Tucked away in a not-so-quiet corner of Alfred House Avenue, this new boutique hotel has the city talking. With its lush, modern interiors and wide-open spaces, Sunela Jayawardena, renowned environmental architect, designed the hotel.

The Scarlet Room is situated on the first floor of the hotel. Overlooking buildings on the opposite side of the road and reflecting the hustle and bustle of Colombo, the restaurant is vibrant in ambiance and just right to relax and feast on one of several European specialties on the menu, which focuses on Moroccan cuisine and selected South Asian dishes as well. Bright red walls and a collection of breathtaking framed photographs are the highlight of the room – if you count out the paper lighting on the ceiling, standing out like magnificent Rafflesia flowers.

Starting off with a simple but wholesome and comforting Chef’s Salad which ensured that we work up an appetite for lunch. The Chef’s Salad consists of cheddar cheese, roast chicken, boiled egg, chicken ham, mixed greens, radish and celery with blueberry dressing. Next, the Hot and Sour Soup was brought out.

This requires some getting used to as strong flavours penetrate the dish. Tomato, being the key ingredient in the soup, it cleanses your throat and fills you up if you are enjoying a light lunch. It is rather peppery than fiery.

Main courses awaited us eagerly! Firstly, the seafood lasagne made a dramatic appearance garnished with basil leaves (which I nibbled off one by one) and did more than just excite my taste buds. A generous portion, the lasagne was and certainly did not fail in the amount of seafood filling.

Stuffed to the brim, the next dish came out which was pan-fried red mullet fish with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables served with a lemon butter sauce. Not being a strong fan of fish, I actually savoured this dish. The fish was made to perfection while the presence of the lemon butter sauce complimented it in addition to the grilled vegetables.

Next, the pesto spaghetti was the icing on the cake. Deliciously buttery and flavoursome, the Food Factor decided that it was a fabulous vegetarian pick. Several other options on the menu include Mushroom with Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, Lamb Chop, Beef Fillet Tenderloin and two types of risotto in addition to varieties of pasta dishes. Freshly cooked Sri Lankan rice and curry is available daily for lunch in addition to nasi goreng. Sandwiches and burgers stay strong on the menu too.

Last but not least, dessert managed to completely blow our minds away. Warm apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream was a fabulous pick! I swear in all my life, I have never tasted vanilla ice cream so fresh and flavoursome. Forget the apple pie, just make a trip to Colombo Courtyard just for their homemade ice creams! The vanilla ice cream took my breath away in small proportions as did the cinnamon, strong in flavour and still delicate and soft on your tongue.

On the freshly made ice cream menu are three other options which are cinnamon (strong in flavour as mentioned above and my second favourite), mint (nothing like you’ve ever tasted before as the flavour lingers on your tongue long after) and chillie chocolate which to say the least didn’t agree with my taste buds as I found it too strong and spicy for my liking. Not having taken well to the chillie chocolate ice cream, my colleague savoured it.

Other options on the dessert menu are the Dark and White Chocolate Tower, Cardamom and Black Sesame Crème Brulee and Coconut Sago Pudding. So what are you waiting for? Make a trip to Colombo’s newest boutique hotel already. Colombo Courtyard is located at No.32, Alfred House Avenue, Colombo 03. Or visit www.colombocourtyard.com for more information. 

Text by Sarah Kellapatha

Photos by Kithsiri de Mel