Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
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String Hoppers
The Mount Lavinia Hotel has just extended its food delivery service menu, adding on some items that are certain to become firm favourites – Sri Lankan style stringhoppers, pittu and pol roti, along with Mongolian Rice, Mee Goreng, Crispy Chicken Sandwich and two desserts.
The delivery offering from The Café Maitland operates from premises entirely separate from the hotel with exclusive and dedicated staff and is varied and extensive, with many choices lined up, ensuring there’s something to suit everyone’s taste-buds.
The Mongolian rice, priced at Rs. 1,050, is a great portion that packs a whole lot of flavour and generous servings of seafood and crunchy veggies while the rice itself is coated in deliciousness. You will be hard pressed to stop yourself from gulping it all down, but the portion size might stop you! The Mee Goreng (seafood) is priced the same.
It is a rare occasion indeed when I can resist Sri Lankan dishes so I tried out all the new local offerings on the menu. The stringhoppers are served with potato or dhal curry and pol sambol (the potato is perfect); the pittu comes with pol kiri and lunu miris; and the pol roti is also served with lunu miris. The prices are from Rs. 400-550. Add a meat dish from the ‘Evening Bites’ section and you’re ready to go.
I chose the Hot Batter Cuttlefish (Rs. 800) featuring garlic and nai miris. This serving is not just delicious but also generous, more than sufficient for three to four people. Another option on the ‘Evening Bites’ menu that might suit Sri Lankan dishes better is the Pork Theldala, but with kids, the cuttlefish often comes first! There’s also Devilled Chicken, Chilli Garlic Prawns and Buffalo Wings, with prices ranging from Rs. 750-1,100).
Another new dish that is certain to be a hit with both adults and children is the Chicken Sandwich (Rs. 970). Featuring utterly juicy chicken on a fresh, soft bun with gherkins and a creamy and spicy sauce to top it all off, along with fries on the side, this sandwich is a delight.
And delight brings us to the desserts, which certainly will. The Cream Caramel and Chocolate Mousse, at Rs. 350 each, are impressive servings and at that price, more than worth it. Diners will be hard-pressed to resist finishing off the Cream Caramel in one go in a burst of nostalgia, while the Chocolate Mousse will keep them savouring slowly.
There is no way to talk about the MLH delivery menu without mentioning the nostalgia-inducing ‘Toasties from the Seventies’. They aren’t a new addition, but they are irresistible – packed to bursting point and toasted to perfection, served in a combination of four – Black Pork, Minced Chicken, Seeni Sambol, and Kadé Salmon.
Mention must also be made of the hotel’s special take on a local favourite, lamprais – a gorgeous and generous dish served in a clay pot, packed with flavour and more than enough for two.
The ‘Mount Rice & Curry’ options are great lunch options – featuring white or red rice, three vegetable curries, meat of choice and condiments in chicken, fish, pork, mutton, prawn, and vegetarian options. The prices range from Rs. 350 to Rs. 590. Other rice options on the menu are Biryani, Nasi Goreng, and Seafood or Chicken Fried Rice.
All the food is served in environmentally-friendly packaging, ensuring sustainability. Delivery options include PickMe, UberEats, Eatts and the hotel’s own delivery service (via hotline 773112399).
(MD)
