colombo? It’s got one of the city’s coolest bars, the design is great and it’s actually quite affordable. The place is by no means empty like it used to be, but it’s still not quite as full as you’d expect. Savan wrote a recent review, saying it was good to see Casa ...
We recently reviewed the frozen yoghurt at Aviraté Café. We’d heard there was another place in Colombo that sold froyo as well, so we headed over to check it out. Yo-Mo is a small stall on the ground floor of the World Trade Centre selling frozen yoghurt – just that. The place is quite new, opening only about six months ...
