Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo introduced their brand-new Bento Boxes available at the Royal Thai restaurant, all 5 weekdays between 12.00 PM -3.00 PM. Attending the tasting of the Corporate Lunch package, we got to observe that the Bento Boxes are equivalent to an executive lunch, fully competent to fulfil your ‘Grab and Go’ meal requirement. Voted to be one of the best restaurants in Colombo consecutively for years, Royal Thai was just the ideal venue for me to relax after I got caught in an irky mid-afternoon rain. With its cosy wooden interior and ambience, I was immediately intrigued by a triangular wall decoration near the head table which depicted a Thai village. 

A Bento Box is a (reusable) Japanese-style lunch box that typically holds a single portion meal consisting of a main dish (the staple) and some sides. As mentioned above the concept is the ideal solution to a “Grab and Go” meal requirement, perfectly coordinating with your packed schedule, in contrast to the regular buffet concept.  The Bento Box at Cinnamon Lakeside was divided into  5 sections, consisting of a variety of dishes and a complimentary dessert.  However, what was noticeable was the balance the meal appeared to have in nutrition and its visual variance.   

The menu of the box consisted of 

• Thai Papaya Salad (Staple)
• Egg Fried rice
• Red Curry Chicken
• Wok Fried Vegetable
• Mixed mushroom with ginger sauce

The staple of the Bento Box positioned on the top left was the classic Thai Papaya Salad known as “Som Tum Thai”  - an iconic refresher served in Thai cuisine. Reflecting the local meaning of the word Som, which means sour, the dish did strongly capture the customary five main basic tastes of the dish i.e. the sourness of the lime, the spiciness of the chili, the saltiness and savouriness of the sauce and the sweetness of palm sugar, leaving our taste buds teased and tingling by the tantalizing combination. This was one of the two vegetarian dishes served in the box. Next, we tried the Red Curry Chicken, undoubtedly prepared with Thailand's famous Red Curry paste and coconut milk.

The gravy of the chicken had a soup-like thick consistency which I found combined well with the Egg Fried Rice. Adding to the anticipated red spicy taste, surprisingly I found the curry has a mild sweet taste which I believe might be the root to the coconut milk. This section of the Bento Box comes with 2 options: Chicken or Seafood.  Fulfilling the starch section of the Bento Box was the Egg Fried Rice which looked fresh. Positioned right in the middle of the box was the Chillie Paste.

The Wok Fried Vegetables and the Mixed Mushroom with Ginger Sauce were served separately. This quite "saucy" stir-fry was certainly very far from a dry-fried look, containing a range of vegetables including broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn and much more. Dessert with the Bento Box in Cinnamon Lakeside varies every week. This week we were served the Sago Pudding with Mango. Presently priced at Rs. 2600/= per box, the amount may vary between Rs. 2400/ - Rs. 2800/= depending on the fluctuations of the market.  The Bento Boxes are also available on a ‘Pick Up' option from Cinnamon City Hotels' online delivery platform- “Flavors from Cinnamon”. 

text Nuzla Rizkiya