Ginza High Tea – Reviewed

Established in 1987, Ginza was formally known as ‘Ginza Hohsen’, operating at Hilton Colombo.  2 years ago, they relocated to Waters Edge and is now dominating its second floor. 

Just 6 months ago, they introduced a new addition to their service.  A Japanese High Tea every last Saturday of the month.  I’m told it’s the only Japanese High Tea offered in Sri Lanka. 

Owner of Ginza, Mr. Balasuriya says that what’s so special about Ginza is that it offers ‘truly authentic Japanese food. We don’t offer a fusion of different kinds of food, we offer pure authentic Japanese’.  He even produces a Commendation certificate given to him by the Japanese embassy for all his work done for the Japanese culture in Sri Lanka.  

While examining the certificate, a customer (a regular, I’m told) walks up to Mr. Balasuriya to exchange pleasantries, glances at the certificate and says “Well, why wouldn’t you get a Commendation? This is the best Japanese restaurant!”

So riding on that high praise, we sat down to see what kind of an authentic Japanese High Tea Ginza could offer to us.

ATMOSPHERE : Stepping out from the lift onto the 2nd floor, you wouldn’t expect such a difference in atmosphere but when I stepped out of the elevator I stood still for a good minute or two wondering where I was exactly.  The second floor is transformed into a Japanese restaurant. There’s cultural décor, Japanese instrumental music playing in the background, a sushi bar and a Teppanyaki station outside on the balcony offering a majestic 180 view of Waters Edge’s endless green lawn.

THE DRINKS : There were 3 different drinks offered; ice coffee, mint fizz and iced green tea. I decided to try the Mint Fizz and it was definitely the right choice. It was refreshing and had such a great consistency to it that it later became a great palette cleanser between my meals.

THE FOOD :  The High Tea is laid out buffet style and there is a variety of choices you can make. The sushi corner had ‘Tuna Nigiri’, ‘Shiromi Nigiri’, ‘Salmon Nigiri’, ‘Salmon Yaki Maki’ and ‘Spicy Tuna Makir’ which is apparently a favourite among the locals. The sushi was fresh, clean and made with practiced hands so it showed great appearance and finish. 

We then moved on to what I like to call the ‘Fry Corner’ because it had an assortment of fried food made to Japanese style. There was ‘Kakiage’ (tempura), ‘Wakadori Karaage’ (fried chicken), Iwashi Fry (crispy batter fried fish), ‘Gyota’ (dumplings), ‘Tuna Tataki’ (thin tuna slice crispy on the outside and raw on the inside) and ‘Kushi Dango’ (sticky rice ball on red beans).  It sounds like a lot of fried food involving a lot of oil but once more I’m assured that there’s very little oil used as authentic Japanese food is all about being healthy.

The food tasted great and what sets it apart from your average fried chicken and fish is the flavour. It’s not strong and there’s the lack of heavy use of spices as compared to Chinese or Thai food. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Kakiage’ and ‘Iwashi Fry’ and felt that the available dressings were a good compliment to the selection of food.

You are also spoilt for choice for desert! There’s a massive range of delicacies ranging from mini cupcakes and fruit tarts to red velvet and opera cake and a few other desserts including some made with green tea! (your healthy choice after pigging out). Out of all the deserts what really made me happy was the mini cupcake. It was soft and delicious and nearly tempted me to run back to the dessert bar just to get a couple more (I didn’t thankfully). 

SERVICE – The sushi counter is manned by 3 well trained sushi chefs who are prepared to patiently take you through your options and prepare anything to your taste. The head chef, Karu Wijeysinghe has been with Ginza for over 26 years and is lovingly spoken to as ‘Karu’ by guests. The service was consistent throughout my meal and the staff was friendly but respecting of your privacy. 

OVERALL -   4.7/5 
For Rs. 1800 per person, the Ginza High Tea is perfectly well moderated. If you are a huge fan of sushi there’s a sushi corner for you but if you aren’t, that’s okay because there’s still a large variety of things you can eat! Operating for 3-6pm, the place was packed with over a 100 guests when I went and is largely filled by families with kids who are completely enthusiastic about sushi. Most of the customers are regulars and often stop by to have a chat with Mr. Balasuriya about this and that. 
The food was well presented and subtle in flavour embodying the concept of authentic Japanese food and the ambience and service makes Ginza High Tea a great pick for a Saturday evening with friends and family. 

By Panchali Illankoon
Photo’s – Pradeep Dilrukshan

*. Special Note : Every Tuesday of the month of February Ginza offers a Teppanyaki promotion of 15% off on Teppan food.