Going out for lunch on a Saturday afternoon is mildly daunting with much traffic in Colombo city. However I found an alternate choice not far from the city at Panadura. The recently opened hotel has the main restaurant wisely positioned on the ground floor, with large glass windows that beautifully capture the ocean view. The afternoon sunlight blissfully lights up the brown and white interior. The architecture is simple yet elegant and offers guests ample space to sit comfortably with each table having an ocean view. The décor supplements the theme of the hotel. The flow of the buffet allows for a smooth movement around each food station. The natural lighting adds to the fresh appeal of the food. The spicy grilled vegetable soup is a lovely start and would trigger the spice sense, for the Sri Lankan palette.
I observed a very unique presentation at the salad counter. Chef Kalyanapriya and his team have thoughtfully kept a sample of each ingredient of each corresponding salad to show what goes into each salad. This is an excellent idea as it shows guests with food allergies exactly what’s in each salad. A cheese terrine embellished with olives was another outstanding item, soft to the bite. Tandoori prawn with melon was also good as the prawns tasted vey exotic. Slices of roast beef drenched in honey mustard were set on silver spoons, again a very creative presentation. The buffet tags were kept at the right angle, as often one has to look down at the table and strain to read the food tags.
The chafing dishes also deserve mention as they have glass top lids, showing you exactly what is inside. The chafing dish had provision to hold the spoon, another key element in food service which keeps the buffet stations clean and free from dripping sauce and curry. The in house pasta was of good texture and consistency. Herb minted lamb was good, with the fat content retained at the right level. Cajun mash potato was creamy but stuck onto the spoon. Jie Jie Beach has a Chinese chef who contributes authentic Chinese dishes. The wok fried chicken was crisp tender and delicious. The action station with crumb fried prawns adds to a lively buffet.
There was a Sri Lankan corner . The polos curry was excellent retaining that village home cooked taste. The crab curry was mildly hot, but would be relished by the locals. Dessert counter was laden with many temptations. The outstanding one was the blueberry cheese cake, cut into dainty pieces. The pana cotta kept in small green ceramic dishes was nice and not too sweet. The pineapple crumble pie had the right balance of soft and sweet. The restaurant can seat 150 persons inside and another 60 in the terrace. Some mild live entertainment may have enhanced the overall atmosphere. The restaurant has set the dining standards for this region and is ideal for families to eat and chill out.