“The Ocean” at the Kingsbury Hotel
The Ocean Seafood restaurant at The Kingsbury is by far one of the best seafood restaurants in Colombo. Offering nothing but a luxurious and sophisticated dining experience, this restaurant has an elegant and beautiful setting on the inside, and for those who prefer a more relaxed, outdoor experience, the Veranda outside is perfect for a night out with friends or even a date, accompanied by the most dazzling view of the Indian Ocean. Although this view is now somewhat obscured by the constructions that are taking place, don’t let this dishearten you, as the restaurant and the food are truly a spectacle in itself.
The Food
Aside from having quite an extensive Japanese and seafood menu, the best thing about the Ocean is that you can pick your choice of fresh seafood straight off the counter and have it made according to your preference. The counter is at the far end of the room and an array of fish is displayed on a bed of ice. All the meats are fresh, looks extremely appetising and you get to pick what type you want, how much and how you want it made. We chose the Prawns, Cuttlefish, Lobster, Seer Fish, Salmon
and Oysters.
The Oysters were displayed in an oxygen tank right next to the counter and you can simply pick one out and they serve it immediately with lime and tabasco sauce. Chef Kithsiri De Silva explained the importance of keeping the oysters alive and how they should be served immediately after their shell has been broken to get the maximum flavour. It tasted extremely fresh and the flavour was maximised by the tabasco sauce and the lime which left quite a strong but pleasant tang in our mouth. The Grilled Salmon and the Spicy Grilled Seer Fish were remarkable. Both the salmon and the seer fish had a slight crust on the outside and a soft and tender inside which was lovely. The seer fish was spiced to perfection and it didn’t overpower the taste of the fish itself.
No seafood menu would be complete without Hot buttered Cuttlefish and we were served the most amazing dish ever. It was the perfect blend of hot, buttery, and spicy. It goes without saying that this is a must have if you ever dine at “The Ocean”. Another dish that amazed me was the
Chilli Garlic Prawns. The prawns were huge and extremely juicy, and were full of flavour.
The highlight of the day however, was the Lobster Thermidor. It was simply mind blowing. The presentation was phenomenal and the taste was set to match! It truly was a feast for the eyes as much as it was for the stomach. It was creamy, had an abundance of cheese and was truly heaven inside a shell!
We also tried out a side dish of Garlic rice which was extremely well flavoured and not even that oily and was the perfect complement for all the dishes. The restaurant also serves a variety of other rice dishes such as egg fried rice, seafood fried rice and steamed rice.
They even have a lovely dessert menu out of which I tried the Chocolate and Hazelnut
Fondant. It tasted quite good and was the perfect way to end a lovely meal.
Service
The Restaurant staff were pleasant and friendly. Our waiter Amila relieved us from the burden of having to choose from the menu and offered us his recommendations and was very helpful the whole afternoon. Even the waiting time isn’t that long and the food was served about 5 minutes after we ordered it which was commendable.
“The Ocean”, headed by Chef Kithsiri De Silva, provides a wonderful culinary experience for all seafood lovers and i would highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a fancy lunch or dinner at quite a reasonable price.