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staurant going back to 1989, the renowned food chain has been in operation for the last 27 years in countries such as Australia, USA, UK, The Middle East and India. Their specialty food being North Indian Cuisine, Indian Summer also caters fusion cuisine such
as Indo-Chinese and Thai. The concept revolves around fine dining, however they also entertain casual dining in their outdoor section.
Addressing a media briefing held recently Managing Director/Owner Kooshru Mistry noted that, “Sri Lanka is still an emerging market and there is a demand for Indian cuisine. We conducted market researches and found out that Indian fusion cuisine would be very easily adapted with the local flavour profile.” He further stated that the brand focuses on high quality service, hygiene and total customer satisfaction with a value perception. The brand is looking at opening up multiple units within Colombo and also moves in to destinations such as Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.
Indian Summer offer take-out orders and free home delivery and is looking at strengthening their outdoor catering and banquets which is at the planning stages. For starters the restaurant offers a Friday Night Buffet at the rate of Rs. 3,500 per person, which allows diners to experience various dishes served at the restaurant, thus encouraging them to order from the a la cart menu.
Prakash Shetty being in the hotel industry for over 37 years has been managing restaurants in Saudi Arabia for Indian Summer and owing to his skills he has been appointed as the Manager Operations for the restaurant in Horton Place. “Since the soft launch in the beginning of January our clientele has been growing in numbers, in fact we have doubled in the amount of diners and the business is flourishing. Our peak time is from Thursday through Sunday.”
Interior and services
The restaurant has an outdoor seating area for the diners who require breathing space, and the interior section is in two floors. The ground floor houses an interactive kitchen and seating area, while the first floor can be used for parties, family dinners with the capacity going up to 120 pax.
The lighting and the water screen outdoor creates a relaxed ambiance despite being located at the edge of Horton Place. Comfortable seating arrangements allow guests discreet space and the chairs are quite comfortable to sit in.
Taste test
I tried the Lentils Soup priced at Rs. 350 which is made using puree of Lentils cooked with Indian seasoning. The soup is sufficient for one person and had a creamy texture with adequate heat. We picked Chicken Lollipop priced at Rs. 850 as the appetiser which is marinated in the chef’s special spices and deep fried. It had the balanced levels of spices and could be shared by two people.
Our mains comprised of Basmathi Rice cooked with dry and fresh fruit pieces, better known as Kashmir Pulav. The portion is priced at Rs. 750 and again serves two. Compared to various types of Pulavs I have tried in other restaurants which are generally oil laden, the Kashmir Pulav was a pleasant surprise with the fruity feel and was easy on the stomach.
The accompaniment for the Kashmir Pulav was Balti Chilli Chicken which was an unusual combination of chicken and Balti spices that had been tossed along with the chef’s special ingredients. This dish is presented in a bucket which is a very traditional Indian way of presenting curries. This dish is priced at Rs. 875 and the portion is very generous.
Wrapping up our pleasant dining experience at Indian Summer we went for two different North Indian desserts. While I selected RasMalai which is prepared with sweetened cottage cheese dumplings steamed and served with milk and dry fruits, my colleague went for a Kulfi which is home-made ice cream. Both the desserts were priced at Rs. 450 each and were delicious in their own way.
Indian Summer Fusion Cuisine is located at 42 Horton Place, Colombo 07 and operates from 11a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and is from 11a.m. to 12 midnight on weekends.
