COLOMBO FORT CAFÉ

Having opened at the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct in December 2011, the Colombo Fort Café is going strong in their second month of operation. The Food Factor made a trip to the bistro style restaurant on a calm Wednesday evening and absorbed in the ambience complete with turquoise chairs and the earth toned walls. Arriving at the restaurant, I find it starting to get busy with the steady flow of guests which range from locals to tourists. Featuring a large open kitchen, guests can interact with the chefs themselves whilst waiting for their meal to arrive at the table.

Candle lit atmosphere and a wide range of tapas are on the menu at the Colombo Fort Café. Director of Operations Alec van Cuylenburg likes to differentiate between lunch and dinner. He says that the Tropical Burger is a suitable option for lunch but he wouldn’t recommend it for dinner. Why? He recommends the tapas which is one of the biggest highlights of the restaurant, some of which include the seafood stuffed cucumber cups, chorizo stuffed tomatoes, fried calamari with a delicious dipping sauce, a stuffed calamari and the Spanish shrimp Cariola which consists of five toasted baguette slices accompanied by a shrimp curry in a clay pot.

Other items on the menu include the Moussaka, Lebanese Chicken (a hit during lunch, we hear) and the Mediterranean King Prawn which I’d say is just wow. Having gobbled the whole dish down in under seven minutes, I can say that this is a must try for dinner. The menu is child friendly and the café stresses on the freshness of the food. Mains rotate on a regular basis and you can view the specials on the blackboard upon arrival at the restaurant. Of course dinner specials will involve meat, seafood and pasta. The range of desserts will not disappoint you as tiramisu and coffee ice cream is on the menu as well as a delectable white chocolate mousse with raspberry sorbet. A wide range of beverages are on the menu as well.

Photos by Samantha Perera