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The Ferrero Lavish, a killer combo of Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, at Tea Avenue.

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New Year, New RomanceIn case you noticed we didn’t have a January magazine, we apologize. December was a wild one here at YAMU HQ! But February’s a pretty fun month if you’re patriotic or in love. Sri Lanka is becoming a sexagenarian on In-dependence Day and Sri Lankans are becoming sexy on Valentine’s Day.

This month, we’re serving you up some gastronomical ad-venture via Hulftsdorp’s nocturnal streetfood market, and some delicious treats via CocoBella and the lovely August by Mama Aida’s (both Good Market veterans!).

We’ve also resurrected our infamous Date Night Index to help you decide where to take your special someone. It’s curated by the wise Love Gurus here at office, so you know it’s legit. Check out our site on yamu.lk for heaps more content, reviews, and sass.

kinita

EDITORIALIndi Samarajiva

Bhagya GoonewardhaneAisha Nazim

Imaad MajeedShifani ReffaiKinita Shenoy

ADVERTISINGDinesh Hirdaramani

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BY AISHA

If you want to binge on a vari-ety of mouth-watering and ex-tremely reasonably priced food (street food, nonetheless), Hulftsdorp is the place for you. Be warned that this isn’t for those who are weak of heart — or who can’t stomach a gas-tronomic adventure. But if you dare venture into the suburban wilderness that is Colombo 12 (when the sun is out and night descends), you’re in for an ex-tremely pleasant surprise.

THE FOODTake OneWe started off at the junction where Quarry Road ends and Abdul Hameed Street starts, to be greeted by a brightly lit lit-tle kadé with about a hundred white lights swinging about

it and nearly fifty dishes of meats and curries spread out on baking trays right in front (I may have exaggerated about the numbers). But, in all se-riousness, they’ve got nearly everything (except pork), and they’re all simultaneously mouth watering and tummy churning, depending on what your tastes are.

I walked up to one of the uncles behind the stalls, and pointed to the array of food stuff and asked what they were. He pointed at each and then rat-tled off “Cuttlefish curry, cut-tlefish egg, devilled cuttlefish egg, chicken parts, mutton brain, grilled fish...” at which point I was just staring silently at the devilled cuttle fish egg and mutton brains, and think-ing where else are these availa-

ble? I don’t even... I can’t even... because I don’t eat brains, but my cousin suggested I try it out anyway so we did.

They also had this really soft and doughy rotti which they claimed was khubbus, a type of Arabic bread. I’ve had actual khubbus in Saudi and Bahrain, and this isn’t even close, but it looks good nonetheless.

We placed an order for mutton brains, chicken parts, and paro-tas, but once we were seated on our little plastic table on the street, we were regaled with parippu, raita, regular beef cur-ry, and a few other condiments as well as what we’d ordered, including pittus and idiappas for mains.

The food was, to put it simply,

HULFTSDORP STREETFOODAbdul Hameed Street, Colombo 12

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pretty great. They’ve got curry down to a science, and the brains (my second or so time with that) were extremely milky in taste and texture, with the gravy bringing in the spiciness.

The food was warm as it ar-rived, and was almost a typical meal you could get in a tradi-tional Muslim family, especially the beef and parota combo. The beef, swimming in thick, brown gravy, was surprisingly soft and succulent, and came in rather large pieces. We tried not to stuff ourselves too much here because we had the whole street to hit up. The bill for this place though, (for two people) came up to only Rs. 330. SO MUCH WIN.

Take TwoWe wandered over to another

little kadé down the road, but as they were still kneading dough for the pattis, we hit up a little cart which was barbe-queing some intensely good-looking meats. This turned out to be chicken and beef kebabs.

They also stuff it in buns if you want, but we took some chick-en fresh off the skewer. It was legitimately one of the best chicken I’ve tasted around, re-ally well flavoured, beautifully charred, and juicy to the core. Priced at just Rs. 270 a por-tion, this is an absolute steal. It’s piping hot (obviously), and mouthwatering. GO GET SOME ALREADY.

Take ThreeI suggested winding our even-ing down with pattis and plaintea, so we walked back

to store number two. Much to the excitement of my cousin, we learnt that the pattis made here was paani pattis, honey-pattis; something we’ve never tried before, given that it’s generally a savoury dish (dish? dish).

What we got was pattis made of pol-rotti, wrapped and baked around pol-pani, that coconut-treacle mixture you use for laverias and pancakes here.

It was an interesting bite, to say the least. Especially as it was made just then, and came piping hot with the jaggery and coconut stuffing being not-so-hot. The old uncle making it had a lot of swag, with his sarong hitched up and with a cigarette in one one hand, pat-ting and turning the pattis over

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with the other in between long puffs.

Don’t think too much about hy-geine, you won’t get anywhere with that attitude in this hood.

Drinks-wise, their plain tea hits the spot, whilst their milk tea is doused in sugar (or condensed milk). Either way, it’s your one-stop-shop for diabetes.

It comes in nice glass tumblers, a welcome change from the regular aluminium ones which are what you generally get in saivar kadés and elsewhere. Our patties and teas both cost only 80 bucks. WHOA.

SERVICE & AMBIENCEThis is far from the likes of Colpetty or Bamba, so don’t expect anything fancy, really.

It’s an epic dining experience though, given that there’s not many places like this in Co-lombo/ SL. The closest you’d get to it is the Nana Kadés at Galle Face.

You’d be sitting on the street, sometimes near a drain, some-times with wide eyed cats un-der your rickety table set out-side.

Service is fast, friendly, hasty. The area is populated with Muslims, so the old uncles and young uncles both kind of maintain a respectful distance from you if you’re a woman, or avoid you all together, or pull up chairs for you, or shower you with too much fatherly atten-tion, or just steer clear of you all together. Go with a camera like we did, and you’d get little

kids come up with toothy grins and ask you for a picture.

CONCLUSIONUncommon and delicious food for a fraction of the price you’d find elsewhere, this is a defi-nite must-visit. Curries, BBQs, sweets or savouries, including biryanis and burgers (we were too full to check those out) can be found here. They open up after nightfall, so visit after 6.00PM. Not sure how long this goes on for, but we were told it ends at like 4.00AM.

Well worth your money, and ab-solutely delicious food to boot.

Tip: Try a little of everything. There’s biryani down the street as well. The BBQ chicken cart is strongly recommended.

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BY KINITA

If you’re looking for your just desserts, you’ve come to the right place. Possibly the pretti-est merger in town, CocoBella is a little outlet opened up by the women behind Bakes by Bella and Coco Ceylon.

AMBIENCE & SERVICEThe tiny little shop is on the sec-ond floor of the Liberty Arcade, right smack in the middle of Colpetty, so it’s very accessible. There isn’t much to say about the ambience really, since it’s so small. It’s clean, bright, and the details are carefully attended to (for example, we loved the funk-ily coloured plates and polka dot-ted printed tissues). There’s also a cute mural covering one wall of the eatery that brightens up the already upbeat area.

The only things more upbeat than the mural are the music (think: Kygo) and the owners themselves. We assume the mu-sic is craftily meant to get you in a wiggly mood so you forget the carbs you’re ingesting. There’s also a tiny seating area in case you don’t feel like getting take away. It seats about 4 people in total.

The owners are usually on hand themselves, although Coco Cey-lon gets cracking nice and early at 8:30 AM with all the healthier breakfast options like juices and chia bowls. Bakes by Bella usu-ally starts up around 12:30, just in time for post-lunch sweet tooth cravings. They haven’t quite locked down their clos-ing times yet, since the shop is pretty much in beta testing right now. We’d suggest you call/text

ahead.

We found the service engaging and friendly. The women are more than enthusiastic about their products and happy to help you choose what you’d like to or-der. They’re also happy to pack up everything in cute packaging for you.

THE TREATSWe’ve tried Bakes by Bella and Coco Ceylon when they were both little start-ups, so we’re al-ready pretty familiar with what they’ve got on offer. That didn’t stop us from ordering a bunch of stuff to keep the scientific meth-od alive. From Bella we ordered 3 mini jars; Brownies & Cream with Nutella at Rs. 450, S’mores at Rs. 400, and Red Velvet at Rs. 450. We also got one slice of Rainbow Cake at Rs. 450. From Coco we

cOcObELLa2nd Floor, Liberty Arcade, Colombo 03 | 112574227

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got two juices, a Summer Bliss at Rs. 280 and a Berry Blend at Rs. 420.

We loved the mini jars. They’re a tad expensive, but they’re actual-ly rich and packed enough for two to share after a meal (as long as you’re both polite). The Brown-ies & Cream is a Bella staple, and probably our office favour-ite too. It had that perfect gra-diented texture, mixing crunchy brownie, soft and supple cream, and slightly tart strawberries.

The Red Vel-vet was a de-light too. It was topped with a nice cream cheese frost-ing, and the fla-vour was rich and completely avoided that synthetic artifi-cial flavouring taste you tend to notice with mass-made red velvets.

The S’mores was lovely, and we childishly loved watching the marshmellows being toasted with a blowtorch. The flavour of the chocolatey pudding was a bit too “deep co-coa” for some of our office, but I personally enjoyed that ever so slightly bitter chocolate flavour in juxtaposition to the sugary marshmallows. It was also on a base of cookie crumble which offset the puddingy texture well. Bella was considerate enough to tell us that this was the only

potentially non-halal item on her menu because she didn’t make the marshmallows herself and the gelatine used could have ani-mal fat.

The Rainbow Cake was good, and we’d expect it to be a birth-day favourite. We felt it could have done with a tad more frost-ing, but the flavour itself was nice, straightforward vanilla. The only problem with this cake is that it looked so pretty that the

taste could never match up, and it felt wasteful to even ingest an-ything that aesthetically perfect.

The Coco Ceylon juices served as healthy palate cleansers and were superbly fresh and re-freshing. The Berry Blend was kind of expensive at Rs. 420 for a smoothie, but raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and yogurt don’t come cheap so it’s understandable. It was cold and blended well, and we could see it

being a great morning drink.

The Summer Bliss was actually more of a personal favourite for me, because it was lighter and tasted more local, and I could detect a lot of passionfruit. We’d definitely recommend stopping by for a healthy morning fix if you’re in the area.

CONCLUSIONWe had a great experience, and are huge fans of the cute pack-

aging and quality produce. Their menu isn’t completely static right now, so you ought to stop by a couple of times and experi-ment with what they’re rustled up for the day. Of course, you can still order in advance if you require something in particular.

Enjoy your sugar rush!

Tip: Follow them on Instagram to find out what’s on offer each day.

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Date Night IndexThe SnugglersIf you’re the kind of couple that wants to stay in, do nothing, and ignore Valentine’s Day till it goes away, we’d recommend:

1. Pick up a nice bottle of wine from Victoria Wines.2. Order a large bacon pizza from Giovanni’s or the Special Bento box from Naniyori.3. Binge-watch Narcos or Master of None on Netflix.

The Party PapolsWe’d assume you met at a club, go on dates to clubs, and are used to communicating via sign language. If you’re heavy on the drinking and low on the hearing, we’d suggest you :

1. Do shots at White Horse. Say hi to Ravi. 2. Head over to Clique/ Disque/ whatever else now has a “que” in it. Except maybe Queen’s Cafe.3. Get a chicken cheese kottu from Hotel de Pila-woos. Two plastic forks, one cardboard box. Two hearts, one soul. If you feel like the romance is dying, go to Hotel de New Pilawoos instead. 

Vintage VibesFor history buffs and general lovers of local/ colonial heritage, we’d suggest some of Colombo’s coolest old school spots. Our recommendations are :

Slink over to the Galle Face Hotel for a sunset drink at the Terrace overlooking the sea. Over 150 years of history and romance with a view to die for, no big deal.Dinner at Tintagel. Home to former heads of states, illustrious families, and a wicked smoked salmon and caviar appetizer.For a dose of embellished colonial romance and glamour, head over to the Love Bar. No, the structure isn’t old in itself but the kooky vintage furniture and story behind it are. 

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BY KINITA Our last Date Night Index focused on types of dates. This one is going to be a little bit more person-al, and focus on types of couples. We at YAMU will curate your date night for you, so you don’t have to! If this works out, please send us invites to your wedding, we like free buffets. In this segment, we plan out your date for you from start to finish. Well almost. We hope you don’t finish on your own.

Date Night IndexTreat Yourself!If you two are into that mutual self-love and pampered down-time, we’d suggest:

1. Book yourselves in for a couples pedicure at Nail Anatomy (yes, they’re more than happy to do male pedicures too, barring nail polish if you wish)2. Then head for a leisurely couples massage at Spa Ceylon or Angsana Spa.3. Relax in the CASA Colombo pool with a stiff cocktail.

Classy CatsIf you’re a couple of sleek, refined types who enjoy a bit of bubbly and fine dining, we have a few op-tions for you. Why not :

1. Have a nice sirloin at London Grill or rare. 2. Alternatively, if you’re classy yet wordly, why not Nihonbashi or YUMI?3. Slink off for a nightcap at Gallery Cafe or Sky Lounge

Keeping it RealIf all this upscale swaggery isn’t your style, and you chaps enjoy the real sweaty essence of Colombo, we’d recommend:

1. Kite flying at Galle Face Green. It’s heaps of fun, lots of romping, and you can wind down by watch-ing the stunning sunset.2. Head over to Castle Hotel or Grand Oriental in the Fort/ Slave Island area for some old school, semi-dingy drinks3. Try a Marine Drive seafood feast. Either Beach Wadiya or Yaal (be warned though, the flouroscent lighting at Yaal will not lend itself to romance)

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The ‘it’ CoupleEssentially the opposite of the above, the It Couple probably wins at Instagram, CMB socializing, and knowing what’s hot. Us telling you where to go is pretty redundant, since you definitely already know. May we humbly suggest:

1. Dinner at COi by Vichalya. Since you probably know the chef and what’s best to order too, you can let us know.2. Probably drinks at Love Bar, or Cafe Francais.

True RomanceThese are the couples looking for some intimate, eye-gazing, hand-holding sop. You’re probably so captivated you don’t notice the people gagging loudly around you. Here are some recommenda-tions to romance your pants off:

1. Pick up some flowers from Shirohana or some jewellery from Chatham Street, whatever you and your special someone are into.2. Dinner at Havelock Place Bungalow, or August. Both are al fresco, magically lit, and secluded. 3. You can also take a nice bottle of champers into August.4. Drinks at ZaZa Bar at CASA

Victoria WinesGiovanni NaniyoriWhite HorseCliqueHotel de PilawoosHotel de New PilawoosTintagelLove BarNail AnatomySpa CeylonCASA Colombo PoolLondon Grillrare at Residence

NihonbashiYUMIThe Gallery CafeSky LoungeGrand Oriental Beach WadiyaYaalCOi by VichalyaLove BarCafe FrancaisShirohanaHavelock P. BungalowAugustZaZa Bar at CASA

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11243199177 033 5366112807380112304922724218164777417417112580125114602060778597766112688358112441931114520130112437437115673000

PHONE NUMBERS FOR PLACES MENTIONED

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In the world of cake, especially if you’re like me and are on some secret quest to eat all the cake in the world, it’s easy for one spongey creamy concoction to get confused with another. But our recent visits to Butter Boutique introduced us to a very fresh, new infatuation, and after many a clandestine meeting, I found myself thinking, hey... this one is not like all the other cakes. It’s special. Maybe... it’s the one. (Right now in my head I’m standing in the rain with tres leche à la The Notebook scene.)

The tres leche is as magical as it sounds. (Sounds like tray-la-shay, I think. Though I could be goday wrong.) The phrase means “three milks” in Spanish. It is cake soaked in three kinds of milk - condensed milk (aka Milkmaid), evaporated milk (what remains when 60% of the water is removed from fresh milk), and cream. The milk-soakage makes the cake in-credibly soft and moist, without being soggy, and gives it a really wholesome, distinct flavour. A layer of only-slightly-sweet whipped cream is slathered thickly over the top of the cake. Between the milky, light base below and the generous cream above, there’s very little to keep me from reacting violent-ly when someone tries to sneak a bite of my tres leche.

Butter Boutique is one of Colombo’s finest when it comes to over-the-counter desserts, contending alongside high-quality ingredients and recipes from places like The Cakery, Yumi Cake and lately Coco-Bella. The tres leche however, currently, blows all

competition out of the park. Especially if you’re the type who enjoys your cake, but at the same time, you don’t want to pass out belly-up with a bad sug-ar-hangover (yes that’s a thing), this one is relatively easy on your sugar levels. It’s sweet, but it doesn’t give you that OK-I-ate-too-much sensation you get after having a big slice of typical cake favourites (chocolate, buttercream, peanut butter).

Apparently tres leche is a big deal in the Caribbe-an. Also the practice of soaking cake in a liquid is pretty old, goes all the way back to medieval times. It comes in different variations today - one popular one being that in Turkey, where they sometimes lit-erally make it using three milks: cow’s, goat’s and water buffalo’s.

The reason I’m giving you useless tres leche trivia now is because, quite frankly I’ve run out of things to say about it.

Much like its recipe, it’s a straightforward, no-non-sense, simple, happy dessert. The cake is light and soft, a bite feels wholesome for its milkyness and its restraint on sugar, and though technically it’s probably as bad as other cakes for your weight, you don’t feel so guilty afterwards. Try it yourself, it’s one of those instant fixer-uppers on a bad day. A slice costs Rs. 400 at Butter Boutique.

Read our review of them on yamu.lk or call them on 777760405

bUTTER bOUTiqUE’S TRES LEcHE

We usually review places, but in this new YAMU Loves feature we’ll highlight some of our favor-ite food around the city. BY SHIFANI

YAMUloves

BY BHAGYA

August By Mama Aida’s is the new-est addition to Colombo’s Middle Eastern restaurant repertoire. With authentic dishes, exceptional service and a chic, relaxing setting, August makes for a memorable experience.

AMBIENCE & SERVICELooking back at all the Middle East-ern restaurants Colombo has hosted over the years, we’ve never really been blown away in terms of ambi-ence, but August did just that. They share the space with Shirohana on Dudley Senanayake Mawatha, and while it’s not a very large space they’ve definitely made the most of it. We loved how they combined simple elements like tasteful wooden furniture, hanging vines and candlelit lamps to really create a sophisticated and relaxing atmosphere. It’s one of the best outdoor dining experience we’ve had this year, however, there’s

only a small section with a roof so rain can be a real spoiler.

From the staff to the owners, the folks at August were incredibly hos-pitable and welcoming. The waiters were attentive and the management checked back on the table a couple of times to make sure our meal was going along well and to ask if we needed to know anything about the dishes. We were there relatively early (around 7 PM) so only a few other ta-bles were occupied, but it was filled to capacity by the time we were head-ing out. In terms of service time; our five dish mezze combination came to the table in under ten minutes which was very impressive, while the mains took just a bit longer.

THE MEZZEWe’re no strangers to Mama Aida’s stuff, so we sorta knew what to ex-pect going in to the meal. That be-ing said, they have changed things

up quite a bit with August, stepping out of that home cook niche. Just like Mama Aida’s, August isn’t cheap with the price per head coming to Rs. 2000+, especially if you compare it to a more casual Middle Eastern eatery like Hazari’s. However, it is a more complete dining experience considering the setting and quality of service and ingredients.

Right now they’re only open for din-ner but they do offer take away for lunch. We really appreciated the con-cise menu here. They don’t try to do too much but they’ve still managed to add variety in the form of some unique dishes, using unconventional ingredients like lotus seeds and pomegranate, but you’ll also find most of the staples like hummus, ba-baganoush and falafel, along with all the different breads.Just out of curiosity we tried out their Arabic coffee (Rs. 200) while waiting for our food, and it turned out to be

aUgUST by mama aiDa’S61, Dudley Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 08

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quite pleasant. The coffee itself was fine, with a nice aroma and no real bitterness, but what really made this special was the infused cardamom which really added a new dimension of flavour and light sweetness, which we enjoyed.

The hummus (Rs. 450) at August is a bit milder than some of the other iterations around Colombo, though that isn’t a negative by any means. The smoothness of the hummus combined, with the texture of the chickpeas makes for a nice contrast with the olive oil really bringing the two together. The paprika also adds a subtle tartness which counteracts the creaminess of the hummus, though we did wish there was a bit more of it.

The baby red mullet with tahini sauce (Rs. 700) was an interesting preparation, and while fish lovers will enjoy this, it may not be for eve-ryone since the fish isn’t deboned. We got three fried baby mullets along with pita chips, topped with tahini sauce and a sprinkling of paprika.

The fish itself was cooked perfectly moist on the inside with a light, crispy batter further complemented by the pita chips. The flavour of the fish was delicate with that nutty and lightly bitter tahini sauce really adding the punch. The bones really did sully the experience a bit though, so it’s defi-nitely something to keep in mind.

Our pick of the mezze was without a doubt the slow cooked lamb (Rs. 850). For the price this is a pretty small portion, but man was this ever good. The slow cooked meat was tender and moist, almost melting in the mouth with a texture similar to

that of pulled lamb. The seasoning and spice was also just right with the savouriness balanced by the bursts of freshness from the pomegranate seeds. We were a bit reluctant to get this but we’re so glad we went with management’s recommendation on this.

We have to mention that we weren’t huge fans of how the beef sha-warma (Rs. 600) was served. They bring just the meat and you need to get bread separately. This is how shawarma is done in some places, but we’re still used to having it served as sort of a wrap. Taste wise the beef preparation was very intense in terms of spices, which is nice, just be

aware of how it’s presented.

THE MAINS & DESSERTSAugust offers just three mains, which is a refreshing change from the usual cases where they try to do way too much. You won’t find any rice on the August menu, so we opted for the August roast beef with couscous (Rs. 1650). In the case of the beef, they go for a similar preparation to that of the lamb, but with a bit of add-ed gravy which helped keep meat from drying out. The pomegranate was present with this one as well, helping maintain the acid balance of

the dish. The well spiced gravy along with the peppery beef make for inter-esting combo, though it does need the couscous to mellow down the intensity.

We also had the chicken yasser with lotus seed (Rs. 1550), which was the first time I’ve ever had the latter. Just by the aroma of the chicken, I knew we were gonna like this one and this chicken preparation is likely to ap-peal to local tastebuds. With both a flavoursome gravy and dry spice rub, this chicken was packing tons of flavour with just a tinge heat as well. The lotus seed was actually quite dry on it’s own but made for a winning combination when with that thick

chicken gravy. It seems like it’s an acquired taste, especially since the texture of the lotus seed is closer to a gram than it is to a carb, but it’s certainly makes for an unique shift from the norm.

For dessert, the August mess (Rs. 550) just sounded too good to pass up. I mean c’mon it’s a meringue with chopped strawber-ries and pistachios. With a great balance of acidity to sweetness from the fruits and a multitude of

textures from the pistachios and me-ringue, this was an excellent way to end the meal.

CONCLUSIONColombo’s had a bad track record with so many Middle Eastern res-taurants closing down, but August brings a new look and feel to the table and we’re pretty sure they’ll be around for a while. They’re pricey, but you’re getting well executed dishes with high quality of ingredients, some novel dishes and a level of finesse that’s not often associated with Mid-dle Eastern food in Colombo.

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BY AISHA

Tea Avenue is super popular for their drinks, especially their signature ones. They’ve been playing around with their menu and created three new sugar rush concoctions which are already super popular.We tried two of them out, and were happy with both.

First up was the Ferrero Lavish (Rs. 850), which comes with a large dollop of Nutella mixed in with their signature chocolate sauce, and ice cream topped with a mound of whipped cream and a ball of Ferrero atop. The hazelnut flavour was strong in this one, and it surprisingly didn’t overdo the sweetness. Despite the heavy price, it’s Tea Ave’s number one seller, and has been popular from the go.

Their Strawberry Coco Lavish (Rs. 700) was up next, and by this time we were tuckered out because the Ferrero Lavish was almost a meal in itself. They use real strawberries in the mixture instead of infusing

it purely with strawberry syrup, so you get that authentic, not-too-sweet flavour with just the right amount of acidity to cut through the ice cream. This was a favourite with us too because of how well the flavours blended together and how refreshing it was to have in the middle of a blistering hot day.

If you like tall, heavy glasses filled over the brim with cold, sweet, drinks and if you’ve got that insatiable sweet tooth, we’d strongly recommend these to you.

Tea Avenue55, Barnes Place, Colombo 7 | 112 669944

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Best Value Dishes In ColomboBY BHAGYAWe Colombars are all about value for money, exemplified by our beloved rice and curry. I mean that much food for like Rs. 150 is insane. Besides the multitude of awesome buth kades, there are others who offer some great bang for buck dishes and that’s what this round-up is all about.

SPECIAL BENTOWhere: NaniyoriPrice: Rs. 920Delivery: Yes

If you’re a fan of Japanese food but you don’t want to spend upwards of Rs. 2000 for lunch, Naniyori’s got you covered with their special bento. This is without a doubt the best value for money bento in Colombo. For just under Rs. 1000 you get 12 maki sushi (6 tuna, 6 cucumber), 5 nigiri sushi (3 salmon, 2 tuna), a small portion of kaisen don (think mini sashimi with rice), pickled veges and even a tiny portion of sago to cleanse palate. Is it the best sushi in Colombo? Definitely not, but at the price it’s certainly good enough.

dodolWhere: Dodol HousePrice: Rs. 1200 per kgDelivery: Yes

The Dodol House is an awesome venture in Kelaniya - they not only make great dodol but they also deliver it to your house. The Dodol House makes their dodol at home (duh!) and it tastes amazing. It’s very, very chewy and sticky though, so you need to go at it a bit with a knife, and it’s quite packed and concentrated so you get a strong lovely fragrance of the coconut milk with the jaggery, and as you sink your teeth into it the little sugary cashew bits break the flavour up.

FLAME GRILLED ROTISSERIE CHICKENWhere: Hazari’sPrice: Rs. 1150Delivery: Yes

The full rotisserie chicken is arguably one of the best roast chicken dishes that you’ll get anywhere in the city. Hell, even streetside kade’s sell full chickens for Rs. 900 and those are tiny. Hazari’s cooks theirs in their wood fired clay oven and the best part is that the meat was cooked perfectly, each of the four times I tried it, both at the restaurant and when delivered. This is easily enough for four to five. Get a few extra khubz to go with this and you’re sorted.

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Best Value Dishes In ColomboBACON & CHEESE PIZZAWhere: Giovanni’sPrice: Rs. 1400Delivery: Yes (depending on your location)

Giovanni’s was one of the best additions to Colom-bo’s pizza scene back in 2014. They’re most popu-lar dish is the bacon and cheese pizza. At Rs. 1400 it isn’t super cheap but it’s one of the larger pizzas around, and it’s packed full of bacon. Two slices of this one has more topping than an entire Domino’s or Pizza Hut pizza. This is quite simple- unadulter-ated bacony goodness with warm, stringy mozza-rella enough for two to three.

JIAOZI / BAOZIWhere: Che Che’sPrice: Rs. 400Delivery: No

Che Che’s was one our best finds of 2015 and they are the definition of value for money. Not only are their dumplings outstanding they only cost Rs. 400 (for 10 jiaozi / 5 baozi). While jiaozi are generally available at most Chinese restaurants, a good baozi is nearly impossible to find in Colombo, so need-less to say, these blow the competition straight out of the water. They nail that perfect contrast of tex-tures with spicy, well seasoned fillings (pork, beef, chicken or veg).

POL ROTI & LUNU MIRISWhere: Jeewa’s and Kumar’s Natural Foods (GM)Price: Rs. 50Delivery: No

If you find yourself at The Good Market, Jeewa’s and Kumar’s is a must-visit. They offer a range of local staples, most popular for their polos and roti. These are a lot better than the run of the mill roti & lunu miris combos you find around the city. They’re also one of the few who responsibly source their ingredients. At just Rs. 50 this is brillant. The roti comes thin so that it’s got that crunchy texture with coconuty-ness still com-ing through and the lunumiris is absolute dynamite - a simple but superb lunch if you’re a fan of this combo (and a fan of not spending much money).

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shawarma platterWhere: Arabian KnightsPrice: Rs. 2200Delivery: Yes

Arabian Knights’ shawarma platter kind of caught us by surprise when we just ordered it to the office for funsies. For Rs. 2200 you get five shawarmas each with a different flavour. The good thing here is that each shawarma is pretty large and the fillings are very distinct with two variants each of chicken and beef, and one falafel. The wrap itself is not too thick with a light crunch, so you’re not stuffing your-self full of carbs, and the flavour of those fillings are highlighted.

CHAATWhere: Indian Chaat Corner Price: Rs. 200 - Rs. 400Delivery: No

For such small spot Indian Chaat Corner actually of-fers a pretty impressive selection of Indian street food. However, as the name suggests they’re speciality is the chaat. Two in particular- the sev puri (Rs. 200) and the samosa chaat (Rs.200), are our favourites. It’s pretty close to our office so we just look for any ex-cuse to step out and grab these cheap delicacies. The sev puri packs so much flavour between the tomato, onion, cucumber, pineapple, coriander, potato and killer tamarind sauce, it’s kind of amazing.

crab curryWhere: Mayura HotelPrice: Rs. 200Delivery: No

Mayura Hotel is as ghetto as it gets but they sure know how to cook up a mean crab curry. It arrives bright red and looking spicy as ever with a side of dynamite crab curry (my favourite part). Now usually crabs piss me off because they’re so delicious but you need to pick at them incessantly and I personally don’t feel like there’s ever enough meat in there to compensate for all the manual labour it took to retrieve it. This crab, though not jumbo or anything, an ordinary size, was loaded with extremely soft and spicy flesh, and as authentic as Jaffna crab curry gets.

CONTD. FROM PAGE 23: Best Value Dishes In Colombo

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Following the success of the inaugural edition of Red Bull Levels last year, the ultimate test ofbody and mind will return to the sunny shores of southern Sri Lanka on February 21st 2016 atBentota Beach by Cinnamon.

Red Bull Levels is the brand’s first homegrown event in Sri Lanka. Inspired by age oldtechniques to deliver an all new experience, Red Bull Levels combines the traditional mastery ofstilt fishing and toddy tapping in an obstacle course unlike anything the world has ever seenbefore. The 2015 edition of the event saw Sri Lank-an thrill seekers discover the true potential ofthe heritage that runs in their veins as they un-leashed these native superpowers in an exoticspectacle of balance, agility and concentration. With rising tides throughout the day, the coursegrew challenging every hour, and although many would fall every minute, all competitors had toremain on the ball every second.

The defending champions, Team A350 from SriL-ankan Airlines have already declared theirparticipation and are looking to win the title for a second year in a row. This year, sixty teams offour will compete for a grand prize of Rs. 300,000 as they take on the tides and sunshine ofBentota Beach in a race across five traditional fish-

ing stilts of 4ft, 6ft, 8ft, 10ft and 12ftrespectively.

Each team member will have to cross the water on tightropes connected to each stilt and willqualify to the next round through intense knockout time trials. The Qualifying stages will have a4 minute and 6 minute time limit, followed by the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Grand Finalswhich will be decided upon based on the fastest times recorded.

To register for Red Bull Levels, sign up at redbull.com/levels and follow all the action onFacebook at the Red Bull Levels event page or on Instagram at @redbull_sl

RED BULL LEVELS 2016

Best Value Dishes In Colombo

BY BHAGYA

Seafood Cove is Mt. Lavinia Hotel’s specialist seafood restaurant. It has a great location on their private beach front, fast service and rea-sonably priced, fresh seafood.

THE FOODMount Lavinia Hotel, from our ex-perience, has pretty much always delivered when it comes to food, and Seafood Cove is no excep-tion. We’d say they’re on par with heavyweights like The Lagoon and The Ocean. Seafood Cove is open right throughout the day, but it’s im-portant to note that their full range of seafood is only available after 7 PM. Throughout the day they offer a snack menu, which is relatively small so you should ideally drop in after dark.

Prices are on the mid to higher end, with each type of seafood listed

with their price per 100g. They give you the nett price so you’ll know exactly how much you’re spending.

The fish and chips (Rs. 600) was a definite winner both taste-wise and portions-wise. You get three very sizeable fish fillets fried in a golden brown batter along with some of the best chips we’ve had in a while, and a salad. Usually chips aren’t much to talk about but these ones were thick, crispy on the outside, soft in the center and well sea-soned. The fish was cooked per-fectly tender with the batter adding the crunch. What we liked about the batter was that they added in a bit of chili powder which really did enhance the flavour by adding a bit of heat. At Rs. 600 this one is one of the better fish & chips we’ve had.

We started off our dinner visit with the chef’s special crab bisque (Rs. 500). I’ve had crab bisque before

but this one was darker than the usual, and the flavour reflected that with a distinct spice hit which was a nice change-up from the usual. What impressed us was that de-spite the heavy spice, it didn’t overpower the flavour of the crab which came through well with the smooth texture of the soup.

If you drop in for dinner, the ordering process is a bit different. They have the seafood selection on display with the price per 100g for each, so you select which of seafood you want and tell them how you want it cooked. We got a platter of sorts with hot butter cuttlefish (Rs. 450 per 100g), garlic butter prawns (Rs. 550 per 100g), grilled tuna (Rs. 500 per 100g) and a steamed garupa (Rs. 300 per 100g) separately.

This was actually our first time try-ing out the HBC at Seafood Cove and it was excellent, easily compa-

SEaFOOD cOvE100, Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia

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rable to some of the best we’ve had with great balance of seasoning, texture and heat. While picking it out, we had a close look at the tuna which was super fresh. So we de-cided to have it very lightly grilled, kind of like tuna tataki with the center still rare, served with soy/sesame sauce. The prawns were pan fried and cooked in garlic but-ter, which gave it a welcome rich-ness with the flavour of the garlic working well with the light crunch of the prawns.

The garupa was the only thing we weren’t happy with, and we had a similar situation at The Lagoon as well. At Rs. 300 per 100g it’s tempt-ing since it’s quite cheap, but the thing is you have to buy the entire fish and a lot of that weight is bone. In this case, it was overcooked with the mild sauce not really doing much to help the cause. Our rec-ommendation would be to go with

seer or tuna instead.

The dessert options at SC are limit-ed so we tried out their homemade wattalapam (Rs. 300). A good wat-talapam can be notoriously hard to find, and hardly any commercial ones can hold a candle to the ones Muslim aunties make. This one, however, was creamy, adequately sweet and just the right texture overall.

AMBIENCE & SERVICEWhen it comes to beachside am-bience, Seafood Cove takes one of our top spots purely because of the fact that it’s located on Mt. Lavinia Hotel’s private beach area. So you get to enjoy your meal and really take in the view of the ocean. This would also be an ideal place to watch the sunset since the view is unhindered. It’s also pretty great after dark when they set the lights up.

We had mixed experiences in terms of service on our two visits. When we came in for lunch they were under-staffed, and the wait-ers lacked the professionalism we usually associate with Mount La-vinia Hotel. Our dinner visit was far more pleasant, and it seems like they take the dinner service pretty seriously, as it should be the case. The waiters were friendly, very at-tentive and the food was prepared in under fifteen minutes during a relatively crowded time which is impressive for any restaurant.

CONCLUSIONSeafood Cove impressed us with both their menus, and fresh sea-food. The service on the first oc-casion was iffy, but it was impec-cable on our most recent visit. All in all we’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking to try out some good seafood.

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2. ELECTRIC RAZOR / TRIMMERRange : Rs. 4,000 - Rs. 20,000

Dudes like gadgets, and dudes have facial hair. These are the two things we can be sure of about men in general, and this present is a perfect mix of the two. You can pick up a sleek little whirring electronic razor at Takas.lk. They’ve got variety, cash on delivery, and a bunch of discounts. As an add-on gift, you can promise your giftee to never use their razor to shave your legs.

3. GOLF CLUB MEMBERSHIP

So Colombo’s only real golf-course is the Royal Colombo Golf Club at Rajagiriya since the Water’s Edge one closed down. The waiting list for membership is long and tedious (you need to be referred/ recommended by a club member), but it’s a beauti-ful property and totally worth it. You’re essentially gifting your special Y-chromosome bearer a lifetime of weekends hob nob-bing and relaxing with other un-cles or uncle aspirants.

5. A BESPOKE SUITRange : Rs. 15,000 upwards

Okay this one is a little pricey, but it’s a long-term investment. Make an appointment at a good tailor like KIITO and take him there to choose patterns, cloth, and get measured. It’s a fun out-ing in itself.

6. SCOTCHRange: Rs. 6000 upwards

This might be the easiest option on the list. It’s pretty easy to find out what Scotch your hirsute hero prefers, and generally pretty easy to source it (even in Sri Lanka). If you’re not sure, you can’t go wrong with a nice Glenfiddich, Talisker, or even Johnnie Walker if you’re feel-ing uninspired. We’d recommend Victoria Wines or House of Wine.

1. CUFFLINKSRange : Rs. 5,000 upwards

Apart from watches (which are a little bit out of the price league of this list), cufflinks are one of the few bau-bles men traditionally favour. It adds the right amount of oomph to a nice suit with some understated bling. You can try monogrammed cuff-links, or else pre-made dark stones, silver, or branded ones. We’d rec-ommend one of the nice upmarket jewellers like Chatham or Colombo Jewellery Stores, or ODEL for variety. Hameedia and Emerald do some less-expensive options too.

4. GLASS CUTWARE

True, glassware isn’t a tradi-tional choice for a man, but a two-piece set of crystal scotch glasses or Glencairns are a clas-sic gifting idea. It’s a gift that lasts, unless you’ve got kids, dogs, or a particularly clumsy recipient. You can try Abdul Rahim’s or Titus Stores.

gift ideas for men

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8. A CLASSIC TOMERange : About Rs. 1000 - Rs. 2000 for a novel, a bit more for hard-back collectible biographies

Everyone should have a book they hold dear, that defines who they are. If the man in your life doesn’t already, help him find it. We recom-mend Chinaman by Shehan Ka-runatilaka for the cricket lover, or honestly any of these Sri Lankan books for the man who likes his books relatable. For guys with a spirit of adventure and a rough-shod Americana vibe, Catch 22, Into the Wild or On the Road would work a treat. Or else, just track down the memoir/ biography of his favourite public persona. We don’t recommend Trump’s How To Get Rich. Try any of Colombo’s book stores or the Maradana road stalls.

9. SIGNATURE COLOGNERange : Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000

One solid, quality cologne or aftershave is a must, even for the man who isn’t really into grooming. Axe is for pre-pubescent boys and killing bugs when you can’t find Mortein, or right after the gym. It’s pretty easy to guage what sort of cologne would suit someone if you know them well, but perhaps stick-ing to the classics is a safe bet. Exclusive Lines and the Parfumerie both have exten-sive collections. Have a sniff of Chanel’s Pour Monsieur, Davidoff’s Cool Water, Issey Miyake’s L’eu d’Issey, or Dior’s Eau Sauvage.

7. STYLOGRAPHRange : Rs. 5,000 upwards

Most men I know carry a pen around with them, even in the age of type and text. It’s a classy addition to a shirt pocket, and a useful instru-ment for signing cheques and autographs, and drawing doo-dles at boring meetings. In-vest in a nice collector’s item, and get it engraved if you’re particularly sentimental. We’d recommend Turret or W.A de Silva.

10. VINYL PLAYER

This one is a bit of a challenge. We spotted one at Liberty Plaza for about Rs. 35,000, but you can also try ikman.lk or the Sunday newspapers for second hand sellers. This is perfect for that dad, uncle, or grandpa reliving the glory days, or the anachro-nistic husband or friend. It’s a gift that keeps giving, as your recipi-ent can spend some lovely thrift-store and antique record store time while abroad, stocking up on their collection.

CHATHAMCOLOMBO JEWELLERY STOREODELHAMEEDIAEMERALDABDUL RAHIM’STITUSKIITOROYAL COLOMBO GOLF CLUBVICTORIA WINESHOUSE OF WINETURRETW.A. DE SILVAMAKEENSVIJITHA YAPACHAPTERSEXCLUSIVE LINESPARFUMERIE

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