colombo cool or the ultimate in pretension ...

went out the other night for dinner with the usual gang to Casa Colombo - and I am still trying to get to grips with was it something that was ultra hip or just so wannabe it was funny?my personal opinion is that I am glad that someone had the guts to do it - it is incredibly unique and you would be hard pressed to find something like it this side of South Miami Beach. However I guess I am looking at it from an architectural appropriateness - is this what I believe is appropriate for such a beautiful colonial-style building?there are some stunning elements - including the bar and some of the rooms... but also far too much for my taste

- it felt gimmicky and cluttered (as if a Miss Havisham from Great Expectations had been on an acid trip and decided to decorate this colonial mansion).

anyway enjoy

there were 2 restaurants:

• heaven (HVN) (inside)
• zaza (outdoors)

as for the food - it was generally fabulous. we decided to eat at the zaza and re-arrange the tables to accommodate the 8 of us. the tapas were really unique and really worked for sri lankan-ised fusion foods. i had a pol-sambol tuna tacos and they were truly mouth-watering. others on my end had the calamari with a mango or passion-fruit dip, crab pancakes and lollipop chicken - again outstanding and even the mixed salads were very good. i had the halibut with a curry sauce and lime basmati as a main - this was not so great (or not up to expectation after the incredible starters). others however were far more pleased - cannot remember what everyone had ...

we decided to have the desserts in the tea garden - and again rearranged the chairs to our preference. the wait-staff and management were very nice about this and didn't seem to mind us re-organising their layout. i had a scope ice cream which was a mix of juggery, almonds and something else but was served on a block of ice. very nice detail.

there were a few criticisms we had collectively about the food experience:

• the bill - it came to about LKR 3000/ per head (with no alcohol) ( the tapas were relatively cheap at LKR 400 each but some of the fruit juices were LKR 450 each and mains were mostly LKR 1500-2500)
• the drinks were served in plastic glasses - it is OK to have interesting shapes but you want to feel some weight in your hands
• the chairs outside were lined in a velvet material - made some of feel hot and sticky

it was actually a very pleasant evening and personally i was very pleased that someone had the gusto to try something like this in Colombo..