Ginza Hohsen at Galadari
text Panchali Illankoon
Waters Edge’s former Japanese restaurant ‘Ginza on the Edge’ is now in the heart of Colombo (much to the pleasure of its loyal customers) as it joins Colombo’s Galadari Hotel.
Back to its original name ‘Ginza Hohsen’, this Japanese restaurant is one of Colombo’s elite and favourite Japanese restaurants offering authentic Japanese cuisine. Established originally at Hilton Colombo in 1987, the restaurant has been in operation for over 30 years and has created a name for itself by maintaining a consistent standard over the years.
“This move was a big investment but I had the confidence to do it. I’ve been looking for a great place that is convenient to my customers for years and when I was approached by Galadari to use this space, I knew it was a good idea” said owner and host, Mr. Richard Balasuriya.
Ginza attracts loyal customers. Many who have tried Ginza for the first time tend to keep coming back to the restaurant and that is because of the high standard Ginza has kept over the years.
“A lot of my customers will go and try other Japanese restaurants but they will always come back here because this restaurant is for the true Japanese food lover.we only have the most authentic dishes.”
The New Space
The new restaurant occupies the back of the Galadari Hotel, opposite Kingsbury Hotel and facing the Galle Face stretch. It offers guests' ample parking, easy access and an even bigger space to entertain. There are 5 private dining areas in total with 2 on the ground floor and 3 upstairs. The two storeyd restaurant offers casual dining on the ground floor while three teppanyaki grills occupy the upstairs.
The new space is light and roomy and elegantly decorated with various Japanese objects and articles.the setup is spacious with plenty of privacy and while the day view is quite entertaining, the night view allows for the big city lights to act as a stunning backdrop.
The Food
Ginza perhaps has one of the largest Japanese menus’ in Sri Lanka with nearly 100 different items. The new location offers the same menu with guests favourites but also introduces a couple of new items.
We dropped by on their opening day to try a few items off their menu;
Spicy Tuna Maki and Spicy Salmon Maki
Spicy Maki’s are one of our go-to dishes whenever we go to a Japanese restaurant so we had high expectations and Ginza certainly didn’t disappoint. Sashimi grade tuna and salmon is tossed in a spicy sauce and mayo and rolled inside out. The tuna and salmon were fresh and the spiciness was just right. The portion offers 8 pieces which are quite large and overall felt like a value for money dish.
Ebifurai
For crunch, we ordered their Ebifurai from their A la Carte section of the menu. Ebifurai is crumbed prawns that are deep fried till golden and crisp. The dish offers 6 large prawns and is served with two kinds of sauces.
Chicken Katsu Teishoku
Their lunch menu Teishoku is a type of Japanese set meal, where all of the dishes in the course are served together as a set. The set would include the main dish, a side dish, a miso soup and sticky rice. The Chicken Katsu Teishoku we ordered had crumbed, deep fried chicken as the main dish and a small salad along with soya bean soup, pickles, sticky rice and a side of fruit for after.
Yakitori Bento Set
Ginza has 6 different gourmet bento sets. We ordered the Yakitori Bento Set and it was completely worth the price you pay. The Bento set comes with sliced raw fish, batter fried seafood and vegetables, soya bean soup, pickles, fruits and grilled chicken with rice. The grilled chicken skewers that were served on a bed of rice was one of our favourite dishes as the chicken was juicy and full of flavour and the plain sticky rice just tied the dish together.
Kuro Goma
For desert we tried their Kuro Goma which is a black sesame seed ice cream that had a great creamy texture that complimented well with the unique flavours of the black sesame seed while also simultaneously contrasted with the crunch of the sesame seed.