Subtly tucked away in plain sight down Valukarama Road is one of the most understated restaurants in Colombo; Sizzle.  The specialty restaurant if we should call it that is known famously for none other than its sizzling dishes.

Nothing jumps at you when you make the walk through the glass doors except for the strangely alluring colour combination of orange and saffron hues, complimented by the simple straight wooden tables and chairs. In a word the location is cozy, in two it’s low key, a trait that doesn’t carry through to the food. Something worthy of mention is that the ceiling upon closer investigation, proves to be entirely covered with photographs of their very many clientele, although no pictures were taken of us during our meal, maybe looking presentable is a mandate for the honour of being immortalized (bummer).

The menu is a comprehensive one, a fair variety of dishes separated by the traditional categories of starters, beverages, mains, desserts and so on. The three rather interesting twists in the tale come in the form of quirky names given to the dishes (big daddy’s body slam anyone?) and the division of the mains according to the meats featured in each of them (sizzling chicken, sizzling beef, sizzling seafood etc.). The third and most indulging aspect of the menu is the choice of side dish, staple and sauce according to customer’s taste. The side dish is a choice of potato wedges, mashed or French fried while the staple ranges from rice to pasta. The sauce which I later found out was the secret behind the rich flavour in each dish comes in a range of choices (oyster, chili, garlic etc.).

The staff and service was extremely efficient and never lacking, with a healthy amount of waiters hovering around to ensure your glasses are full and at the same time not too many of them to overhear and foil your plans for world domination. The food also was served lightning quick although the smoke didn’t clear for a fair 10 minutes after the dish was served. The pricing was reasonable with mains often ranging from Rs.1200 to Rs.1800 and in to portion sizes while the beverages and desserts averaged at Rs.250. And the food, oh the food.

Bret Hart’s Cycler was a delight from the word go, in terms of presentation, first instinct says this is a rather small dish for something the friendly Manager dubbed to be the “king dish” but 30 minutes down the line, half the platter was still very much intact and a few buttons on my jeans had come off, some voluntarily and some in an act of sheer defiance. Bret Hart’s Cycler is a merger of meats for those who indulge in it, the chicken was by far the most alluring followed closely by the beef and mutton, the prawns however were a tad bit out of place and didn’t quite blend into the rest of the platter.

The highlights were numerous but some were most worthy of mention. The succulent tenderness of the meats was most satisfactory, none of the usual trouble biting into hard cubes of beef, the entire platter was done well and tender. The rich texture of the sauce and its flavour really came through and was oddly reminiscent of oriental spices contrary to my choice of Oyster sauce, however the flavour was not in the least overpowering as one might expect it to be and not once drowned the taste of the meat. The potato wedges were a welcome addition as was the pasta although the pasta was slightly drenched and oily having been stuffed under all the meats, maybe a request for the pasta to be served separately is a good idea. The chicken was clearly superior having been the best marinated and most agreeable with the choice of spices in question, but the rest of Bret Hart’s Cycler followed close suit.

Next was C. C.’s Favourite Sizzle. The trick with the cheddar was most impressive, considering that the sizzling dish causes the cheese to melt and spread finely over its entirety by the time the platter is cool enough for consumption. C. C.’s Favourite Sizzle however was a disappointment in contrast to Bret Hart’s Cycler. The main point of concern was the downplayed flavour, while the garlic sauce might be responsible for the same. The chicken was grilled in a most straightforward way and had little in the way of flavour, had the expectation been to make up for it through the sauce, the choice of garlic was the wrong one on our part. Where the sauce failed us however the mashed potatoes really came through. The mash was absolutely delightful and possibly one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Being an ardent fan of anything that has potato in it, I was most impressed. The rice too was a pleasant add-on to C. C.’s Favourite Sizzle, being as it may the most straightforward combination (chicken, mash and rice).

The recommended choice of beverage comes in the mocktail section of the menu, although the lack of a fresh fruit infused mocktail comes at a price for those who aren’t keen on carbonated drinks. The presentation however is excellent. A little discovery I made on the menu is the Avocado Milkshake, which struck me as an out of the ordinary flavour for a milkshake and lived up to its promise having been one of the most refreshing milkshakes I’ve tried lately.

In conclusion Bret Hart’s Cycler is the clear favourite had it been a competition and lives up to its reputation of being the “king” dish. The pricing is reasonable and the dishes are worth the price considering half of it remains by the time the meal is done (forgot to ask if they had doggy bags). Word of advice though, make sure you allow time for the food to sizzle, the sauces take time to penetrate the food and it’s much easier on your tongue.

By Maurene Gooneratne