Alhambra
Alhambra at Ramada, Colombo is one of the oldest North Indian restaurants in Colombo, which is about 46 years old. It is very well known for its unique Biryani. They specialise in Mughal Cuisine and they recently introduced a new exciting menu which was redone by their very own Rajasthani chef.
Ambience
The interior of the restaurant is really cosy with a North Indian touch with very informative paintings put up on the walls and the chandeliers of the restaurant give it a very authentic look. The arches present on the walls of the restaurant resembled the Taj Mahal.
Food Starters
As a complimentary starter I was served Poppadoms with a cup of Rasam along with tamarind and green chutney dip. The Rasam had a strong, authentic taste in it and the Poppadoms were real crispy and I could not wait to try the main dishes.
Mains Papdi Chaat
This is a traditional Indian street food which was served with a mix of sweet mint and tamarind chutney. It was a fried wafer that gave out a very creamy and a crunchy texture and it was something different.
Ghee Rice - Rs. 600
This rice came with fried onions and cashews on top with a garnish of coriander leaves and it and tasted really fresh. Ghee rice is tempered cumin rice infused with ghee and it was delicious.
Tandoori Prawns
This was a very eye catching dish which was served with a salad and lime. The prawns were bursting with amazing flavours. It was excellently prepared and served.
Tandoori Chicken - Rs. 1100
They also served Roasted Tandoori chicken which complemented the main dish of rice. This was again served with a salad. It was really appealing and tasted really good. The seasoning gave the chicken a very distinct taste along with a unique spice mix.
Jeera Aloo - Rs. 850
A typical Indian dish which was served as a side dish, along with the main dishes. It contained potatoes, cumin seeds, curry leaves and many other distinctive Indian spices and it was served hot.
Kadai Bhindi - Rs. 800
This was a very significant vegan dish with aromatic spices and it had given a nice taste to fried ladies fingers. It was refreshing and went well with the rice, while balancing out the meal.
Naans - Rs. 250 - Rs. 380
So many different types of Naans were served. I had Butter Naan ( Rs.300) and Plain Naan ( Rs. 250) and half of Tandoori Roti
( Rs. 280) which I could not finish. The Naans were wonderful in taste and good value for money. The slices were really big and very filling.
Apart from these, they also had Spiced Roti (Rs. 350), Chili Paratha ( Rs. 380 ) and Garlic Naan ( Rs. 300) which were freshly baked with a hint of Indian spices.
Chicken Kurma
This curry was served along with the Naan, which was very creamy and spiced with a very distinctive taste, topped with cashew. It went really well with the Naan and with the rice too. This dish was my favorite out of all due to its buttery, flavorful nature.
Nishan Seneviratne, The Marketing and PR Consultant at Ramada, Colombo made sure all the dishes were served on time. The Food and Beverage Manager, Rifath Mansoor was also very friendly and he made sure I had a good dining experience.