Be floored by O!

• Ceylon Brewery prepares to launch their latest venture on 10 November; attempts to break a Guinness World Record

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

Amidst the slew of new and some rather novel restaurants and bars opening up in Colombo since of late, Ceylon Brewery, the mastermind behind the popular ‘The Brewery by O!’ pub located at the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct, will be launching their latest venture later this week.

Named ‘The Floor by O!,’ it is located at Maitland Crescent by the Gymkhana Club, on the first floor of the building that also houses the restaurant Lemon. While their names may sound similar, the new bar has been designed around a whole new concept and is completely different from its counterpart.

An ultra-modern steel bar runs through the entirety of the area, illuminated by subtle lighting and is decorated by mosaic tiles in different shades of grey, a design which is replicated on the cover of their new and far larger menu.

Completely glass-fronted, floor to ceiling windows offer stunning sights of the CH&FC grounds, the poolside and the surrounding area and flood the space with light during the daytime while offering a great view at night.  

Customers can choose to perch on the high steel stools along the bar, at the elevated tables and stools by the entrance, similar to the layout at their Dutch Hospital establishment, or crash at an assortment of cozy leather couches further inside.

The menu features the standard drinks menu with some of the classics that patrons have gotten used to at the Brewery, along with many new additions to the cocktails, mocktails, other mixers and some O! originals that will be whipped up by the bartenders . The food menu has been completely revamped and currently offers over forty entrees, mains and desserts. A staff of 30 and a further nine people in the kitchen will ensure quick and efficient service.

“We have done this to make it possible for our customers to have a proper meal here, unlike over at the Brewery,” explained Operations Manager Deeptha Perera.

However, the most innovative aspect of this menu are the names of dishes – every single thing offered on the food menu has been named after a song and the artiste – so get ready to order anything from a Lana Del Rey to a Frank Sinatra. The soundtrack itself is quite eclectic and features a great range of songs, from the ’60s right up to releases in 2012.

“While this is a premium pub and restaurant, everything on the menu is very reasonably priced so as to allow anyone to walk in for a quick drink or bite. The initial experiment was the Brewery and that got such great feedback and drew such a nice clientele, we decided to expand further and our focus here again is on the younger crowd,” he stated.

The far more spacious bar will allow the management to do more with the space, added Perera, and plans are already underway for themed nights, dances, live performances and even functions by the poolside.

The Floor by O! will officially be launched on Saturday, 10 November. A soft opening was conducted last Friday and the bar has been open on a couple of nights since then in order to receive feedback on the ambience, menu and service. “The response has been excellent,” asserted Perera.

Adding some excitement to the opening night, the staff at The Floor by O! will also be making an official attempt to break a Guinness World Record, by making 1,500 cocktails on that night alone. The current record is being held with 1,425 cocktails. For it to be valid, it should comprise of drinks that will be commercially available at the pub for over six months, after which they will officially apply for the record.

When asked about plans for further expansion, Perera confirmed that yet another establishment will be opened in the near future but refrained from divulging more details. He did say that it too will be based on yet another completely different and original concept.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara