Paul Topping - The Whinging Pome

December 13, 2022 by lakshan

Now England is out I’m in the mood to write about this Football World Cup. I’m staying focused on the venues, games, organization and results as the human rights issues and abuse of workers is not within my ken. I.e. I don’t know.

Multiple venues in one area sound so logical; the next world cup is I hear in three counties, a logistic nightmare. Top quality stadiums in Doha, many to be rebuilt elsewhere to benefit less fortunate countries is a refreshing idea. The programs of matches and the structure of games are well established by FIFA.

I can truthfully say I’ve never watched so much football in my life, helped by technology. 50 % of games I’ve watched live. Great to see underdog teams not expected to do well, (e.g. Morocco, Uruguay) take on the giants and big names. (E.g. Brazil, Germany) and win.

So, if you haven’t watched any football I’d like to know where you have been and what you were doing. Not so surprisingly, I’ve spoken to ladies who were more interested in watching sexy-looking footballers than the game. The good news is that it’s not over and you can still catch some of the final matches. E.g. Argentina vs Croatia, France vs. Morocco, semi-final and the final.

When I went online to check some facts about the World Cup, one thousand one hundred and eighty million people had logged in before me. There are 32 country teams playing 64 matches, across seven stadiums costing 200 $ billion.

Three countries host the next World Cup, USA Mexico and Canada. (The murder rate in Mexico is 95 % higher than in the USA, think I’d only go to Canada)

November 10, 2022November 10, 2022 by lakshan

Nikola Tesla was born in the Austrian Empire it what is now Croatia in 1856. His father was a radical activist priest of the Serbian church. Tesla studied in Serbia, Austria, Budapest and Paris during which time he was lodging patents for his inventions. He went to the USA and worked for Edison, a “light bulb moment”, then created his own company there. He went back to Belgrade and set up more patents, e.g. the first to develop hydroelectricity, transmitting electricity over long distance etc.

In Colorado he developed new styles of wireless transmission and transformers. Some say he was a Serbian – American.

Early in 1900’s he created radio/ transmitter, registering patents for all his inventions. On his 75th birthday he was featured in Time Magazine. Despite all his creativity, genius, inventions etc, he still died in poverty in New York in 1943.

So now you know where the “Brand” name came from. Let’s hope Elon Musk and his car company and Twitter don’t go bust.

October 4, 2022 by lakshan

For years now our favourite Japanese restaurant in Colombo has been Zen just at the end of Rosmead Place. That view is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. What makes it the best for us can be summed up in one sentence.

“Great food, service and environment at acceptable pricing while always being consistent and having BYOB.”

Zylan opened in Dec 2011. Originally it was a boutique hotel with 10 rooms. The Zen Japanese restaurant has been operating since end of 2014, creating an oasis in the heart of the city where the hotel guests and diners can feel pampered and chilled. It’s a different experience from staying/ dining at big hotels.

So, we are here again, with our guide as always, “Sunil the jacket”.

Seven of us sit on roof terrace amongst the trees with a whispering light breeze creating a magic temperature. We always prefer the bar terrace though you can go up to another level but that’s for romantic couples. There are less than ten tables on our favourite terrace and if like us you are a big group worth booking well ahead. A large group on the top terrace is too tight.

When we go, we normally ask the manager to select the dishes and he always adds something new and keeps it flowing. Today however, is Sunil’s choice,

Starter

Prawn tempura
Gyoza chicken
Tuna and salmon sashimi

Makis

Volcano salmon
Zen Signature Maki Assortment

Salads

Wakame seaweed – A new dish for me and very succulent

Mains

Garlic fried rice
Chicken teriyaki – Not sure this is the house speciality but it’s always on our list when we visit
Chili crab meat and prawn don
Stir Fried Mix vegetables

We delight our taste buds as the plates roll through the night. At 12,000 per couple, it’s great value and the service is exceptional.

The building also gives you that zen feel with a walkway that takes you to infinity and back (mirror at the end) the open white style hotel is relaxing to the eye, comforting to the mind and easy to navigate. Though we normally walk up a long staircase with three doggy last steps my advice to most people, especially when leaving the roof top delight under the influence of booze … is TAKE THE LIFT.

September 15, 2022 by lakshan

The first time we visited this restaurant we ordered an excessive amount of duck and got a hefty bill. We were seated by the entrance where people were passing, watching us eat. We had a bit of a barney with the manager. She left the company a short while later.

Three years on and we go back.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule 277:
“Always give a restaurant a second chance. It could become a favourite.”

We arrive on this second visit at 9 PM and head out after a tasty meal by 10 PM. Quick Service. There is only one other table occupied which is next to us. This is separated by a curtain but we can hear those on the other side of it, talking quite loudly. If you have only a few tables occupied in your restaurant, why sit two groups adjacent to each other? The lighting above is excessive and over-designed.

Highlights

We order seven dishes. The steamed pork bun makes an excellent starter, and the eggplant is tasty and juicy. The main dishes include a seafood rice dish and a fine shrimp noodle, both are great and in ample quantities.

The noise from our neighbours and the loud aircon are not enough to detract us from an excellent meal at 13,738 rupees, or 40$ – for four people which is great value! If we had ordered wine the meal would be 50 % more. My suggestion to Softlogic (the franchise holder for Crystal Jade in Sri Lanka) is they adopt a BYOB (Bring your own bottle) proactive approach on wine for this restaurant and any others they manage.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 252:
“Restaurants run by accountants normally have excessive mark ups on wine, to create change drink beer or tell the manager about BYOB.”

We will revisit again and perhaps go to a movie; when the next tom cruise movie is now showing here at One Galle Face Mall.

September 15, 2022 by lakshan

My experience of Thai food has been very limited in Sri Lanka, no doubt loads of you are now going to send me lists of your favorite Thai food joints. (Please do!) I used to enjoy the ‘Royal Thai at Cinnamon Lakeside’, but they changed the menu, so we stopped going years ago.

Tonight, we park outside the ‘Dao Krua Thai’ restaurant, as we would say in England, “it’s got more frontage than a Marks and Spencer”.

The restaurant has an eclectic feel as you walk in. There is an old cart, a fiberglass boat, spoked wheeled cart, Thai statue, an old bike and lots of other memorabilia. A scattering of tables, then a big garden area and some tables down one side under cover. We are on time and assume the rest of the gang will not be there but they all are.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 249: “Hardly ever assume your friend will be on time, unless they are special.”

Sunil of jacket fame is not wearing a jacket tonight as shorts and casual are more in keeping in the outdoors. Yet again the maestro is doing one of his special dinners, he rolls out different individual plates of food we all share. Tonight, we have 13 dishes, flowing BYOB wine and great company. Or BYOG, as the Aussies say, Grog is the additional word meaning booze.

Dao, the chef and owner of the restaurant is known to us all. A Thai lady who came to Sri Lanka 19 years ago and started by preparing Thai meals at people’s homes, then she opened an authentic Thai restaurant. A few years ago, she started Dao Krua Thai, where we are gathered tonight. We meander through 13 dishes, starting with four starters.

Garlic cuttlefish and spring rolls are okay whilst the chicken satay and the omelette raise the bar. Salads follow and we all love the papaya salad. This is followed by two prawn dishes including a wild tamarind prawn dish. I’m a mushroom nut and the Bok choy with mushroom was scrumptious. Then comes two lots of chicken, one with basil. We try two fish dishes but the Black pepper panga fish was the star.

Throughout the meal we have been treated with prawn pad Thai and Thai egg fried rice. When the bill comes, we are confused as it is just such great value. This is a BYO (wine) restaurant and the meal price for the two of us is 11000 rupees, for so much food.

So, it’s been a great night with close friends and a passionate chef who likes to chat with every one of her guests. We pile into a big BMW and the music starts with themes from great movies some with country and western background. The debate has started regarding our next venue and we are focusing on Japanese. Sunil “The Jacket” recommends the date and the place. It’s not going to be an American themed restaurant, do they have any in the USA, perhaps Steak Houses only.

August 14, 2022 by lakshan

Set down a short lane off Gregory’s Road, the first impression of Rocco’s Italian restaurant is a beautiful house, especially at night. The style and the decor give a fresh modern look but set in an older building. We are here, six of us, followers and friends of Sunil Shamdasani (with his trademark array of jackets) enjoying one of his wonderful cuisine selection nights. He does his prep well and in the four times we have been on his nights out, he has eaten in the restaurant prior and has pre-planned the dish selection.

So, on to the cuisine, we start with a creamy prawn bruschetta, light and very tasty. There is one plate with 8 pieces. The restaurant is noted for its pizza range and we share a medium size, Sunil selects the margherita option. We follow this with a sharing plate of avocado and apple salad. On to arrabiata pasta in pink sauce, chicken spicy pizza, chicken parmigiana accompanied with potato wedges, mushroom risotto, and crab and prawn tagliatelle pasta.

Like many restaurants these days, this one also operates on a BYOB policy, for both wines and spirits. All our friends prefer to take our own wine. We spend between Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 4,000 rupees a bottle and it’s not uncommon for some of us to take two bottles a couple. Most in the group are red wine drinkers, but like others I like to start with a well-chilled white wine. In another restaurant we frequent less often, they charge Rs.18,000 rupees plus for a bottle of wine that you can buy in retail shops for Rs.3,500 plus.

I used to live on Gregory’s Road in an amazing, well-designed open-style house which was an excellent location for entertaining friends and having business dinners. Close by was a French restaurant, with a whacky chef come manager/ owner. It is now the very successful Harpo’s Bayleaf, with a great food selection and reasonably priced wines. Our old home became Epicure, run by Wendel, and was an up-end quality restaurant. It was reasonably priced with a BYOB policy. Great success but for some reason didn’t last long.

So, we are planning our return to Rocco’s at 29A, Gregory’s road, with another bunch of friends. Our next gourmet night out with Sunil is Thai food, stay tuned in for the next report!

August 6, 2022 by lakshan

Just across the bridge in what some people think is “never-never land”; i.e. the Port City Colombo, there are people who have dreams, aspirations and a vision. One such person is Ineke. I have known her for twenty years, for many on the island she is known as the “horse lady”. She has lots of passion for horses and brings joy to so many people including more than 400 kids whilst running her Horse-Riding Stables, Ceylon Riding Club out near Piliyandala. Ineke has taken the big step to bringing all her energy and business acumen to set up and run the Ceylon Riding Club at Port City on a plot of three and a half acres of land close to the sea and the beach with an amazing breeze. Today there is a large shed and no horses; but soon she will have a full-blown equestrian centre with an array of horses. The site will have experienced professionals to give the club members and guests a true international horse experience. There will be a coffee shop and at some point in the future, a restaurant, bar and a members’ club.

The concept was unveiled to a delight crowd in early July and the ceremony was attended by many friends, current and future riders, customers and some dignitaries, these included but not limited to Dr Sinharaja T.D., who’s a renowned writer, historian and award-winning film Director, Mrs. Charu Thewathantri, who’s a Gratien Prize winning author and parent of horse-riders, Dr Ananda is Director of IUCN and Mr. Damith Pallewatte, the Deputy General Manager, HNB.

There were some special guests including Nigel Austin, (Previously Racehorse owner) Amanda Abeyweera, (Horse Breeder) Nihara Jayathilake, (Previous RTC President) Suranji Jayakodi, (Race horse owner) Rashmin Tirimanne de Silva, (Showjumper) Archi Jagdeesh, (Show jumper and Instructor) Keith Brown, (Show jumper, instructor and horse trainer) plus a big contingent from loyal members and friends of CRC.

July 17, 2022July 17, 2022 by lakshan

The Monarch Group meets up for an evening at Sugar Bistro, Crescat Shopping Mall. The deck, or as they say in New Zealand the “dick” has a lovely bar and we have a breezy night to catch up and share our stories since we last met. Golden rule ……we don’t want to spend the night whinging about the state of the country and who is responsible for the major crisis. The wine flows and we have a whole raft of bites. The smartly dressed staff hover but are not intrusive, just there when you want something. A young man plays guitar and sings an array of songs from the latest hits, movies to the seventies. As with all Monarch group get togethers, some of the team have a bit of a sing along.

So, the night of chatter and music rolls on with some great canapés and bites. The chicken pâté is outstanding and reminds me of when I used to cook back in the UK. My favourite starter was chicken pate, flavored with whisky or brandy and I’m sure ‘Sugar’ dropped some alcohol in this tasty snack. It’s late but the good news is the Monarch crowd are only a three-minute walk to their apartment entrance. With no likely chance of a tuk tuk or taxi in these petrol starved days, Jezzabel and I stretch our legs and anticipate a fourteen-minute walk to our new home opposite the Port City.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 248:
“Great nights out are on your doorstep, in walking distance, leave the car and stress at home”

https://www.facebook.com/sugarbistroandwinebar

June 23, 2022June 23, 2022 by lakshan

This newly opened up-end Chinese restaurant situated on Duplication Road in the Astoria complex is worth checking out. Felicia Sorensen of renowned cuisine fame takes us to the restaurant where she has already been and has a rapport with one of the Sri Lankan owners. Another owner is Chinese which is a great asset for a Chinese restaurant. I’m not such a fan of the Astoria complex; the retail and other services provided, but this gem of a restaurant is worth a try.

The flamboyant and well-traveled ex-chef and writer on food, Felicia, selects our courses. We start with the black fungus and deep-fried prawn balls, stir-fried beef, and chicken fried rice, however, I order the braised eggplant. I’ve never tasted such amazing Chinese food; “it’s at a different level” as one of my close friends would say.

Felicia’s book – The Exotic Taste of Paradise

It happens to be Jezzabel’s and my one day of the month without alcohol, the target had been four days a month but we have not reached utopia yet. You can bring your own wine to this restaurant but there is a corkage.

We try to get a cab having given up on Kangaroo cabs. We also try to book an Uber or Pickme but again no car available. A bright young supervisor wearing a brown suit tries hard to get us a cab, but nothing doing. He is also telling of his struggle to get back to Australia to finish his master’s degree. However, he is a man on a mission, and doesn’t give up, he is out on the street with the security staff stopping every tuk-tuk till he secures one for us.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 247:
“Always appreciate people who go the extra mile, give them encouragement.”

Not the cheapest Chinese I’ve been to, not the most expensive either, but would say the best Chinees meal I’ve had outside of China. The art is knowing what to select and trying the house specialties.

June 14, 2022June 2, 2022 by lakshan

Every day we are in Colombo, we try and do a walk down the Galle Face Green and the waterfront development area. (see story: Walking tours around Colombo’s highlights and history with The Whinging Pome) Then we return after an hour’s walk and meet our Monarch coffee crowd in the Cinnamon Grand. This has been going on for years.

Seventeen years ago, however, I was living in Rajagiriya and had an invitation to come to “24 hours of indulgence” and stay in the newly refurbished rooms at the Cinnamon Grand. About two hundred couples stood in the large atrium, where we were asked to pick a key out of a basket. I initially thought this was some sort of wife swapping event.

Rohan Karr, the general manager and the CEO of Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, began a shortish but well-structured speech. He explained that they had set a date on which they would open the new look of the hotel and all his team believed it was achievable. This was the date but Rohan went on to say that the rooms were not all fully finished, yet all are sufficiently refitted for us to have an enjoyable weekend. He also said, “Each room may have teething issues and we hope you will manage without complaining/whinging.” This was the launch of the new Cinnamon brand and we attended a cocktail, a gala dinner; followed by a champagne breakfast, brunch and high tea on the next day.

What a memorable event; excellently executed.

So, seventeen years later we stop at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel for four nights. The wing we are in has just had a refit, is well equipped and we have a great view of two swimming pools. This is a treat for Jezzabel and I as the “ten-year itch” has kicked in and we are moving home. We will still only be a fourteen-minute walk away from the hotel.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 277
“Embracing change, creating challenges and new adventures is about making the most of life rather than waiting to see what comes your way.”

Jezzabel and I have a soft spot for the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, no not the beds; we have always felt at home there. We were in Japan during the Easter bombings and we were so saddened by all the news, especially about those in the hotel, some of whom we had known for many years.

Twenty years ago, I recall taking the whole lobby of the hotel for a massive wine event, I recall the Xmas events, crazy big bashes in the ballroom, weddings, training sessions, Rotary Club meetings and some weeks ago I did a Guinness night at Cheers! So many good times.