ZEST - Hotels

The Heritage Rest

Demi HEWAMANNA

There are many times I stopped here to have tea and snacks with my family when I was a small child and every time it was always a ‘restful’ one. This place that I’m talking about is situated in between Colombo and Kandy, and is the central stop point for everybody who is heading uphill.

This place is none other than Ambepussa Rest House which is now known as the Heritage Rest after the Ceylon Hotels Corporation decided to refurbish and rename their properties.

It was one unforgettable entertaining ride for the media that was taken on a small trip uphill to the new rest house that still holds its heritage value.

As we arrived for the relaunching, the place was decorated with lamps lighting up the staircase and ladies welcoming all of us with a very pleasant Ayubowan. Going up the staircase with the flames guiding your way was like a Red Carpet treatment.

For a moment, I wondered whether this was still the same place that I used come to as everything looked fabulous with new colourings, table setting and staff ambiance giving this heritage a modernized look.

As we were taken a tour of the place, we saw that with the new ‘posh’ look, the place still held its memories of its then era with pictures hanging on the wall of the British Raj period. The rooms were romantically fabulous with bouncy beds, cable TV, excellent bathrooms making it an ideal place for honeymooners.

The place has constructed a banquet hall ready for any occasion be it family celebrations, corporate nights or private parties. The rest house is famous for its road side snack bar – Ambepussa Avanhala. The Avanhala serves traditional Sri Lankan breakfast, hot and spicy rice and curry, hoppers, kavum, kokis as well as cakes and donuts plus fresh juices.

Galle Face Hotel Group Chairman Sanjeev Gardiner said that all properties will be offered to the Sri Lankan public with affordable prices for they kept them going through difficult times. They are also planning to cater to the expected increase of foreign tourists with the vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

So to all the people heading their way to Kandy in the next couple of days, make sure to stop by at Ambepussa and experience the taste and difference of the new Ambepussa Rest House.

Hopper Night by the Poolside

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo’s popular theme night returns:

The most loved Sri Lankan food combinations will be served at the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo on August 28th. Pittu with Babath, String Hoppers with Fish Ambulthiyal, a ‘Kottu’ of Gothamba Rotti, vegetables and meat, and Hoppers with Seeni Sambol and a lavish spread of curries to match.

Hoppers are the specialty of the night and come in the crispy classic version, as Egg Hoppers, as well as with a variety of stuffings.

As with anything in life there are favourites. Hopper Night guests flock to the cuttlefish counter for a taste of the fresh crispy cuttlefish that the hotel is known for and the beef curry too is a big hit! Simple is always best and even the simplest potato curry oozes with flavor.

Guests will receive a complimentary arrack cocktail whilst traditional Kandyan dancers will emerge at intervals with dance acts to treat guests to. On a more private scale, a calypso band will make its way amongst the tables treating guests to songs from the yesteryear.

It is advisable to save some space for dessert as an assortment of local treats await. To give you a sneak peak at the next Hopper Night dessert counter, Lavariya, Dodol, Milk Toffee, Kokis, Kavum, Asmi, Halapa, Mung Kavum, Coconut Rock and Banana Fritters are just some of the sweetmeats on offer.

The cup of ginger tea that is served finally is the perfect way to end the chapter on yet another lovely Hopper Night.

The Hopper Night is a standard feature at the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo and this month it falls on Saturday, August 28 open from 7.00 to 11.00pm.

Meticulous planning and nuevo additions:

The essence of catering and conventions

For the Mount Lavinia Hotel success comes due to complete commitment to their sole missionary vision: to devise and execute an on-going strategy that ensures the complete care of both their internal and external customers.

Global Chefs creating exquisite menus, professionalism is a hallmark, trust all to us as we will take care of your outdoor event with ease and refinement that is unique to MLH, GM Anura Dewapura said.

That premise begins with an eminent team which includes Assistant Director Catering and Convention Alex Sirisena, who heads the Catering and Conventions department and brings to the table experience from the Scandinavia and Europe, with prominent centers such as the Bella Center – Congress, Events, and Convention Center that showcased great events like the Olympic Congress, 15th Climate Conference, Zurich Marriott Hotel.

Chef Publis is the Sri Lankan cuisine aficionado and both the European and Indian sectors have remained well in hand for some time now.

A Sri Lankan-American chef added into the mix who will take over on all Nuevo Latino and North American delicacies with August heralding in a new Swedish chef as Director Culinary Operations to complete this distinguished team of artists.

Indika Jayawardena Executive Sous Chef - A Sri Lankan who grew up in the US, Indika describes his food as “contemporary global cuisine with an emphasis on New Latin American cuisine.”

He has expanded his repertoire to include his own interpretations of dishes from across the world, including Tataki of Wagyu beef with scallion-ginger condiment, garlic chips, Yakitori sauce and tempura octopus with honeyed miso-pepper sauce, Citrus and vanilla vodka infused Seafood ceviche with cassava chips and chili oil, seared scallops with salsa roja, Creole onions and cornbread wafer.

Director Culinary Operations - Mats Petersson - Over 30 years of experience in the best Restaurants & 5 star hotels in Scandinavia. Worked for Operkallaren with famous chef late Werner Fogle.

His work also took him to the Sheraton Hotels & Grand hotel in Denmark, Sweden, and Savoy and indeed the Berkeley hotels in UK. He is a member of the Confrerie Saint -Etienne Alsace, Chaine de Rotisseur and was head judge for the National Young Chef competition in Sweden.

The Mount Lavina Hotel caters in a vast number of menus and offers themes which are assured in authenticity.

They handle events from barbeques to cocktails, social functions to gala dinners with the choice ranging from buffets to 8-course dinners and everything in between. On-site they have over 10 locations to choose from but are more than equipped to handle off-site affairs with their on-wheels service which includes the provision of all required crockery, cutlery, glassware and embellishments.

For Anura, equipping the hotel with specialized people is a necessary step to enable him to further his personal policy of “Nothing called no for outdoors or indoors our answer is yes we can”.

He knows as he too was an Executive Chef in the historic hotel, Alfonzo the Thirteenth, in Andulasia, Spain where no Asian had worked there before, and all the executive chefs were previously from Spain or France and hence he had to work twice as hard to prove himself which shows his commitment for excellence.

“Our goal is to provide the services. If it is very difficult to do at the last minute, instead of saying no we explain with reasons and give an alternative. Otherwise, we are open to go beyond our limits and make the customer happy. From the shore to the water, anywhere in the country, the attitude that we have created is ‘Yes, we can’,” he adds.

So whether you’re planning an event for a party of ten or bash of one-thousand, ensure that it remains a lasting memory with a catering company that promises you a complete and one of a kind experience.

Trans Asia Hotel’s 25th anniversary celebrations

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo:

In celebration of the Trans Asia Hotel’s silver jubilee, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo brought together various teams of sportsmen, sportswomen and supporters from the Five Star hotels in Colombo in a two day Inter City Hotel Sports Extravaganza.

Starting with a cycle race on the morning of August 7, the cyclists took off from the entrance to the hotel and spectators cheered as Cinnamon Grand’s Patterson Soysa returned first, taking home a Mountain Bike as his prize.

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo’s P D Pushpakumara took second place.

The Cycle Race was followed by the Netball Tournament which saw Hilton Colombo, Galadari, Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo vie for the Championship.

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo beat Hilton Colombo in the finals, with Amarsha Senevirathne from Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo also grabbing the award for the Best Player in the Tournament taking 42 goals in total.

A soccer tournament was held at the Stanley Janz grounds where Hilton Colombo, Taj Samudra, Galadari, Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo met again. After the grueling preliminary matches, Hilton Colombo and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo made it to the finals finishing with a one all tie.

During the penalty round, the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo star goalkeeper and skipper Mohan Mudliar blocked both Hilton Colombo’s attempts at scoring and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo won the tournament with two penalty kicks.

Mohan Mudliar took home the Best Player award and Ajith Prasanna also from Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo won the award for the highest number of goals scored.

A six-a-side cricket tournament took place the following day at the Thurstan Grounds. Teams from Taj Samudra, Ceylon Continental, Hilton Colombo, Galadari, Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo played exceptional games of cricket to the delight of the spectators.

The final battle was between the two Cinnamon City Hotels where Cinnamon Grand emerged the champions, while Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo brought home the Runner up trophy.

Osanda Caldera of Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo claimed the best bowler award by taking three wickets for 30 runs. J Sriyapala of Cinnamon Grand was named the Best Batsman for scoring 103 runs during the four matches played.

Wicket keeper Gamini Fernando of Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, was pronounced Player of the Tournament after a brilliant show of his batting and wicket keeping skills with a total of 65 runs, five stumpings and 1 caught behind.

The sports extravaganza was an opportunity for camaraderie amongst the city hotels.

Galadari Hotel – Cleanliness and food hygiene

Receives ‘A’ grade certification:

The Galadari Hotel was awarded the grade “A” Certification for excellence in Cleanliness and Food Hygiene by the Colombo Municipal Council. The certificate was awarded in recognition of excellent standards achieved in food quality, hygiene and food safety management based on the principles of the Public Health Department.

The hotel was assessed against environmental health standards in food preparation and all aspects of cooking and cleaning. The award was presented by CMC Chief Health Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam.

“This is a fantastic achievement, and I am really proud of the team. This is an excellent depiction of professionalism and pride they take in all aspects of their work” Galadari Hotel Director F&B Ananda Warakawa.

Staying true to their promise of offering the best personalized service to all its customers, the Galadari Hotel has stood on firm ground in maintaining this position. This certification will no doubt add to Galadari Hotel’s strong track record of excellence in food hygiene and guest safety in keeping with international standards.

Pita pockets and baked Alaska

Galle Face Hotel

The Galle Face Hotel will offer delicious Pita pockets, cream caramel and baked Alaska during the month of August at the Pastry Shop – Pasticcino at the Regency wing.

The promotion highlights a variety of Pita Pockets filled with fillings such as devilled chicken, tuna and vegetables. The Pasticcino will also offer cream caramel and baked Alaska during the month of August from 8.00am to 8.00pm for all its guests.

The Combo offer will include a selection of wraps, caramel Ppdding and two glasses of iced coffee or chilled juice at the Pasticcino. For more information call 2 541010 ext: 3333