A Journey of Collections

 Published on 29/07/2016 on Daily News Chef Chamila Lakshitha Perera is the Japanese Chef at Ramada Colombo. Chef Chamila is from Kegalle and went to Seedawatte Siddhartha Central College Wellampitiya for O/Ls and now is settles in UK (Usweta Keiyyawa) with his wife and three sons. I got the chance to have a little chit chat with him and know about his love for cooking and of course Japanese cuisine. “I started working with Japanese food in 1996 when I was just a trainee at the hotel school. Then he went to the Maldives in 97 and after 3 years went to Italy to work at Chip Riyani. At that time, I got to learn more about the Japanese cuisine and of the chefs there taught me”, Chef Chaminda added. “He taught me step by step as they don’t teach you everything in one go. I felt like coming back home due to the learning process but I realized that there is something special about this cuisine and that is why they are very strict about teaching it to people. “I worked at the...

 Published on 15/07/2016 on Daily News Going on the tour of my culinary journey and Japanese cuisine, we make a stop at Yumi which is located the Taj Samudra Colombo. Yumi came to life along with the re-launch of the hotel after an intense refurbishment and facelift it got in 2014. This chic resto-bar is perfect for all kinds of dining experiences. Whether it’s for family, intimate dinner for two, casual catch up or even for a business meeting, it’s got a great feel good ambiance. The earthy mud coloured seating along with the wood brown walls and orange décor sets the mood just right for any occasion. Around 80 people can sit inside while if you prefer to be outside in the natural cool breeze, they can accommodate around 12 people. Digging into the menu, there’s so much one has to try and well….you have to do several trips there to try out everything or unless you are like Obelix (who always has room for more), you can snack on a bit of everything. With the help of ...

Published 08/07/2016        Weligama is a wonderful town situated in Down South. And with the Highway up and running to Matara, you can exit from Kananke and after a 15 minute bumpy ride you come the wonderful Mirissa Bay that is laid out before you. Breathtakingly beautiful during sunrise and sunset, one can always fall in love with this place over and over again. With this amazing beachfront and fishing boats all tucked at the shore, you can wake up to a morning of busy work (on a good fishing day) or to a quiet beach, where you can take long morning walks or take a dip at the shallow end of the ocean. With all this and more to offer, no wonder the hotel trade is building so many properties in and around the Bay. One such hotel that is taking full advantage of actually being right in the heart of the bay, is Fisherman’s Bay hotel which was once the Bay Beach Hotel. The Colombo Fort Hotel took over this property 3 years ago and came into full operation ...

 Published on 08/07/2016 When it comes to Japanese cuisine not everyone has the friendly approach to it as I or most of the people I know do. Some have the palette for escargo (snails) and some have the palette for some sashimi and sushi. I go for the latter option as it just blends well with soy sauce and wasabi. So you love sushi…but sometimes the price tag that comes with it may not suit your wallet. And that’s where Naniyori comes into play. Naniyori (translates to ‘Best’) is the Japanese Restaurant located on the second floor of the Steamboat restaurant (Nawala branch). As the name itself describes it, they do serve some of the best dishes as well as one awesome wasabi that sends your senses literally sky rocketing to space and back. I do recommend adult supervision when trying out this wasabi with ginger (ones who are very new to wasabi) and the ones who likes to take a risk…go for it! Speaking of the restaurant, they revamped and brought it to a bigger space f...

Published 01/07/2016 After years (well a little over 3 years) of going under a major restoration project the Galle Face Hotel was reborn to suit the modern era but keeping to its old charm. The whole hotel got a facelift and that meant their restaurants too. One in particular was the Sea Spray Restaurant. Today, we get to check out how this new look is doing, what’s on the menu and what more they have to offer to its patron guests in time to come. Even though the restaurant opened only last week, it was somewhat a full house. Sea Spray open for dinner with sundown cocktails (plus complimentary bites) being served from 5.30pm to 7pm and then onwards move to dinner. The setting is very romantic with candles lit all over, lights dimmed to give a calm feeling and the only sounds you hear (apart from your very near neighbouring tables) is the waves of the Indian Ocean crashing and dancing just below you. If you are not a outdoor person, well you can always move inside and enj...