Sugar Bistro’s new sensations!

By David Ebert

Colombo these days is like a massive weather trap. On any given day one can expect to encounter a diverse range of weather changes; from searing hot mornings to sudden squalls in the afternoons right bang in the middle of the city, that disappear just as quickly as they come. On a day like that one has to naturally look for shelter and for me there was one place that suited me just fine on just such a day.

The Sugar Bistro is almost a little haven located in the middle of Colombo’s busiest roads, the Galle Road. Located on the veranda of the Crescat Mall, it stands out as a place you could take refuge when you need a little break in your day or even sometimes as I did to sit out a slight sudden downpour.

With seating both inside as well as outside, I chose the latter, not minding the usual sounds of the city mixed with the rain and its resultant coolness.

Seven new additions to its already impressively tasteful menu was what I was faced with as I sat down to order. It made my choice all the more easier somehow with dishes ranging from South East Asian inspired starters to Mediterranean and Arabic inspired mains and a homemade ice cream range in flavours I never expected as well.

I chose the Vietnamese caramelised chicken salad with carrot, pineapple, cucumber and crispy rice noodles to start with and it turned out to be quite a refreshing choice. The sweetness of the caramelised chicken and the pineapple give you two subtly different types of sweetness; one very sweet and one slightly tangy combined with the crisp sliced vegetables and greens and a sprinkling of cashew and mint leaves for crunchiness and flavour. A definite hit in my book.

My next choice took a bit of a geographical leapfrog with an Arabic mezzah of grilled chicken kofta, hummus, moutabal and fattoush salad with pita and lavash chips. The gently grilled chicken kofta was as flavourful as you would expect something from exotic Middle Eastern cuisine with its mix of herbs and spices and something I’m quite fond of, the hummus on the side. Combined with the pita and lavash chips and a bit of the salty and sour moutabal and fattoush salad as well made it quite worthwhile ordering it. A welcome contrast in flavour after the sweetness of the starter.

Now I personally believe that two light meals don’t constitute a whole meal, so it is only right that I still remain quite intent on experimenting with a bit of fusion next, considering how good the food has been so far. In the mood for something bready, I go for the oriental prawn baguette; a Thai inspired open, prawn sandwich on a white or brown baguette with golden potato wedges on the side. I must mention that this comes with a serving of home-made Thai sweet chillie sauce which was one of the highlights of this dish. The actual sandwich itself was quite large in proportion with it being an open sandwich and the generous and extremely delicious Thai style prawns make every bite worth it. With a little bit of the very spicy Thai sweet chillie sauce, it is definitely something I would be trying out again.

Sugar Bistro also has a very good selection of wines, I found out, with a range of fine French, Italian, Chilean, Argentinean and South African reds and whites to choose from. For this meal, they recommended either the French Reserve Des Lye Rose‘ d’Anjou or the Italian Belamico red.

I was by this time quite fulfilled and content but yet there was one more item on that menu that I felt I had to try out just for pure decadence. It was something that Sugar has become synonymous with and one of the newest additions to the menu, the massive ‘Sugar Daddy’ burger. It is the ultimate meat lover’s dream, with two thick and juicy beef or chicken patties, fried egg, bacon, cheese, sauerkraut, gherkins, greens, tomato and onion between a lightly toasted sesame bun and a helping of golden wedges on the side. It can only be described as pure magic in each and every bite.

All in all, quite an experience overall in my view and I only wish I could have had the ability to try out the other new dishes added, such as the avocado and feta mash, the chicken and mango salsa in pita pockets, the classic Manhattan dog and of course Sugar Bistro’s homemade ice creams in flavours such as cinnamon and honey, coffee and rum, avocado and coconut, orange and carrot and double chocolate and given the consistency in quality and taste, I have no doubt that they would to be as equally as satisfying.

Sugar Bistro has it all, in my opinion. Location, ambience, a comforting consistency in their food and service, but there is one thing that becomes the most important bit of icing on the cake: Value for money. Sugar Bistro gives you that in ample supply.

Pix by Upul Abayasekara