Dining at HVN, Casa Colombo is always an interesting experience – from the tasteful, quirky and exotic interiors to the great food on offer, one can be guaranteed that you will most probably leave happy and stuffed.

HVN’s menu was revamped a few months back, adding lots of new fusion dishes whilst including a few favourites from the previous menu. Each dish a creation by Chef Shareef Kareem, he ensures that it is perfectly executed and focus is placed on the importance of each ingredient – fresh, delightful and a play on your taste buds. The menu consists of dishes inspired by usual continental and Sri Lankan fare.

I start my meal with a Shredded Roast Beef and Gotukola Mango Salad – a delightfully light, crunchy and flavoursome affair. The salad involved shredded roast beef combined with fresh gotukola leaves along with strips of raw mango, coriander, spring onions, cucumber, tomatoes and sesame seeds with a tangy tamarind dressing – the dressing providing that burst of incredible flavour. The beef is cooked for a couple of hours and then shredded into little pieces before being left in a marinade of ginger paste and finally grilling it before adding it into the salad, Chef Kareem informs me.

For my entrées, I have picked a Spiced Aubergine Risotto and Flambéed Prawns – both of which proved to be incredibly delicious and packed with flavour. The risotto was cooked in a mustard oil and was topped with chopped tomatoes, feta and chopped lettuce. It was quite nice and soft on the palate, not as spicy as I’d have liked it to be but nonetheless very good and an ideal pick for vegetarians.

The Flambéed Prawns with Garlic Rice and Chillie Lime Pickle was undoubtedly my favourite pick because of its light and simple but stunning flavours, especially when combining a bite of the prawn generously dipped in the chillie lime pickle and a spoonful of the garlic rice. The rice was buttery and didn’t have a distinct and pungent garlic flavour which was appreciated. The prawns were flambéed to perfection, and this dish comes highly recommended by Chef Kareem. Notable and recommended dishes include the Lobster Thermidor, Lamb Poriyal, Confit Chicken, Spicy Crusted Beef, Roasted Shellfish and the Seared Tuna Sashimi Salad.

Moving on to dessert, I chose the Hot Chocolate Cake with a Melting Chillie Salt Caramel Centre and Brickle Ice Cream. The cake was warm when served and combined with a spoonful of the brickle ice cream was very good, and light. If you’re wondering what this brickle ice cream is, it’s a combination of cashew nut, jaggery and coconut. Other recommended desserts on the menu include the Deconstructed Tiramisu, Belgian Chocolate Empanadas with Strawberry Coulis and Orange Crisps, Soft Godamba Roti Rolls filled with Chillie Salt Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream and the Arrack Flambéed Pineapple with Crème Brûlée Topping.

HVN is open everyday from 11.30AM-10.30PM on weekdays and until 11.30PM on weekends.

Text and pics by Sarah Kellapatha