Rare at the newly opened Residence by Uga Escapes does things differently. And by differently, I mean they bring out the very best from local produce, and turn it into fine dining dishes. Boasting a beautifully and well curated menu, Rare serves up some unusual but excellent fare. I’ve been told that the boutique hotel’s main restaurant has a day menu and an evening menu.

Starting things off with a kos atta (jackfruit seed) soup, I couldn’t ever imagine consuming this underrated part of a fruit unless it’s been roasted and tossed around in chillies, onions and curry leaves, and enjoying it as an evening snack. Thick, creamy and full of that familiar flavour, the puréed soup was excellent! You’d never imagine tucking into a kos atta soup anywhere in Colombo so this is exactly what Rare does – bringing out the best in locally produced vegetables, especially the ones we as Sri Lankans are so used to cooking or preparing a certain way with absolutely no variation whatsoever.

Take a look at the sides on the menu – sautéed kohila ala, tempered sweet potato mash, sautéed lentil and snake gourd, green beans with Maldive fish. The sautéed kohila ala tastes nothing like the standard kohila dish we are so used to eating as an accompaniment for rice for lunch. Cut into long rectangular sticks, the vegetable is sautéed and provides an excellent flavour combined with the chillie powder. The green beans too, are sautéed and then coated with Maldive fish crumbs which makes an interesting but delicious combination. Also worth mentioning are the Rare fries – coated with chillie powder. Soft, excellent and just the right amount of crispy, each fry leaves a lingering taste of chillie, and you really can’t stop reaching for them.

Moving on to the mains, I picked the grilled salmon with thibbatu, garlic and spinach purée, and the chillie chicken with crushed pumpkin and an apple and cucumber relish. Served on a black clay plate, the salmon is possibly one of the best I’ve had, with its grilled-to-perfection crust and combined with the garlic, and deep green spinach purée – providing excellent flavour. The chillie chicken features soft cubes of chicken cooked in and sweet but light sauce with subtle hints of chillie and the pumpkin mash completes the dish entirely.

And now onto the final act – dessert! Having heard rave reviews about the ice cream at Rare, I was determined to try them out. Seeni sambol and sprats? I will admit that this definitely piqued my interest. How really do you combine the two together and call it dessert? Digging into a creamy scoop of the much talked about dessert, I find it (not even mildly) spicy owing to the fine slivers of caramelized onion embedded in the cold, creamy dessert. The sprats however have been powdered and added in during its preparation so the flavour is mild and not too distinguishable, but the seeni sambol definitely and quite easily makes this the best ice cream on the menu. Topped with a slight dusting of chillie powder, I find myself reaching for my glass of water more than I actually should, but it’s absolutely fantastic.

The passion fruit and chillie ice cream is tart and spicy, and rather refreshing. With passion fruit, you either love it or hate it so if you prefer the tart flavour of this fruit in your desserts, you simply can’t go wrong with this option. The jaggery ice cream was delightful whilst the salted peanut reminded me of comforting peanut butter. There are 13 different flavours of ice cream on the menu.

Rare at Residence by Uga Escapes also features an excellent beverage menu, incorporating fruits such as lovi, veralu and woodapple into the drinks. The restaurant is open everyday, and it’s advisable to make a reservation on (011) 567 3000. Residence by Uga Escapes is located at 20, Park Street, Colombo 02.

By Sarah Kellapatha
Photographs courtesy Residence by Uga Escapes