One of the long-standing restaurants in the Galle Face area, Navratna - Taj Samudra’s traditional Indian restaurant serves up traditional Mughal cuisine and is possibly one of the very few places which prides itself on the authenticity of it all. 

Ambience 
Complete with colourful and slightly aged wall murals, the restaurant is a very quaint setting with a view of the front lawn of the hotel. Surrounded by the calming sound of sitar music and the stainless steel mugs, you really feel transported all the way to the Mughal empire. 

Food 
Mughal cuisine typically adopts a large number of aromatic spices coupled with rich creams, milk and butter which in turn make their dishes quite a hearty meal. This also relates to Navratna and their “Bottomless Biriyani”! - an all you can eat Biriyani Feast which frankly leaves you in the need of a very long nap afterwards. 

Since there were multiple styles of Biriyani being served, I opted to try more than one to get an overall idea of what they had to offer. The dishes are different takes on a very basic communal dish with a fancy flair to it. I absolutely loved the Mutton Biriyani. It had everything you would ever want in a dish like that. The rice was soft and steamy, cooked in saffron with hints of cardamom and few other aromatics. All of that aside, the biggest plus about the dish was the chunks of boneless mutton hidden under the rice. The meat was well cooked - soft and tender with just the right amount of bite in them.

The Prawn Biriyani had what I could only describe as “humongous” prawns which were cooked just right. The Biriyani is served with a Mirchi ka salan (which loosely translates to curried chilli peppers and peanuts) and a raitha, both of which only added a smokey texture with a heavy, creamy flavour to the plate. Paired with an Indian pickle, the meal screams 10/10. Out of sheer gluttony, I tried out their Butter Chicken which was beautifully tangy. The dish is more than a “healthy” serving but the flavours make you want to keep going back for more perfectly cooked chicken. 

For Dessert, I tried out the Gulab Jamun which wasn’t overly sweet and the perfect warmth to really lighten the load. If you’re looking for something a little colder, I would highly recommend their Almond Kulfi. Soft, creamy and incredibly delicate. Hats off to Chef Samila Kumarasinghe and his team for putting together a delicious meal!

Service
Their service is very friendly and the waiters are quite helpful when it comes to figuring out what’s what, so don’t hesitate to ask. 

Tip
Pace yourself. Their dishes, while absolutely delicious, are incredibly heavy. You’ll definitely be craving a nap.
Bottomless Biriyani at the Taj Samudra’s very own Navratna is now available until the 31st of March 2021 from 12 noon till 3 PM. You can choose between a variety of Biriyani and most importantly, it’s all you can eat! You can call and make your reservations. Don’t miss out!

Text Vihan Wickramasurendra 

Photos: Waruna Wanniarachchi