Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Why Colombo is a food (and shopping [gasp!]) heaven

Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka may not have the best reputation. We were told by many to just fly in and get the hell out as it was supposed to be a noisy, boring, "whatever" city. We considered this for a brief second but as soon as we arrived, we completely dismissed this advice.

King Coconut, the Best Coconut!
Colombo is a foodie paradise. We explored sections of city center brimming with street hawkers selling fresh king coconuts (Eliot's favorite), savory fried snacks and Sri Lankan chai.

The cafe at the Dutch Burgher Union serves mouth-watering lampreis, chicken, curried vegetables and beef croquettes baked in a wrapped banana leaf. Burghers are an ethnic group of mixed Sri Lankan/Dutch heritage dating back to colonial times (think Spice Islands).

They have their own micro-culture and sophisticated cuisine and their community is thriving in Colombo. Oh, and Drea discovered delicious cinnamon iced tea soda which she plans on bringing back to the U.S.!

Lampreis, a Colombo delicacy
From there we went on to explore the culinary delights available at an open farmer's market on a lake in the city. They do it every Thursday and we were lucky to have arrived on a Thursday morning. We had brown rice served with five amazing curries on a giant lotus leaf instead of a plate and devoured it in seconds. They had at least 30 different fresh fruit juices at the next stand so we got two and then made sure to try Sri Lankan hoppers: a crepe-esque snack with an egg on top with chili sambal.

Sambal is a delicious mixture of fresh red chili peppers and ground coconut meat and other spices that vary according to the chef. The feast that day ended with a delicious rooibos lemon iced tea and a homemade passionfruit yogurt made by a British/Sri Lankan couple.

The amazingly refreshing cinnamon iced tea soda

Our days continued with a lot of sampling and eating and we became big fans of kottu: a seriously loud dish of chopped up rotti, loads of veggies and usually egg and chicken all wrapped up in plastic and then newspaper.

Kottu dinner
Cutlery options are either a plastic spoon (for the foreigners) or your hands (local style).

In spite of its carb-heavy nature, kottu was delicious and we ate it almost every single night while in Sri Lanka -- Colombo's version was better than any other city we visited in the country.

To top it all off, we came right during mangosteen (the queen of fruit!) and rambutan season so we bought them by the kilo and snacked on fruit throughout the day. 

One of Sri Lanka's fashion houses
Colombo also turned out to be a fashion hub. In between meals and snacks, we'd usually go to various shops. Most of you will know how much we both hate shopping but we actually had a ton of fun exploring the textile markets. Local designers do wonders with hand loomed fabric and the results are extraordinary. Drea actually found her wedding dress and Eliot also picked up wedding attire plus very cheap custom-made clothing!

As far as capital cities are concerned, we usually opt to jet out as soon as is humanly possible. Colombo definitely broke that mold and turned into one of our favorite places. If you're headed to Sri Lanka any time soon, let us know and we'll hook you up with the most honest and nicest tuk tuk driver around so that you can savor and explore this cool city!

What do you think? Colombo: love it or hate it?
Co-posted on www.eliotpeper.com

Yucca snacks on the streets of Colombo


Mangosteen and rambutan season!

Coconut sambal (left) with string hoppers and dal (right) for breakfast


55 comments:

  1. I am looking for and I love to post a comment that The content of your post is awesome Great work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Because of famous misconception of nourishment added substance, numerous individuals proposed in sustenance without adding added substances to guarantee sustenance wellbeing, yet these recommendations truly strange.
    how many ounces in a galon

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. In the event that you find that you just can't remain to surrender every one of those heavenly boring sustenances, help your body out and join them with a decent measure of products of the soil to help offset the awful with the great. pines plaza lanes

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not exclusively will this mean better cost reserve funds it moreover spares all of you the problem of discovering supplies, looking or managing grumblings about brands or hues.cbd blüte

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post. black friday 2018 deals

    ReplyDelete
  7. Once in a while they do the shops inside, sending in upper administration covert. Once in a while they request that their consistent clients assess their administration.Once in a while they do the shops inside, sending in upper administration covert. Once in a while they request that their consistent clients assess their administratadultentertainmentstore
    ion.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your posts are exactly what I am looking for. They are informative and useful. I am able to learn more new things and knowledge. It's good if you upload articles frequently. Thank you for sharing tips and insight.
    sales pop master
    sales pop master online

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hope I have convinced a few of my readers to try boutique girls clothing! May be you can dress your girl in Mustard Pie Clothing for her birthday girl outfit.  spreeglee

    ReplyDelete
  10. It doesn't matter if you are start a added site for bloggers or if you throbbing to make your existing a new special, finding your niche is always the most crucial pension for building and admin a site which will draw to the blogging community currency converter free
    currency converter app download

    ReplyDelete
  11. No compelling reason to take earnest choices. As online shopping works 24 x 7, there is no compelling reason to hurry through your buy, not at all like in stores where they have settled time of tasks.הוסף אתר

    ReplyDelete
  12. My friend mentioned to me your blog, so I thought I’d read it for myself. Very interesting insights, will be back for more
    autoketing.com
    https://autoketing.com/project/discount-master
    https://apps.shopify.com/discount-master

    ReplyDelete
  13. I just right now wished to let you know about how exactly significantly I actually value all things you have discussed to help enhance life of individuals on this material. Using your articles, I have long gone by means of merely a beginner to a professional in your community. It is really a homage for your initiatives. Thank you
    pop website
    sales pop
    apps autoketing

    ReplyDelete
  14. You can do something much better but i still say this perfect.Keep trying for the best.Shaw House Orchard Road

    ReplyDelete
  15. I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Exceptional work!
    iogames 2 player
    abcya online games
    friv land games

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a fantabulous observe this has been. in no way seen this understandable of beneficial claim. i'm grateful to you and assume more quantity of posts at the side of those. thank you intensely a lot
    gái gọi sinh viên, Gái gọi Mỹ Đình - Đình Thôn, gai goi ha noi, gái gọi Nguyễn Khánh Toàn, gái gọi Xuân Thủy

    ReplyDelete
  17. Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained!
    Games Flyordieio
    Free Dynamons evolution
    Crayon shinchan adventure online

    ReplyDelete
  18. Prepare a rundown of things you have to search for. I realized you generally did! Be that as it may, this time, I need you to do it over the web. https://www.yes-storage.com/en/index.html

    ReplyDelete
  19. 4 player sheep party best online game
    Ice cream maker game online
    Colorzzle online
    I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post. Excellent info! I’m also an expert in this topic so I can understand your effort very well. Thanks for the huge help.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Restaurants in Palm Jumeirah Thanks so much for the blog post.Really thank you! Much obliged.

    ReplyDelete
  21. i never know the use of adobe shadow until i saw this post. thank you for this! this is very helpful. i love reading this article so beautiful!!great job!
    Elsa breakup drama best online game
    Fire truck crazy race games for boy
    Unblock the ball games online

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is very useful, although it will be important to help simply click that web page link: https://digitalglobal.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work!. Lawn deigns 2019

    ReplyDelete
  24. Consequently virtual visit shopping is currently a technique received by every one of Song Hye Kyo Wrinkle Cream the general population utilizing the web to go on the web and shop for every one of their needs.

    ReplyDelete
  25. That is very fascinating, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and sit up for in search of more of your fantastic post. Additionally, I’ve shared your website in my social networks
    io jogos for kids
    play free 2 player game
    friv free online juegos

    ReplyDelete
  26. Advantage from destinations, for example, My Shopping Genie and be open for market changes. dreamcatcher

    ReplyDelete


  27. food games
    basketball online games
    soccer games 2019
    That is very fascinating, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and sit up for in search of more of your fantastic post. Additionally, I’ve shared your website in my social networks

    ReplyDelete
  28. As a seller of legal steroids, you can buy Crazy Bulk products, explore stacks and finally get the body you’ve always wanted
    cheap shopping

    ReplyDelete
  29. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Online shopping site has a broad determination of top brands and items to look over. Directly from worldwide brands to nearby brands, you will discover everything under one rooftop that too at stunning costs.mystery box

    ReplyDelete
  31. E-Commerce is the blooming business in future.The rate of digital shoppers increasing rapidly. Even Online shopping sites have displayed best manufacturers's products with best offers and deals.

    Online shopping site for home appliances
    Online shopping site for Herbal products
    Best E-Commerce site for home appliances

    ReplyDelete
  32. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. I was exactly searching for. Thanks for such post and please keep it up. Great work. http://www.gohitcounter.com/why-opt-for-wholesale-clothing/

    ReplyDelete
  33. In the event that you pick, you can in any case visit the high road and you can in any case request from a printed inventory, however add to the blend the Internet and you have an entirely different fashion shopping ballgame. harayuku

    ReplyDelete
  34. Shopping online is a convenient way to get access to a wide array of products from around the world and if all the points above are in place with the online shop you have chosen you can be confident that your purchase is being made safely and you can look forward to receiving your product.Online shopping sites

    ReplyDelete

Share your thoughts!