DoubleTree by Hilton Bengaluru Whitefield extended an exclusive invite to TheGlitz for the curtain raiser of their Sri Lankan Food Festival at 1882 ALFRESCO, and Ceylon showed up with everything it had. The air was filled with the aroma of curry leaves and cinnamon, while live cooking took place amidst plush seating in velvety reddish brown, warm wood tables, table lamps casting a soft glow, and fine porcelain that set the tone before the first dish even arrived. What followed was a genuinely warm and unhurried evening with Sri Lankan food at its most honest.
Some food festivals pass pleasantly. And then some stay with you. The kind where the food carries a sense of place, the cooking is done with genuine pride, and sitting down at the table feels like being let into something personal. This is one of those.
Culinary Tales of Sri Lanka at DoubleTree by Hilton
The culinary programme has been brought to life by two chefs from Hilton Colombo. Chef Prabath Kumara, Junior Sous Chef, brings the coastal seafood and spice-rich curries with a sureness that comes from cooking what you know and love. Chef Geeth Ranswara Dissanayaka, a specialist in Sri Lankan cuisine, turns out hoppers, sambols and coconut-based curries that feel rooted and real. Executive Chef Tamoghna Chakrobarty holds it all together at DoubleTree, ensuring every plate that leaves the kitchen is exactly what it should be.
The menu has been shaped with inputs from Priya Bala, author of Sri Lanka: The Cookbook, and her influence shows in how honest the food is. The Jaffna Lamb Black Curry is deeply earthy, slow and serious with roasted spices that build and linger. The Black Pepper Prawns are sharp, coastal and clean. The Banana Blossom Cashew Curry is rich and layered, the sort of vegetarian dish that needs no justification. The Hibiscus Salad is cool and tart, a welcome pause between the bolder flavours. And the Wattalappam, jaggery-set coconut custard, closes the meal on a note that is gentle and deeply satisfying.
Three chillies, amu miris, kochchi miris and maalu miris, share the stage with cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and curry leaves. The heat creeps up on you, and you welcome every bit of it.
It was also lovely to finally catch up with DoubleTree by Hilton General Manager Shyam Kumar and Aditi, the marketing head, after a long gap was one of those easy, warm reunions that remind you why you enjoy this work. A conversation with Executive Chef Tamoghna was equally good; his enthusiasm for this festival is genuine, and it shows on every plate.
DoubleTree by Hilton Whitefield has clearly been building towards something, and this Sri Lankan Food Festival feels like a confident step in a very interesting direction. There is an exciting line-up of food festivals and pop-ups coming in the months ahead.
Stay tuned. Keep coming back.
