Barefoot Cafe

704 Galle Road Colombo 3
Tel: 94-11-2580114
Fax: 94-11-2576936
E-mail: warehouse@barefoot.lk
Website: http://www.barefootceylon.com/home.htm

A hot spot for those looking for a cool and laid-back atmosphere, the unpretentious Barefoot café is the popular locale to grab lunch or to relax with a chill drink on a humid afternoon. Yet, despite the kitchen being run by Sri Lanka’s famous chef Koluu (perhaps better known for his cross-dressing hobby), it’s the café ambiance, and not its food, that draws people with enthusiasm.

Situated behind the Barefoot shop, in the courtyard of its Colonial-style building, the not-too-serious café adopts an ultra casual atmosphere with its brightly colored table clothes – typical of the bright array of home ware sold at the shop – and flanked by multi-colored pillars emerging from a cement floor.

Currently only a day-time spot (it’s still working on creating a market for evening diners), the café serves a rather unimaginative and limited list of sandwiches and salads daily, alongside several other ‘specials’ of the day, such as rice and curry, quiche, and grilled fish. The daily items are priced low, while the prices of the specials are double this, and the desert prices stand in-between. One of the more satisfying dishes on the regular menu is the Falafel with pitta bread, which is both tasty and filling. The Roast pork sandwich, on the other hand, while attempting to use a mustard sauce for flavor, tastes simply like slices of roast pork in a dull bun. The Quiche specials are good, served with a delicious salad, although the price is relatively high for the quantity and quality. The milkshakes and deserts are wonderful. Try a chocolate, vanilla, and coffee milkshake, and for desert, opt for the rich Frozen chocolate mousse, or the Nut pie, which contains a tree’s worth of cashew nuts, smothered in a kithul-treacle base, and is eaten best with the vanilla ice cream served with it.

The waiters, dressed in colorful Barefoot shirts, are friendly, but not overly concerned with service. The rhythmic lounge music, while not overbearingly loud, nevertheless fails to harmonize with the unassuming feel of the café.

Barefoot café is a good stop for tea and desert, to energize yourself before entering the shop, or to revitalize yourself after shopping, while writing to friends on the stunning Barefoot postcards.

Colorful Barefoot tablecloth






Seating area






Quiche and salad






Roast Pork Sandwich






Nut pie and ice cream





Coffee milkshake




BAREFOOT MENU

MAINS
Roast pork sandwich 375
Devilled corned beef sandwich 375
Cheese and tomato sandwich 375
Spicy Chicken and Mayo Sandwich 375
Tuna Fish Sandwich 375
Waffles with sausage 350
Waffles with syrup 350
Falafel with pitta bread 475
Portion of Chinese rolls (fish/beef) 90
Hummus salad with raw vegetables 500
Tuna salad 550
Green salad 450

DESERTS
Nut pie and ice cream 450
Torte with chocolate sauce and ice cream 450
Chocolate/banana/carrot cake 300
Frozen chocolate mousse 450
Triple layer chocolate mousse 500
Cheese cake with blackberry topping 450
Chocolate brownie with ice cream 500
Fresh strawberries and cream 500
Margarita pie 450
Chocolate pie 450
Strawberry torte 450
Mocha mousse tart 500
Queen of Sheba 450

The Lagoon seafood restaurant - Cinnamon Grand Hotel

77 Galle Road
Colombo 3.
Tel: 94-11-2437437

Website: http://www.cinnamonhotels.com/Grand/Lagoon.htm

You’re at the fish market: you choose your fish, the fishmonger weighs and wraps it up for you, you put it in your shopping cart and take it home. But what if you could also get it cooked and served to you right there without the usual fish market stink?

That is what Cinnamon Grand Hotel’s sophisticated seafood restaurant, The Lagoon, has tried to capture at its classy, yet casual, restaurant, located at the hotel’s garden level next to the water pond. Take a visual tour of the table of ice, stacked with fish and shellfish and, with the help of your waiter (whose service will undoubtedly be both friendly and efficient), pick your catch for the evening.

While sitting inside the restaurant gives you the chance to view the chefs at work in the open-style kitchen, you may choose to sit outside by the water pond, where seats are more limited, and enjoy a more romantic ambiance.

The seafood, ranging in variety from local seer fish to imported mussels, is prepared for you according to your personal tastes for sauces and ethnic flavors, including Indian, Thai and Italian, and will be prepared in a variety of ways, including spiced, steamed, grilled and fried. If you feel like you may not be the best judge, your waiter will be happy to help you make an informed decision about what choice of sauce goes best with what type of seafood. The sauces, including Italian salsa verde, sweet chili, lemon butter, and tamarind, are simple, yet flavorful, yielding a dish that is perfectly balanced in texture and taste. The Tempura style Prawns are an appetizing start to a meal. The famous Thai Red Curry Sauce makes a delicious base for a Seer Fish Curry, as does the Tamarind Sauce for the Cuttlefish. The Chili Crab sadly does not contain sufficient meat to call it ‘crab’, although the sweet chili sauce adds a welcomed spicy kick. And for something to soak up all that gravy, order the tasty Crab Rice.

The wine list is vast and the fresh fruit juices are wonderfully refreshing. There is not a lot of excitement in the dessert menu, although the Sago pudding certainly stands out in a class of its own and provides a delicious coda for your meal.

Going to your local fish market will never be the same again.

Number 18

18 Cambridge Place
Colombo 7
Tel: 94-11-2694000

Number 18 is that hip sort of restaurant that does not use more then three colors for its decor, and refuses to capitalize anything on its menu. The tables are wide and the seats comfortable at this spacious, haute cuisine creation of Taru Fonseka, which offers a variety of popular cuisines, including Thai, Sri Lankan, Japanese, and Italian, with some dishes incorporating a fusion touch. While most of the menu offers delicious creations of harmoniously blending flavors, beautifully presented with a careful eye to detail, not every item is guaranteed to be so.

The Tuna Tataki appetizer seared with sesame is of excellent quality, served with a delicious dollop of guacamole on the side. The Grilled Peaches with goat cheese and Parma ham strike a unique blending of diverse flavors and textures: the mix of firm, moist peaches with dry, salted ham and savory cheese is a treat. As for soups, the Chicken Mulligitawny is a delectable chicken-based soup flavored with Sri Lankan spices and coconut milk. And the Seafood Laksa is a spicy noodle-soup flavored from Singapore with coriander and lemongrass, whose hearty potion makes it sufficient for a light meal.

Among the main items, the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli with mascarpone and herbed brown butter is a good choice, as is the Sri Lankan fish curry with accompaniments, and the Duck Breast with wasabi mash and black cherry purée, which offers a succulent duck breast that blends well with the purée (although the overdose of wasabi in the rather dry mash has the potential to spoil the overall pleasure of the meal) However, not all items match this same quality, such as the Gnocchi with basil and sun dried tomato, which contains an overdose of salt and lacks sufficient flavor, as does the Linguine tossed with shrimp tomato basil and chili flakes.

The dessert menu offers a less enticing array, but does contain some winners (and interestingly, all tending to incorporate passion fruit), such as the Panacotta with passion fruit coulis, the Crème Brulée topped with passion fruit, and the Passion fruit sorbet with grilled mango cheek. The ice creams, on the other hand, lack a necessary sweetness, and much of the rest of the desert menu does not offer a lot to rave about.

The waiters are courteous and attentive, opening doors for you with gentle smiles and polite nods, reducing the gusting air-conditioning when you so request, or lowering the level of the music.

If you are not able to make it to Number 18 for a meal, at least stop by to enjoy the fantastic lychee martini (or a sweet lassi, for a non-alcoholic option) on the outdoor patio.

Indoor dining area




Outdoor patio

Bar

Sri Lankan fish curry




Tandoori chicken wrap




Beef burger




Seafood Laksa




Panna cotta




Creme Brulee

NUMBER 18 LUNCH MENU

BREAD
Garlic bread 125
Focaccia 150
Cheese toast 125

SIDE ORDERS
Potato wedges/fries 250
Potato mash 250
Garden salad 350
Sautéed oyster mushrooms 250
Sautéed green beans 250
Steamed rice 100

SOUPS AND SALADS
Thai style pumpkin soup 400
Roasted tomato and bell pepper soup with garlic croutons 400
Seafood laksa 650
Caesars salad 550
Chicken Caesar salad 600
Rocket, walnut and pear salad with shaved parmesan 450
Roasted beetroot, orange and watercress salad with fetta cheese 450

PIES AND PASTA
Leek, potato and mushroom pie 600
Chicken, cashew nut and sweet corn pie 650
Fettuccine with sliced pork and plum sauce 700
Spaghetti with chili chicken and veggies 700

RICE DISHES
Sri Lankan fish curry served with steamed jasmine rice, brinjole,
cucumber salad, coconut sambol, dhal curry and papadam 700
Sri Lankan chicken curry served with steamed jasmine rice,
brinjole, cucumber salad, coconut sambol, dhal curry and papadam 700
Combination of calamari, fish and shrimp rice 750
Combination of chicken, pork, beef, and bacon rice 750
Vegetable stir fry with peanut sauce over rice 650
Ginger beef and watercress stir fry over steamed rice 700
Black belly pork curry with steamed rice, tomato salad, lentils,
coconut sambol and chutney 750
Thai green chicken curry with tomato salad and steamed rice 700
Thai red prawn curry with coconut flavoured steamed rice and
green mango salad 950

MAINS
Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich with french fries 550
Tandoori chicken wrap with cucumber, onions, and yogurt 550
Steak sandwich with salad and potato wedges 700
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, onion rings, and capers on toasted bagel 650
Number 18 hot dog (pork/chicken bokwurst, caramelized onions,
mustard, ketchup, jalapenõs and gerkins) 450
Beef burger with the full works 600
Club sandwich with potato wedges 600
Fish cakes with cucumber relish 550
Honey roasted pumpkin ravioli with mascarpone and herbed brown butter 650
Linguine tossed with shrimp tomato basil and chili flakes
Fish and chips with tartar sauce 650
Cajun spiced seared tuna with green beans, tomato and coriander salad 700
Spinach quiche with garden salad 550

DESERTS
Hot chocolate and ginger pudding 350
Vanilla ice bomb with blueberry compote 350
New York cheesecake with lemon curd 350
Number 18 cassata 350
Crème brulée topped with passion fruit 350
Chocolate decadence 400
Poached pear with vanilla ice cream 400
Mixed berry crumble with warm custard 400
Strawberries and fresh cream 450
Jaggery sundae 350
Chocolate meringue in hazelnut praline 400
Pavlova 400
Café affogato (espresso with sambucca and ice cream) 700
Cookies and cream cheesecake with crème angalise 350
Tiramisu 350
Passion fruit sorbet with grilled mango cheek 350
After-dinner chocolate and mint mousse 400
Panna cotta with passion fruit coulis 350
Choice of homemade ice cream (2 scoops):
espresso 300
hazelnut and honey 350
lemon curd 350

Nihonbashi Japanese restaurant

11 Galle Face Terrace
Colombo 3.
Tel: 94-11-2323847

Transport yourself to Tokyo at this Japanese restaurant on Galle Road opposite the Galle Face Hotel. Choose to sit Japanese-style in a more intimate private room or pick a regular table by the calming indoor water pond. Then get ready for raw freshness.

If you find yourself overwhelmed with the extensive menu, calm your nerves with some Japanese Green Tea, order the particularly delicious Miso Soup, and then ponder what you might like to have next. The one dish that requires no deliberation, though, is the Shake no Aburi Sushi. This marinated Norwegian Salmon Sushi, the fat of which is slightly melted before it is brought to the table, is mouthwatering and full of flavor. The menu also offers classic favorites such as California Rolls, Tempura Moriawase (seafood tempura), and Seafood Yakisoba (ramen-style noodles). For an exciting alternate to the standard round-shaped sushi rolls, try the conical-shaped Kanikama Maki (crab stick roll). And if you haven’t already had enough wasabi to satisfy your appetite, end your meal with the unusually delectable Wasabi Ice cream.

An ideal place for family dinners or business gatherings, Nihonbashi is one of the two superior locales offering authentic Japanese cuisine in Colombo (the other is Ginza Hosen at the Hilton Hotel). But the service, while courteous, can be slow.

For a change in scene the next time you visit Nihonbashi, check out the restaurant’s branch at the Hilton Colombo Residence, or the smaller outlet located inside Odel Unlimited shopping center.

Nihonbashi branches also located at:
Hilton Colombo Residence
200 Union Place
Colombo 2
Tel: 94-11-2300642

and

Odel Unlimited
5 Alexandra Road
Colombo 7
Tel: 94-11-2682712

Seating area - Odel branch



Seating area - Odel branch



Sashimi lunch platter



Chicken lunch platter



Sushi



Hand roll

Gallery Cafe

2 Alfred House Road
Off Alfred House Gardens
Colombo 3.
Tel: 94-11-2582162, 94-11-2556563
Fax: 94-11-2556564
E-mail: gallerycafe@paradiseroadsl.com
Website: http://www.paradiseroadsl.com/Main.html

Set in an open air and terra cotta tiled one-story building is the unique and trendy restaurant, Gallery Café. Although the former office space of Sri Lanka’s most prominent architect, Geoffrey Bawa, the restaurant’s ambiance will swiftly take your mind away from your work. The entry’s short passageway leads you to a Sri Lankan Lotus pond, flanked on both sides by an elegant arcade. View the art exhibition, featuring paintings of local artists, before making your way to the dining space.

Suitable for business lunches, romantic dinners, or afternoon tea, this refined eatery incorporates a decor that is stark, yet sophisticated, and displays some of Colombo’s finest culinary and aesthetic talent.

The menu, which has not changed a great deal since the restaurant’s opening, indulges in several cuisines: French, Italian, Spanish, Thai and Sri Lankan. Portions are satisfactory, but often look dainty in comparison to their expansive plates. To start off your meal, try the innovative Sri Lankan Fish Head Soup, or the creamy Baked Crab cooked with a mustard and white wine. Move on to the Roast Leg of Lamb cooked in a thyme sauce, laid on top of a walnut and blue cheese risotto, or the Butter Prawns with Basmati Rice; or, to satisfy a craving for local spices, have the Black Pork Curry. For equally delectable vegetarian options, go for the Spinach Crepes, filled with mushrooms and cheese, or the Pumpkin Gnocchi. But above all, make sure you leave room for some of the best dessert that Colombo has to offer. The Chocolate Nemesis, Chocolate Fondant, and one of the newest items on the desert menu – Chocolate and Caramel duet - are unequivocal musts for chocolate-lovers, sublime slivers of heaven, as are the Traditional Bread Pudding, Trifle, and the homemade Jaggery Ice Cream with sugar floss. And to end your meal, instead of the espresso that you will already be thinking of ordering, try a cup of Chai – an Indian tea infused with spices.

Service is often painfully long and the hip music too loud, so take that into consideration when your intention is to have a “quick bite”. Just be sure to prod your friendly waiter along once in a while so you don’t end up having a 4-hour long meal (and you have your water glass regularly re-filled).

And on your way out, take a glimpse into the Paradise Road shop, to take home a decorative souvenir.

Dining area

Entrance

Seating area

Tamarind martini

Strawberry margarita

Baked crab

Spinach crepes

Black pork curry

Butter prawns

Chocolate nemesis

Trifle

GALLERY CAFÉ MENU

SOUPS
Sweet pumpkin soup with pesto and pumpkin crisps 365
Chilled zucchini soup with parmesan and basil 365
Gazpacho - chilled tomato and celery soup with croutons 365
Pink seafood soup 495
Sri Lankan fish head soup 365

SALADS
Mixed salad 335

MAINS-VEGETARIAN
Chili-salt crumbled tofu with stir-fried broccoli and mushrooms 595
Spaghetti with black olives and feta 835
Spaghetti pesto 645
Pumpkin gnocchi 535
Vegetable lasagna 485
Spinach crepes with mushroom filling on creamy cheese sauce 565
Champagne risotto with broccoli and mushrooms 585
Feta and black olive ravioli with pesto cream sauce and
sun dried tomato concassé 695
Carrot gnocchi with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini and mushrooms on
herb cream sauce 535

MAINS
Indian butter chicken with raita and chapatti 735
Lemongrass and ginger chicken with spinach and potato mash 785
Chicken breast with bacon and cream cheese filling with potato mash
and salad 825
Spaghetti bolognaise 535
Steak sandwich with French fries, salad, onions and mushrooms 965
Grilled fillet steak with potato wedges or french fries, green salad
or vegetables, choice béarnaise, green pepper, hollandaise sauce, garlic
or anchovy butter 2650
Grilled sirloin steak with potato wedges or french fries, green salad
or vegetables, choice béarnaise, green pepper, hollandaise sauce, garlic
or anchovy butter 1865
Black pork curry with brinjal pahi, cucumber raita, gotukola sambol
and rice 735
Pan-fried pork chops with potato mash and paprika sauce 795
Grilled garlic jumbo prawns with potato wedges or french fries,
green salad or vegetables and garlic butter 1785
Butter prawns with basmati rice 825
Prawn curry with sautéed kankung, onion sambol and rice 895
Pan-friend butterfly prawns with tamarind relish,
green papaya-carrot salad and coconut risotto 1765
Phad thai – thai fried noodles with chicken and prawns 675
Fish and chips with tartar sauce 685
Fettuccine with lobster and prawns with dash of chili 1495
Fettuccine with smoked salmon 965
Baked crab with mustard and white wine cream sauce on
potato mash with vegetables 645 (small); 825 (medium)
Grilled seer fish (Spanish mackerel) with coconut risotto,
curried apple sauce and ratatouille 835
Tuna stacks with salsa verde on aubergine, tomato, basil and mozzarella 665
Pan-fried sole with rösti on a bed of spinach 625
Grilled lamb cutlets with potato wedges, french fries of potato mash,
vegetables and mint sauce 1985
Roast leg of lamb on walnut and blue cheese risotto with garlic and
thyme jus 1875

ACCOMPANIMENTS
French fries 265
Potato wedges 265
Crusty onion rings 235
Peppery garlic toast 165
Mixed salad 335
Crumb friend oyster mushrooms 265
Mashed potato 265

SWEETS
Paradise road chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream 365
Double chocolate cheese cake – baked dark and white chocolate
cake with vanilla custard 375
Chocolate walnut brownie with vanilla ice cream 350
Lemon meringue pie – tangy lemon cream in biscuit crust with
meringue topping 320
Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream 425
Chocolate nemesis – light baked chocolate mouse with
apricot coulis and whipped cream 410
Chocolate fondant with orange ice cream 425
Chocolate and caramel duet with fresh whipped cream 410
Mocha pot – rich and dark chocolate mousse 350
Tiramisu 385
Passion fruit mousse 365
Vanilla panna cotta with strawberry coulis 425
Crème brûlée 385
Paradise road banana split – scoops of jaggery and coconut ice cream
with banana, whipped cream, treacle, and nuts 375
Traditional bread pudding with brandied sultanas, toasted nuts,
topped with lyle’s golden syrup and cream 375
Jaggery icea cream – home-made palm sugar ice cream with sugar floss 365
Coffee ice cream 335
Yogurt ice cream 335
Strawberry sundae – strawberry red wine ice cream with mascarpone,
fresh strawberries, red wine and almond praline 510
Ginger ice cream with chocolate sauce and biscotti 375
Coconut ice cream with tropical fruit 375
Cinnamon ice cream 335
Tropical fruit platter with passion fruit and white wine dip 425
Fresh strawberries and cream 495
Curd with cinnamon infused tropical fruit or with treacle 325

Hotel de Pilawoos

Galle Road, Colombo 3.

You don't want to be seen here before 2am – it's a faux pas.

Despite its froo froo sounding name, Hotel de Pilawoos is neither a hotel nor French, and generally unappealing to the sober mind and the hygiene-conscious. But after a late night out at Tramps nightclub, with Rum and Cokes having clouded their judgment, this 24-hour roadside joint - possibly the only eating spot in Colombo where the high-rollers dine with the blue-collared - becomes the most popular place among Colombo party goers to grab a bite of local fare and satiate their drunken appetites. If you're a regular, the waiter might even take your order from your car.

Kottu rotti – a dish made from a thick Sri Lankan pancake known as godhamba rotti – is a house specialty. And there are variations to choose from, including chicken, mutton, and vegetable with the spice level notched up or down to your desire. With the addition of onions and several local Sri Lankan spices (and most recently an option to add cheese), the ingredients are chopped up with two wide metal blades, one held in each hand, while cooking on a hot metal surface.

The Cheese Rotti is another must-try, consisting of chicken and a load of red onions, smothered in a spicy sauce, rolled up inside a godhamba rotti layered with cheese. You might want to order more than one roll though, especially if your friend plans on having a bite of yours.

The waiters are exceptionally friendly and efficient. But don't ask too much of the decor. With pale blue walls and neon lighting, you really only go there for the food.

PS. You might also want to have some Pepto-Bismol ready for the next day.