If someone had told me that I could indulge in French cuisine for lunch in Colombo two years ago, I wouldn’t have been convinced with the proposition. With a mélange of ethnic cuisine, a lunch of French origin would have been mildly strange to say the least. Hence, I boldly ventured to Movenpick to check out their new Brasserie. The restaurant has a balance between bold tones of brown seamlessly blending with shades of cream.
The brown light shades and the padded leather walls in some areas endorse that image of a refined atmosphere. The wait staff clad in grey pants, white shirts and grey aprons set the ‘Paris’ appeal. I met Yohan, one of the vibrant wait staff who suggested that I try the lemon and mint cooler. Ah, what a refreshing drink to beat the heat of the city at noon! The mixing device in the large glass was a miniature wooden spoon (shaped like an oar to be precise).
The touch of wood brings a certain sense of calm when one has been at the laptop for hours! The soft feel of the velvet covered menu had the same soothing effect. French food (and other cuisine from Europe) has not become “familiar” to many in Colombo, except a few seasoned gourmets. Yet, if you never go you will never know (that is to eat).
Again, the Sri Lankan mind set in terms of eating or as I like to call it the ‘buffet syndrome” tends to keep people away from enjoying a brilliant and healthy set menu: in this case authentic French. A set menu for lunch is the best eating experience, while still being “connected” to your business or office. While many may not be familiar with the French cooking terminology, the Movenpick menu carefully outlines each dish in English.
I chose the La Petite Salade Composée de la Brasserie hose which consists of prawns, marinated salmon and fish fillet. The delicate shade of pink on the salmon was a work of art, reminiscent of an ornate gem.
Being mildly inclined to the carnivorous side I opted to have a beef dish while my female friend chose seafood! La Pièce de Bœuf Grillée, cannelloni farci a la bœuf braise, sauce vin rouge - the beef sirloin cooked to well done would satisfy a man at any meal. The steak had a nice brown exterior but moist on the inside. The cannelloni supplemented the sirloin. On this plate the only thing that seemed mildly amiss was the asparagus which would have had better visual appeal if it was tied in a veggie ribbon and placed in a corner. You see the experience of enjoying a steak with fun conversation is also an extended stress relief at noon! Yohan kindly comes and asks me what I desire for dessert.
Another steward has convincingly brought the elegant silver dessert trolley. A miniature carrot cake ends this meal. I think it is a great start in Colombo to be able to have French food for lunch or dinner and chill out. The food is certainly not cheap, but considering the foreign cuts of prime beef and oth