How can travel be complete without food? Now that you know where to visit in Sri Lanka, & what to see/ do, it’s time for the restaurants I loved. As before, the below eateries are tried & tested!
Uyana Restaurant
Uyana Restaurant was at my Kandy hotel, Mahaweli Reach. Consequently, most of my meals were here – two breakfasts and two dinners. Along with an indoor seating, it had garden and poolside seatings too.
You could also overlook the River Mahaweli Ganga from the Uyana Restaurant. Meals with a view! A large Nasturtium shrub lit up the garden-side seating. My dinners were accompanied by the sound of soft music being played by a musical trio!
As all my meals were buffets, I had a jolly time walking around to see the visually – appealing dishes. The buffet spread was quite varied catering to the international guests staying at the hotel including Chinese, Indian and Westerners.
Uyana had a cute corner for Sri Lankan dishes which I loved experimenting with. A variety of meat and non-meat dishes with medium spice levels but with spicy chutneys and sambals (chili paste kind of accompaniment) available if you wanted to up your game.
The Sri Lankan dishes were, easily, delicious, specially the curries. So, curry and rice is, sort of, the staple diet of this island nation. The curry has both meat and non – meat options and, usually, a good dose of coconut.
I am a huge fan of appams, what were called hoppers here. And they paired so well with the curries. The Pol Roti (coconut roti) was quite interesting too. The variety of desserts was mindboggling too – including Sri Lankan delicacies like the Watalappam.
Watalappam is a familiar dessert in Sri Lanka. The beginnings of this steamed coconut custard afters can be traced back to Malaysia. Kittul jaggery (a type of palm jaggery) and coconut cream are the basic ingredients.
The breakfast spreads were equally diverse too. lots of fruits, cereals, cold cuts followed by porridges and curries followed by live counters of Omlet and hoppers! And again, the bread/ pastry selection – oh my sweet god!
The chef was superb. He took a personal interest in ensuring I had great culinary experiences. My servers were courteous & helpful too. Great meals, briefly! Even if you are not staying here, Uyana Restaurant is worth visiting for a meal.
Café Divine Street
I could not find Café Divine Street in the first go! LOL!! There were two huge trucks parked right in front of the café making it impossible for someone in a moving vehicle to spot it. TBH, the street – Colombo Street – on which it is located is quite congested – bang in the middle of a market.
There was neither a provision for my cabbie to stop the car on the Colombo Street not to park it. So I got down and searched for Café Divine Street on foot, crossing crates full of dried fish whose aroma seeped not just into my nostrils but also into my very soul!
Café Divine Street turned out to be an unassuming little place with seating on the first floor. It has both indoor & outdoor seating. I sat inside as it was quite humid and warm outside. It had quite a few patrons when I walked in, mostly college kids. I ordered a Lime Mojito and a Chicken Kottu. The mojito was refreshing while the kottu was absolutely delectable!
So, kottu is a popular Sri Lankan street food. It translates from Sinhalese as ‘chopped’. It is a thinly shredded roti mixed with curry, vegetables and aromatic spices, topped with a meat of your choice. At Café Divine Street, the meat ranged from chicken to fish to lamb to pork to beef!
Kottu is classically cooked on a warmed iron sheet by two blunt fins to mix and cut – a distinctive sound which can be heard all over! A variation of it is Cheese Kottu where, duh, cheese is added to this dish.
The Chicken Kottu was a HUGE portion, adequate for two people; so, naturally, I ended up wasting half of it. Having said that, it was scrumptious beyond words. If there is one Sri Lankan dish I will look for in India, it is kottu.
Certainly, a place to have a fun time if you can look past the ‘basicness’ of Café Divine Street.
Lords Restaurant Complex
What a fun restaurant! Lords Restaurant Complex is a cricket – themed restaurant also having an art gallery and a fish spa. I am sure you, dear reader, know how crazy the subcontinent is about cricket! This complex has a large screen for match screenings and flags of all the cricket – playing countries.
Lords Restaurant Complex had both indoor and outdoor seating. I chose to sit outside to enjoy the dip in temperature. Right in front of me was a big neon sign screaming HOWZZAT! A perfect setting to enjoy a Rockland Gin with Ginger Ale!
The Rockland distillery was founded specifically to manufacture high quality Arrack. It has been producing gin too for eight decades. During WW2, the British required gin for troop supplies but as the trade routes were restricted, Rockland created one within the country.
The menu at Lords Restaurant Complex demonstrated its internationality. I could see platters from different countries which, obviously, would be suitable to a wide range of palates. I also liked how they mentioned their local and sustainable sourcing of raw materials!
Being a single eater, there is no possibility to try multiple dishes, all the more so if you have a small appetite like mine. Nonetheless, I went with the Sri Lankan street food section and ordered a street style Chicken Noodles which turned out be dainty!
Lords Restaurant Complex was a fascinating place to chill. A band was playing live music. Patrons, mostly foreigners, sat around talking, laughing and chilling. It is not a beach restaurant, but its vibe makes up for that!
Central Café, Shangri La
This was my last meal in Sri Lanka. On this trip at least. I began with a Strawberry Margarita at the Sapphyr Lounge located at the Ground Level, next to the Lobby at Shangri La, Colombo. The lounge had a wonderful Wi-Fi that I used to keep myself company while I sipped on my drink.
I then walked up to the Central Café which has access from both the Shangri-La hotel and the One Galle Face Mall. The café had cool interiors, quite candyfloss kinds. I got a table readily and ordered a Dark Chocolate Olive Oil cake to heighten my sugar rush, but I am afraid to report that it was not to my liking.
But then, the taste in my mouth was improved instantaneously and magnificently with the Sri Lankan Chicken Curry that came next. Oh my! It was chicken stewed with spices and it ALSO had two vegetable curries, pol sambal, papadum and steamed basmati rice to go with it.
My goodness! Now that is called a meal!! Well, of course, the portion size was too much, and I had to leave some of it, but the taste made me want to be able to finish it all. The Lankan Chicken Curry was absolutely scrummy!
The staff ensured I was paid attention to and kept in good spirits. The Central Café dispenses off the formal behaviour that is expected in a five-star hotel. Here, you don’t have to be in a defined dress code; you can just walk in & enjoy!
Something that excited me at Central Café, but I could not try was the Tea Treats offering. It is a high tea but not as extensive as is found in hotels, more like a miniature version of it. What a perfect way to unwind!
After publishing this post, I’m craving for the Sri Lankan cuisine!
