BARS all the way

By Dilanka MANNAKKARA

BARS without doubt is the finest fusion restaurant I have indulged and savored in to and it hit me that I have actually never done a review on my favourite hangout place which serves quality, scrumptious delights equivalent to five star standards at less than half the five star price. So what more do you want from a restaurant?

I was invited by the charming and charismatic Business Development Manager of Perera and Sons Bakers Ruvini Kariyawasam,and she explained to me the unique concept behind BARS.

It is because "there are a number of bars or food stations to choose from." Bars Cafe opened in November 2007 and is owned by Perera and Sons Bakers and this is one restaurant which gives its customers a large variety of dishes to choose from. As Kariyawasam puts it, "We wanted to have everything under one roof, so that the customers would have a choice and a variety to choose from."

The various 'bars' include, the Salad Bar, Sandwich Bar and Pizza Bar, along with the Rice Bar, Pasta Bar, Pot Bar and the recently launched Lean bar for fitness fanatics. In terms of beverages they have the Squeeze and Shake Juice Bar and Coffee Bar and of course for those of you with a sweet tooth - the yummy Dessert Bar which BARS is so famous for.

Main dishes - I wanted to try out something which I have not savored at BARS so Kariyawasam suggested that I should opt for their latest creation the Sizzling chicken platter with noodles, vegetables and potato wedges". MM sounds appetizing isn't it? Yeah sure it was. The juicy chunk of chicken bursting with flavors was grilled to perfection and the garlic sauce was just the right accompaniment for it.

The egg noodle, the fresh vegetables and the potato wedges makes this sizzling platter a huge portion and it might be even enough for two people.

Warning - the dish really sizzles so make sure you eat slowly although its so lip smacking.

Thai food is full of flavour and I am one huge fan of quality Thai food and surprisingly BARS even has that authentic Thai cuisine made with subtle innovation to amaze any food fanatic. The 'Green Thai Fish curry with Saffron rice' is a different dish from the ordinary with deep fried fish in a green Thai sauce but then comes the twist.

Brinjal is added to the dish to make it different and more exciting than the much loved original.

For adventurous diners here is your chance!!!!

Next up was one of my favourites - 'Noodles with Seafood and Oyster sauce'. The soggy noodle bludgeoned with fresh chunks of prawns,fish and cuttlefish had a salty oyster sauce flavour.The noddles had just the right amount of soggyness and the saltiness but was quite filling.

Kariyawasam is a wonderful cook herself as well and her masterful creation 'The Prawn in Lemon Grass sauce' was heavenly for a guy who has a craving for great prawn dishes.

The medium sized prawns were batter fried and topped with a sweet lemon grass sauce to give it a Thai twist and it is a MUST Try!!!!! I was quite full after tasting four mouth watering dishes but the final dish 'the Chillie Crab' from the Crab Bar was just as delectable as the others. The lagoon crab had an amazing chillie sauce on top and it tasted heavenly.

Desserts BARS is famous for desserts more than any other restaurant in town which is evident by the fact that guys and girls from ANC and ACBT walk all their way daily to enjoy a scrumptious Viennese Brownie,a sinful Baked Cheese cake or a creamy chocolate mousse.

They also have their signature desserts and I was treated with a 'Cassata Italiana' which had a strawberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream topped with berry sauce but was a bit too sweet for my liking.

The 'hot chocolate brownie with ice cream' another one of Kariyawasam's delectable creations was an absolute peach. The hot brownie with ice cream another unique dessert found only at BARS has an unusual brownie made out of vanilla and chocolate ice cream mixed with the Viennese Brownie (a typical chocolate brownie mixed with cream cheese) and topped with a warm divine chocolate sauce.One bite of the guilt free combo of vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream and Viennese brownie mixed with the warm chocolate sauce was just about the best thing in the world!!!!