Culture Colombo is a brand new restaurant in the heart of Colombo, specialising in authentic Sri Lankan cuisine. Located in Kensington Garden, on Duplication Road, the spot is prime real estate and it most certainly hasn’t gone to waste. Adapting a gorgeous old-timey home into a lean-mean-fine-dining-machine, Culture Colombo is an almost ethereal mix of modern chic and local charm. “Authentic” Sri Lankan food can mean just about anything these days – with the hospitality industry in full bloom – “authentic cuisine” is at times a misnomer with nearly every single restaurant adopting gimmicky variants to eliminate the niche and avoid being pigeonholed. Culture Colombo however seems to have a very clear vision of where they wish to be in the industry; it’s at its core, a cultural experience that is deeply local, all wrapped up in fine dining finesse. Speaking with Jishan Beruwalage, the owner of the restaurant, it was made even clearer that the establishment wishes to set themselves apart from most of what Colombo has to offer without being so outlandish that its residents won’t be able to stomach it. He said: “This might look like a fine dining restaurant but if you look at the menu you can see that what we’re really striving to do is to cater to everyone.” He added that: “When you take Lankan food, it varies from the saivar kade to the very posh five-star restaurants. What I’m trying to get is the middle ground.” What Jishan has set out to do could truly prove to be worthwhile as there actually is a middle ground void when it comes to Sri Lankan food. In addition to the food, Culture Colombo is dedicated to the promotion of local talent. Nearly all of the art adorning the walls within the establishment are courtesy of local artists and photographers. Every capture and painting prominently credited to the respective artist, it’s a fantastic opportunity for local talent to showcase its efforts to a wholly new audience. Example: Instagram handles labelled to each photograph. Jishan explained that it was his hope to provide a platform for local artists to flourish – to whichever extent he is capable – provided that ideally the restaurant could function as a sounding board for betterment of locals, artists, or otherwise. He further added that “the main purpose here is to give an overall example of what Sri Lanka is”. The establishment’s dedication is fairly evident as there is a room specifically called the gallery room, which has a bare wall entirely dedicated in the hopes of including artists, such as those who display their work along Green Path, to come and showcase their work. Jishan said: “I hope to provide for varying artists to have their art up on the wall, for maybe a week each, and facilitate for when any of the customers want to purchase their work” – an initiative he will offer for free. He further added: “We’ve spoken to some local craftsman to come and display their products as well. I want for this to be a collaborative effort.” Promoting art is all well and good but Culture Colombo is a restaurant and its success is highly dependent on providing what they’ve promised – authentic Sri Lankan food; and they don’t miss a beat. The food was fantastic. As per their suggestion, we tried the Culture Colombo Tasting Basket, which was a charming “kulla” filled to the brim with an assortment of Lankan foods – which is essentially meant for two persons – but the portions were far too generous; definitely too much for just two. Egg hoppers, plain hoppers, egg rotti, mini pittu, cups kottu, string hoppers, chicken curry, fish curry, seeni sambol, pol sambil, pol kiri, and homemade ginger beer – at Rs.2390, it felt like a total steal. All of the elements tasted great; made with care and precision. The homemade ginger beer, which came in reusable glass bottles, was wonderfully refreshing and had hints of citrus which was a pleasant surprise. Culture Colombo was overall a truly remarkable experience; the ambience was homely and inviting complete with its gorgeous décor. The service was near perfect; the friendly waiting staff was most attentive, efficient, and well versed in the menu. If one finds themselves in the Bambalapitiya area, Culture Colombo is a place you wouldn’t want to miss. For reservations call – 0774422448 By Dimithri Wijesinghe