Curve Bar, the latest venture by Harpo’s Cafés and Restaurants, located right next door to Park Street Mews is definitely one of the best places for delicious tapas.

As the name suggests, the bar is curved and thus creates an interesting feel. The purple walls make it cosy but at the same time also gives it a hip and trendy feel. Even though it is a bar, they do not skimp on their food – mainly their tapas, which is excellent. And thanks to Head Chef Stephen Graham, they’ve got some amazing dishes on their menu.

The idea behind having specialised and authentic tapas was because it goes well as ‘bites’, Chef Stephen explains adding, “There wasn’t anywhere in Colombo doing authentic Spanish Tapas – so the idea is that if people want tapas, they will come to us.”

“It’s a very unique street,” Harpo Gooneratne, Managing Director, Harpo’s Cafés and Restaurants said, adding that more venues of this nature will help the hospitality industry in Sri Lanka. “With the 30 year war ending, there is so much potential.”

He added that he wanted to have a venue which served authentic tapas while also having music. “I want people to come in the day time as well as we serve tapas, ice cream, smoothies, milkshakes, mocktails, coffees and teas.”

Chef Stephen says they’ve maintained that the tapas are as authentic as possible while also being full of flavour. “About three tapas should be enough for a meal,” he says adding, “The three different flavours make it quite a nice way of eating.”

Prawns are their best-selling dish and it isn’t hard to understand why as their Grilled Prawns with Paprika and Garlic, are so full of flavour and at the same time not overly filling while their Salt and Pepper Squid with Aioli was also delicious, especially as the squid was fried to perfection and the Aioli was light and fresh.

My pick was the Jamón Bruschetta. What I liked about this dish was its simple flavours. And for anyone who loves cheese their Grilled Cheese with Apple was just wonderful.

Curve Bar also serves some amazing home-made ice creams. “I’ve been making ice creams throughout my career,” Chef Stephen says adding that when he came on board Harpo asked him what he wanted and he said he needed an Ice Cream Machine. With this, he’s been whipping up some delicious and unique flavours.

The most unique was the Curd Ice Cream served with Kitul Jelly. It does seem like an odd choice for an ice cream flavour but it was definitely my favourite in terms of uniqueness. It was tarts but at the same time had a touch of sweetness, while also being smooth and creamy. The Burn Caramel was also a delightful ice cream on their menu.

If you are looking for something a little more decadent I’d suggest their rich Chocolate ice cream served with Kahlua – it was so rich and chocolaty and the Kahlua complimented this ice cream to perfection. Their Passionfruit ice cream served with Bacardi was also an interesting take in terms of unique flavours while the Bacardi gave the light passionfruit ice cream just the right kick.

Tapas and Ice Creams are not all they have on their menu. They also do sandwiches and wraps. Curve Bar is open from 11am and all these are served during lunch time as well as dinner. The atmosphere at Curve Bar is cosy and perfect for a relaxed evening with friends. They have a band playing from Wednesday to Saturday, during the evening making it the perfect place to wind down after a busy day.

By Natasha Fernandopulle

Pics by Kanishke Ganewatte