Juliet Coombe takes a look at the magnificent menus of Jetwing Colombo 7 and Valentines’ Day picture post card views of Colombo city by night from the rooftop bar, that would seal the fate of any romantic date.
Jetwing Colombo Seven has, in just over a year, set lots of new Colombo food trends, including anticipating the fashionable growing love for sharing platters, which they introduced as a new concept in the Colombo city bar scene. This fine dining affordable bar food experience, complete with azure pool and panoramic views of the city, has brought people together in adventurous groups, to try a mixture of new things. One platter, for example, is a mix of food using different styles of cooking from frying to mixing ingredients with cream, which give an orchestra of tastes, whilst enjoying a cocktail or Colombo 7 gin and tonic. The most popular platter is ‘smoked and cured meats’ from an exciting choice of nine platters, which mix hot and cold together to make each one sing a different song. They also serve up a mixed concept if you have a sweet tooth - They put chilli and chocolate together, which is a truly spicy experience in the Ward 7 bar, where you can always expect the unexpected and wow your date with the voodoo of the location and explosion of different tastes.
Jetwing Colombo 7, being a boutique concept, has also created a new style of lunch and dinner menu in an exciting magazine format to give the Colombo city history while you wait for each course to be served. It serves dishes that cater to different clients ranging from sugar-free desserts, as diabetes is a worldwide problem, to delicious cheesecake and watalappan, also available by swapping ingredients for healthier options. Another Colombo first is the Wasabi Caesar Salad, which is a clever twist on the original American version. Being in the centre of the world, the Jetwing Colombo 7 team of chefs want to mix up dishes to suit their guests, who come from everywhere, so they feel at home in the buzzy city that never sleeps. They also have an excellent mix of vegetarian dishes that cater for vegans and gluten-free palettes, as well as keeping the favourite meat-eaters’ dishes. My favourite experience was high speed lunch from the ‘on the run’ menu at a great price, which allows one to meet and do business over a good range of dishes that are quick to prepare, so that you can get back to work fast after having fun on the run.
Sunday lunch is a very exclusive affair for around 20 tables each week with an excellent Degustation Lunch at 57, which is all about tasting new things with matching wines, to develop the concept of matching food dishes with the perfect wines from around the world, something Jetwing Hotels is particularly proud of. There is always a surprise dish hidden by smoke so it makes it a very special Sunday or pre-valentines experience that is unique to the capital. Smoked Lamb Saddle is served with an exciting ‘joie de view’ and other unforgettable courses follow.
A tale about afternoon tea is a classic English affair served upstairs with spectacular views from 3 to 5.30pm so you can enjoy the nice weather and stunning sun set over the city with old fashioned old school British proper cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam and clotted cream that you could have in Cornwall where it comes from. Jetwing Colombo 7 even celebrates British traditions of cuisine of where tea was their finest hour and can be yours after a busy morning of meetings.
A delightful place with a whole range of new foodie experiences built on the land of the owner’s two family homes, is the result of centuries of evolution, colonisation, independence and today truly inventive world class cuisine and innovation that recognises the importance of blending the old with the new. Singapore, another key Asian trading port, once looked to Colombo during the 1960s for inspiration but today the tables have turned, or perhaps merged, as they show the world the rich diversity and architectural layers that have come together during the different periods of time that value both the contemporary and the historic. The Jetwing Colombo Seven architect from Singapore, Sim Boon Yang of Eco ID, has reversed the island’s most famous architect Bawa’s concept of inside outside living to outside inside design in the most brilliant and inspiring way. This new five star hotel may just be the start of Jetwing Colombo 7’s foodie safaris that celebrate the ancient Sri Lankan traditions of cooking in pots to presenting it on different plates in many different ways so you can fully enjoy the orchestra of island tastes.
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