Arabic cuisine restaurant opens in Colombo’s Kollupitiya, also Middle Eastern sweets

On September 22, the Arabic restaurant Lebanan Chef Arabic Food (56 Galle Road, Colombo 03) opened in Kollupitiya, Colombo. The restaurant offers a variety of halal dishes from Arabic countries, with a focus on Lebanese cuisine, prepared by chefs from Lebanon and Egypt. The interior features a white and beige color scheme, adorned with Islamic architectural elements such as “Mashrabiya” on windows and ceilings. The restaurant provides seating for 4 and 8 people at tables, as well as terrace seating and a private room. The food menu includes herb-flavored spicy potato Batata Harrah (Rs. 820), Freekeh with Beef Shank (Rs. 1,980), Spicy Fish Beiruti (Rs. 3,000), Quinoa Tabbouleh (Rs. 1,050), Shish Tawook (Rs. 2,000), Meat Saudi Kabsa (Rs. 2,500), and Chicken with Bukhari Rice (Rs. 1,800). They also offer light meals such as Shawarma sandwiches, sandwiches with Turkish-style sausages Sujuk, hamburgers, and submarine sandwiches. For dessert, they have Middle Eastern sweets such as Kunafa and Namoura with almonds, along with Western desserts such as mango tart, chocolate mousse with raspberry, and mille-feuille. They also serve shisha. Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (until 11:30 p.m. on Fridays through Sundays).

Biryani specialty restaurant in Colombo suburb reopens, featuring rice with fried whole chicken

On September 24, the biryani specialty restaurant Pepper Colombo (550 Pita Kotte Road, Thalawathugoda 10116) reopened its business. In 2021, photographer and owner Prasanna IIroshan felt the desire to provide biryani to people who could not go out due to the pandemic. He initially started offering biryani by delivery, and three months later, he invited an Indian chef with 14 years of experience from the Mount Lavinia Hotel to join and opened a physical storefront in Thalawathugoda on the outskirts of Colombo. In 2022, due to the economic crisis and fuel shortage, the restaurant temporarily closed. The restaurant extensively uses solid wood and natural materials in its design. The roof, resembling a mushroom cap, is crafted with thatch, creating a calm ambiance with soft lighting. The menu primarily focuses on Indian biryani dishes, including Chicken Biryani (serving 4 for 2,000 rupees, serving 6 for 2,800 rupees), Biryani with Four Chicken Thighs (serving 4 for 7,200 rupees), Seafood Biryani, Mutton Biryani, and more. They also serve Kottu with half a chicken, BBQ Chicken, and Roast Chicken Masala. For fried rice, customers can choose between half a roasted chicken or fried whole chicken. Opening hours: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Delivery and takeout are also available.

Bakery Paan Paan opens 6th outlet in Colombo 02, featuring a Sandwich Bar

Two months have passed since the bakery Paan Paan (No. 35, Staples Street, Colombo 02) opened its sixth outlet on Staples Street in Colombo 02. Lanka Premier Foods operates the business. The company began in 2012 as a store offering Health Bread and White Bread. With the idea that “food is the best means to prevent health issues,” it produces and sells health-conscious bread without preservatives or flavor enhancers. The company has been expanding its “Paan Paan” bakery chain primarily in Colombo city, and the new outlet on Staples Street, which opened on August 2, is its sixth. The interior, designed by an Italian architect, features a design based on off-white tones and makes generous use of natural wood. In addition to the sales area, it has a dine-in space consisting of table seating, counter seating, and sidewalk terrace seating, with a total of 18 seats. There is also a sandwich bar where customers can customize sandwiches to suit their tastes. It plans to open a café and lounge on the second floor at the end of the year. The product lineup includes Multi Seed Bread (Rs. 600), Atta Flour Chapatis (Rs. 460), Sour Dough Bread with Sunflower Seeds (Rs. 550), French Baguette (Rs. 300), Garlic Bread (Rs. 380), and Traditional Sri Lankan Roast Bread (Rs. 100). It also offers savory and sweet items, including patties with various fillings, beef pies, spicy tuna buns, chocolate croissants, éclairs, coffee cream donuts, almond tarts, and more. The dine-in menu features submarine sandwiches, chapati wraps, cheese melt, and tandoori burgers, to name a few. Opening hours: 6:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. Paan Paan offers delivery services.

First solo exhibition of Kanesh Thabendran in Colombo: Themed on post-war nation and people

Visual artist Kanesh Thabendran’s first solo exhibition, “Unspoken,” is currently being held at the contemporary art gallery Saskia Fernando Gallery (41 Horton Pl, Colombo) in Colombo 07. Thavendran has roots in the northern part of Sri Lanka, once a fierce battleground during the Sri Lankan Civil War. After graduating from the University of Jaffna with a bachelor’s degree in art and design, he pursued his vision of wanting to create personal narratives that resonate with people affected by the war in the north. He has previously exhibited his work in various group exhibitions both within Sri Lanka and internationally, including the Colombo Art Biennale. Thabendran engages in creating artworks using a combination of photography, digital manipulation, photo-cutting, and collage techniques. Cutting out of photographs helps him come to terms with his reality. Many of his works revolve around the struggles faced by his family during and after the war as they tried to safeguard their household items and cope with the sense of loss. He uses the photo-cutting technique involving old photographs to excavate his memories from a bygone time, trying to envision a life that he could have experienced had the war not affected his life. The exhibition “Unspoken” focuses on the changing political, social, and economic landscape since the end of the Civil War and the impact that the state intervention has had on the lives of the people in the north. Through his artworks, Thabendran attempts to provide an objective understanding of the relationship between the state and the people in the conflicted affected regions of Sri Lanka. The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until October 30. Closed on Sundays.

Solo exhibition in Colombo explores endangered butterfly species, combining science and art

Artist Sanath Herath’s solo exhibition, “Metamorphosis Papiliones Ceylonensis,” which focuses on butterflies, is currently being held at the Barefoot Gallery (Galle Road, Colombo 04) in Bambalapitiya, Colombo. Herath, originally from a village on the outskirts of Gampola in the lush central region of Sri Lanka, spent his childhood surrounded by nature. He majored in Landscape Architecture at the Moratuwa University in the suburb of Colombo, where he now works as a lecturer. This academic journey allowed him to deepen his connection with the natural environment. He began seriously painting three years ago. Depicting butterflies and plants in their truest form, he says, “I try to keep it scientifically accurate while changing it artistically.” Herath mentions being influenced by historical natural history artists, such as Maria Sibylla Merian, an artist and entomologist from the 17th century, and botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer. This exhibition is his first solo show. The title, written in Latin, resembling scientific nomenclature, translates to “Metamorphosis of the Butterflies of Ceylon.” The exhibition features 30 watercolor paintings of Sri Lanka’s endemic species and subspecies of butterflies listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. “The transformation of a butterfly is symbolic of life’s journey itself,” Herath says. His artwork not only depicts the adult form of the butterflies but meticulously portrays their entire life cycle, from eggs to larvae to pupae to adulthood. Herath also expresses a concern for ecosystem conservation and hopes that viewers will notice the plants depicted alongside the butterflies in his artwork and be inspired to cultivate them in their gardens. The gallery is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., closed on Sundays. The exhibition runs until October 15.

Jagath Weerasinghe’s solo exhibition ‘Impetus’ in Colombo – Focusing on early works

Jagath Weerasinghe’s solo exhibition “Impetus” is currently underway at the contemporary art gallery Saskia Fernando Gallery (41 Horton Pl, Colombo) in Colombo 07. Weerasinghe, who holds a master’s degree in fine arts from American University in Washington D.C., is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Sri Lankan art. He is a co-founder of Theertha Artists Collective, an artist-led NGO that promotes and encourages experimental art with contemporary artists in Sri Lanka. Known for his passionate and frenzied expression, his work explores violence, trauma, and social breakdown. Weerasinghe has exhibited his work in over 50 solo and group exhibitions domestically and internationally, including Japan, the UK, India, Singapore, and Germany. The “Impetus” features a selection of works created from 1989 to the early 1990s. It showcases Weerasinghe’s artistic response to the turbulent social and political events in Sri Lanka during the 1980s. Using woodcut prints as his medium, he portrays severed heads, broken stupas, and distorted human figures with elongated features. These early works serve as a foundation for his later exploration and examination of Sri Lankan society and the collapse of ethical and moral order in his art. One highlight piece in the exhibition is the installation “Shrine of the Innocents, Kilinochchi: Where is my Child?” created in collaboration with mothers who lost their children during the Sri Lankan civil war. The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until September 30. Closed on Sundays.

Biryani specialty restaurant in Colombo suburb reopens, featuring rice with fried whole chicken

On September 24, the biryani specialty restaurant Pepper Colombo (550 Pita Kotte Road, Thalawathugoda 10116) reopened its business. In 2021, photographer and owner Prasanna IIroshan felt the desire to provide biryani to people who could not go out due to the pandemic. He initially started offering biryani by delivery, and three months later, he invited an Indian chef with 14 years of experience from the Mount Lavinia Hotel to join and opened a physical storefront in Thalawathugoda on the outskirts of Colombo. In 2022, due to the economic crisis and fuel shortage, the restaurant temporarily closed. The restaurant extensively uses solid wood and natural materials in its design. The roof, resembling a mushroom cap, is crafted with thatch, creating a calm ambiance with soft lighting. The menu primarily focuses on Indian biryani dishes, including Chicken Biryani (serving 4 for 2,000 rupees, serving 6 for 2,800 rupees), Biryani with Four Chicken Thighs (serving 4 for 7,200 rupees), Seafood Biryani, Mutton Biryani, and more. They also serve Kottu with half a chicken, BBQ Chicken, and Roast Chicken Masala. For fried rice, customers can choose between half a roasted chicken or fried whole chicken. Opening hours: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Delivery and takeout are also available.

Bakery Paan Paan opens 6th outlet in Colombo 02, featuring a Sandwich Bar

Two months have passed since the bakery Paan Paan (No. 35, Staples Street, Colombo 02) opened its sixth outlet on Staples Street in Colombo 02. Lanka Premier Foods operates the business. The company began in 2012 as a store offering Health Bread and White Bread. With the idea that “food is the best means to prevent health issues,” it produces and sells health-conscious bread without preservatives or flavor enhancers. The company has been expanding its “Paan Paan” bakery chain primarily in Colombo city, and the new outlet on Staples Street, which opened on August 2, is its sixth. The interior, designed by an Italian architect, features a design based on off-white tones and makes generous use of natural wood. In addition to the sales area, it has a dine-in space consisting of table seating, counter seating, and sidewalk terrace seating, with a total of 18 seats. There is also a sandwich bar where customers can customize sandwiches to suit their tastes. It plans to open a café and lounge on the second floor at the end of the year. The product lineup includes Multi Seed Bread (Rs. 600), Atta Flour Chapatis (Rs. 460), Sour Dough Bread with Sunflower Seeds (Rs. 550), French Baguette (Rs. 300), Garlic Bread (Rs. 380), and Traditional Sri Lankan Roast Bread (Rs. 100). It also offers savory and sweet items, including patties with various fillings, beef pies, spicy tuna buns, chocolate croissants, éclairs, coffee cream donuts, almond tarts, and more. The dine-in menu features submarine sandwiches, chapati wraps, cheese melt, and tandoori burgers, to name a few. Opening hours: 6:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. Paan Paan offers delivery services.

Asian cuisine takeout ‘Kochchi Colombo’ opens in Colombo suburb Pelawatta

On August 22, the Asian cuisine takeout restaurant Kochchi Colombo (No 342/2/1 Pannipitiya Road, Pelawatta, Battaramulla, 10120) opened in Pelawatta, a suburb of Colombo. Kochchi Colombo primarily offers rice and noodle dishes for takeout, including Chinese, Thai, and Sri Lankan cuisines. The stylish black exterior features an eye-catching red and green logo with a chili pepper motif. The interior, consisting of an order counter and waiting area, has a relaxed atmosphere with wood panels on the walls and greenery hanging from the ceiling. The rice menu includes classic fried rice options with chicken, pork, seafood, and more (starting at Rs. 760), pork curry with egg rice (Rs. 1,090), nasi goreng (Rs. 1,070), spicy Thai rice (Rs. 1,020), and chicken biryani (Rs. 1,100), among others. It also offers seven types of noodle dishes with options for ingredients such as shrimp, chicken, pork, mixed, and Kochchi Colombo Special. Other menu items include six varieties of Kottu, Tom Yum soup, chop suey, sweet and sour pork, fish stew, BBQ spare ribs, and black pepper prawns, with prices ranging from 480 to 1,770 rupees. For dessert, it lines up biscuit gateau and Sri Lankan pudding “Watalappan.” In addition to takeout, the restaurant offers delivery, and orders can be placed via phone or through Uber Eats and PickMe Food. Opening hours: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

‘Dog Festival’ to be held in Colombo’s national park, featuring Dog Fashion Show

The “Dog Festival Sri Lanka 2023” is scheduled on August 26 at Viharamahadevi Park in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. Organized jointly by ERA Creations and Pet Talk, the event takes place in conjunction with “International Dog Day.” This day is recognized as a time to appreciate all dogs regardless of breed, raise awareness about their current conditions, and promote protection efforts. In its inaugural year, this event will offer various activities that symbolize the special bond between humans and dogs. During the festival, there will be a dog concert, a dog fashion show, dog games, as well as facilities such as a restaurant & bar for dogs and a pool. Additionally, a pet shop and a clinic will be set up. For attendees accompanying dogs, there will be a street food section. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and admission is free. After the festival concludes, a DJ Music & Concert will continue from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Rooftop Bar & Restaurant ‘Headquarters by W15’ opens in Colombo – Inspired by street food culture

On July 15th, “Headquarters by W15” (9th floor, HQ Colombo, 464 T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10), a rooftop bar and restaurant, opened in Pettah, Colombo. It is the latest addition to the “W15 Collection,” a brand that operates hotels and restaurants in Sri Lanka. Located on the ninth floor of the office building HQ Colombo, it offers a panoramic view of the city, including the iconic Lotus Tower and the streets of Colombo. Headquarters by W15 consists of a fully open-air deck and a glass-walled indoor restaurant, featuring American comic-style wall art depicting Sri Lanka’s cityscape and food culture. The design was inspired by the narrow streets and vibrant colors of Pettah, a popular shopping area for locals. The food menu drew inspiration from Sri Lanka’s lively street food culture and offers a wide variety from a la carte dishes to set menus. The lineup includes Mini Murtabak with chicken (Rs. 1,100), chili-seasoned prawns Isso Puchchala (Rs. 1,800), Indian-style fried snack Vadai (Rs. 600), Ash plantain chips (Rs. 450), Elu-Mas soup (Rs. 1,350), spicy chicken wings Wings of Fury (Rs. 1,800), and Dum Biryani with a choice of chicken or lamb (Rs. 2,400 to 2,850). The bar presents eight signature cocktails, each evoking the beauty of Sri Lanka’s lush tropical landscapes. These include the whiskey-based Hard Day’s Work; Colonial Arrack, the local arrack garnished with chocolate; and Fiery Passion, mixed with red rum, chili vodka, and passion fruit; with prices ranging from 1,900 to 2,200 rupees. Classic cocktails and a variety of non-alcoholic mocktails are also available. Opening hours: 11:00 a.m. – midnight (until 2:00 a.m. on Fridays to Sundays).

‘Hotel Show Colombo’ in Colombo: 200 exhibitors from hospitality industry participate

The hospitality industry exhibition “Hotel Show Colombo 2023” will be held from July 21 to 23 at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre (Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07) in Colombo. This event marks its 15th edition. Co-hosted by the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association (SLHGA) and CDC Events, with support from the Sri Lanka Tourism Bureau, this year’s theme revolves around “Produce of Sri Lanka,” focusing on promoting and encouraging innovation, smart solutions, and sustainable practices. Exhibitors come from various sectors within the hospitality industry, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, entertainment, interior design, kitchen equipment, housekeeping, environmental and waste management companies. Approximately 200 organizations from 20 countries will set up booths in Halls A to D. In Hall E, various contests, such as the Barista Championship, Room Stylist Challenge, and Ceylon Tea Masters Cup, will be held. Additionally, there will be cooking workshops by renowned chefs. In Hall C, the “Colombo Food Fest” will feature food stalls offering Sri Lankan, Japanese, European, Chinese, Mexican, and Arabian cuisine. The event attracts a significant number of international participants each time, and the organizers hope it will be a supportive platform for small and medium enterprises to explore new business opportunities in the international market. The exhibition will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Free admission.

First solo exhibition of Kanesh Thabendran in Colombo: Themed on post-war nation and people

Visual artist Kanesh Thabendran’s first solo exhibition, “Unspoken,” is currently being held at the contemporary art gallery Saskia Fernando Gallery (41 Horton Pl, Colombo) in Colombo 07. Thavendran has roots in the northern part of Sri Lanka, once a fierce battleground during the Sri Lankan Civil War. After graduating from the University of Jaffna with a bachelor’s degree in art and design, he pursued his vision of wanting to create personal narratives that resonate with people affected by the war in the north. He has previously exhibited his work in various group exhibitions both within Sri Lanka and internationally, including the Colombo Art Biennale. Thabendran engages in creating artworks using a combination of photography, digital manipulation, photo-cutting, and collage techniques. Cutting out of photographs helps him come to terms with his reality. Many of his works revolve around the struggles faced by his family during and after the war as they tried to safeguard their household items and cope with the sense of loss. He uses the photo-cutting technique involving old photographs to excavate his memories from a bygone time, trying to envision a life that he could have experienced had the war not affected his life. The exhibition “Unspoken” focuses on the changing political, social, and economic landscape since the end of the Civil War and the impact that the state intervention has had on the lives of the people in the north. Through his artworks, Thabendran attempts to provide an objective understanding of the relationship between the state and the people in the conflicted affected regions of Sri Lanka. The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until October 30. Closed on Sundays.

Solo exhibition in Colombo explores endangered butterfly species, combining science and art

Artist Sanath Herath’s solo exhibition, “Metamorphosis Papiliones Ceylonensis,” which focuses on butterflies, is currently being held at the Barefoot Gallery (Galle Road, Colombo 04) in Bambalapitiya, Colombo. Herath, originally from a village on the outskirts of Gampola in the lush central region of Sri Lanka, spent his childhood surrounded by nature. He majored in Landscape Architecture at the Moratuwa University in the suburb of Colombo, where he now works as a lecturer. This academic journey allowed him to deepen his connection with the natural environment. He began seriously painting three years ago. Depicting butterflies and plants in their truest form, he says, “I try to keep it scientifically accurate while changing it artistically.” Herath mentions being influenced by historical natural history artists, such as Maria Sibylla Merian, an artist and entomologist from the 17th century, and botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer. This exhibition is his first solo show. The title, written in Latin, resembling scientific nomenclature, translates to “Metamorphosis of the Butterflies of Ceylon.” The exhibition features 30 watercolor paintings of Sri Lanka’s endemic species and subspecies of butterflies listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. “The transformation of a butterfly is symbolic of life’s journey itself,” Herath says. His artwork not only depicts the adult form of the butterflies but meticulously portrays their entire life cycle, from eggs to larvae to pupae to adulthood. Herath also expresses a concern for ecosystem conservation and hopes that viewers will notice the plants depicted alongside the butterflies in his artwork and be inspired to cultivate them in their gardens. The gallery is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., closed on Sundays. The exhibition runs until October 15.

Jagath Weerasinghe’s solo exhibition ‘Impetus’ in Colombo – Focusing on early works

Jagath Weerasinghe’s solo exhibition “Impetus” is currently underway at the contemporary art gallery Saskia Fernando Gallery (41 Horton Pl, Colombo) in Colombo 07. Weerasinghe, who holds a master’s degree in fine arts from American University in Washington D.C., is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Sri Lankan art. He is a co-founder of Theertha Artists Collective, an artist-led NGO that promotes and encourages experimental art with contemporary artists in Sri Lanka. Known for his passionate and frenzied expression, his work explores violence, trauma, and social breakdown. Weerasinghe has exhibited his work in over 50 solo and group exhibitions domestically and internationally, including Japan, the UK, India, Singapore, and Germany. The “Impetus” features a selection of works created from 1989 to the early 1990s. It showcases Weerasinghe’s artistic response to the turbulent social and political events in Sri Lanka during the 1980s. Using woodcut prints as his medium, he portrays severed heads, broken stupas, and distorted human figures with elongated features. These early works serve as a foundation for his later exploration and examination of Sri Lankan society and the collapse of ethical and moral order in his art. One highlight piece in the exhibition is the installation “Shrine of the Innocents, Kilinochchi: Where is my Child?” created in collaboration with mothers who lost their children during the Sri Lankan civil war. The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until September 30. Closed on Sundays.