Issue 21

17 June

Breakfast and Lunch

We're delighted to have found a couple more breakfast options. The Seed Cafe offer a range of breakfast and brunch items, from healthy smoothies, bagels and granola bowls to more indulgent cooked options (the salted caramel and caramelised banana French toast sounds amazing!) They are open from 8am.

For a more casual breakfast, to nibble on through the morning, you might like to try a Brick Lane Coffeehouse breakfast box. This comes with five baked items and is available in 5, 10 or 15 portions. We tried some of their pastries at their opening back in March and they were good, so we expect their breakfast items should be too.

For a full-filling lunch, Junkyard by the Barn are inviting you to double up and double the fun, with double everything: two chicken burgers, two fish burgers, two fries and two drinks for an all-in Rs3,400.

Arthur's Pizzeria is also inviting you to double up, with two large pizzas for Rs2,200 or four for Rs3,999.

Rocco's Italian restaurant have also brought out a pizza deal, but theirs includes two soups and any two from a choice of four pizzas plus garlic bread, a meal for 4 people, for Rs3750. This offer is valid until 20th June.

High Tea and Dinner:

The Mandarina have now made their High Tea available for delivery. It's for two people and offers 22 assorted savoury and sweet items, 11 per person, and is priced at Rs2000 for two.

Several outlets in Food Studio in Colombo City Centre, are offering limited-time buy one get one free deals. These include Nasi Goreng from Sumatran Spice; Chicken Katsu Don from Tokyo Shokudo; Mughal Shashlik or Chicken Biriyani from Mughlabar, or Hot Butter Cuttlefish from China Express. These offers are valid until 21 June. 

The Garden Lounge in Thaluwatagoda have introduced some items for delivery. There's a Cajun chicken for Rs800 and a selection of pasta dishes between Rs890 and Rs990. We've had the Cajun chicken a couple of times and it's been good. It comes with a nice mashed potato and a slightly tangy salsa and we've enjoyed it.

The Game of Thrones themed Land of Kings has a number of combo deals available, mostly two items for Rs990. If you're a GoT fan, then once curfew is over you can visit in person and sit on their Iron Throne. In the meantime you can enjoy these combos delivered to you.

For a nice, healthier meal, Cafe Kumbuk have introduced a meal for two, for Rs3,400, or Rs1990 for one. There's a choice of eight main courses, three desserts and three drinks to go with it.

For more delivery ideas, check out our new Delivery page. or Meal Deals for offers and combos.  We're not listing just any places offering delivery, but ones that are less well known, smaller or that offer something a bit different.

Happy Hours & Ladies' Night

No happy hours or ladies night in the week ahead sadly. We'll update on what deals are available next week, once there is some certainty. 

Live Music and DJs

There's still very little in the way of local music online but a few more people are stepping up. DJ Neco Fernandez and Level 4 are hosting an online dance party this Saturday at 8pm.

The Thursday evening acoustic guitar music from Kanishka Peiris has become a regular event and you can join him for tunes and chat at 7.30pm on Thursday.

Looking overseas, a reminder to rock music fans that Stryper will be performing their "To Hell With The Devil" album, with interviews and chat, on Friday 18th June at 05.00am.

Also on Friday, at 3.30pm Sheryl Crow hosts The Songs and the Stories, a solo performance and chat about her music.

Early on Saturday morning, at 5.30am, Pearl Jam will be streaming a 2018 concert from Grizzly Stadium.

And looking ahead to next week, on 26th June Train will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their hit, Drops of Jupiter, with a live show which will be streamed starting at 6,30am.

For more gigs and events, check our home page diary. It is updated and added to almost every day. 

Other Events

This week's "Spill the Tea" chat hosted by Amana Iflal will welcome as guests Senani Gunatileke and Ryan de Mel; you can join them on Friday 18th at 7pm. 

A few hours early, at 4pm, four journalists and editors will discuss Media Ethics and Guidelines, in "Reporting the Write Story" hosted by Chokolaate.

A couple of business webinars that may be of interest. On Friday 18th June at 4pm, ECCSL will host a panel of five experts discussing Emerging Technology in the Travel and Tourism Industry. This takes place on Friday 18th June at 4pm. On Sunday 20th Jue at 6pm, the CEO of MAS Kreeda will talk with Chokolaate about the fashion business and becoming a fashion entrepreneur.

If you have ever wondered about being vegan, you can find out more on Sunday morning at 02.30am in an online talk on "Vegan for Beginners".

Next week's Classical Crossover chat with singer Sanjeev Niles will be Eastern Percussionist, Pabalu Wijegunawardane and takes be on Tuesday 22nd at 8pm.

Later on Tuesday at 11.30pm you can watch the premier of "Home for Aged Time Travellers", a mockumentary in which we meet people who have time travelled and are dealing with the consequences.

For those who miss seeing the the world, there's lots of opportunities for armchair travel this week. On Friday 18th at 9.30pm you can stroll along the streets by Italy's Lake Como;  the following morning, Saturday 19th at 7.30 you can explore the streets of Hanoi. Later on Saturday at 4.30pm you are invited on a virtual tour of Wroclaw in Poland. The following day, Sunday, we are back to Italy, this time to explore Arezzo in Tuscany. 

If you've ever considered a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, or something similar, you might want to join a webinar by the Follow Alice team on Wednesday 23rd at 11.30pm  where they will discuss what it entails and what to think about in advance.

Later in the week, on Friday 25th, you can join a regular visitor to Russia to experience "Russia from a Tourist's Perspective", at 8.00pm.