Issue 36

30 September

Breakfast and Lunch

This week again we didn't find any new breakfast deals, but hopefully with places starting to reopen for dine-in from Friday, we hope to hear of some new breakfast and brunch offers very soon. 

For lunch, though, there's plenty of offers  as long as you like burgers! 

The Four Leafed Clover has a buy one, get one free offer on burgers, with a choice of six different burgers, from drunken beef to Hawaiian teriyaki chicken. The same offer is also available through Legacy at Excel World, from 2pm, and both offers are until 10 October.

If two burgers isn't enough then Baker's Lab has an offer for you. Four burgers (two chicken and two southern fried chicken) for Rs990; and six burgers (as above plus two chicken cordon blue) for Rs1390 and both come with a few cola. These are limited time offers.

Meanwhile Mad Grills have added some new burgers to their menu: the Grilled Chicken and the Beefster sound quite normal but the "Nightmare Burger" has got us wondering. We're guessing extra spicy, but do let us know if you've tried it!

OK, enough burgers...Something for the vegetarians, The Viking (better known for their burgers!) have introduced a "Wambatu Parmigiana", a dish made of eggplant, mozzarella, parmesan and pomadoro sauce. Interested?

OK, while we're thinking Italian, Ambistro's are offering two large pizzas for Rs2500, with thin crust pizzas including tandoori, paneer and chilli chicken. 

And if fast food just doesn't do it for you, then you might like the Chinese menu from, believe it or not, Burger Freakz. With veggie fried rice from Rs200, kottu from Rs250 and noodles from RsRs260, the prices are hard to beat.

High Tea and Dinner:

We've seen quite a few High Tea offers but here's something new - one for the kids. Yes, t-Lounge by Dilmah are offering a Kids' High Tea platter especially for the little ones, with mini pies and pastas, fruit cups, popcorn, cupcakes and more.

But what about the grown-ups? Well, t-lounge have also brought in some new flavours for their Ice Cream Mochi, Japanese rice cakes filled with ice cream. Flavours include chocolate chip, salted caramel and rocky road. So, you might like order some of these for yourself to cool you down while the kids enjoy their tea party?

There's a new buy one, get one free offer from the Fish and Chips Colombo. This time as well as the classic fish and chips, you can also choose the tandoori fish, or a super spicy nai miris.

Bobo's are offering a couple of mutton pot combos for 2 or 3 people, made with imported Australian mutton. There's a mutton masala pot which comes with ghee rice, while the biriyani comes with a cream caramel. These are available only until 3rd October so don't delay.

We've seen a big meals on offer but The Bavarian's "Bavarian Platter" must be one of the largest. A true feast, it includes a whole pork knuckle, a half roast chicken, a steak, sausages, pasta, red cabbage and potatoes. It's priced at Rs8,300.

And of course, October is just around the corner meaning it's time for the annual Oktoberfest. Sadly it's not likely that there will be any to go to this year... so have one at home! The Mount Lavinia Hotel have three Oktoberfest food platters featuring a Celebration menu, a Fusion Menu or a Premium menu. They are designed for up to five people to share and are available for delivery until 10 October. You just have to supply the beer! 

Happy Hours & Ladies' Night

With lockdown ending on Friday, we've not yet of any confirmed Happy Hours or special nights, but watch this space, we'll let you know as soon as we do.

Live Music and DJs

It looks like live music will be starting again, which is great news.  a couple of solo gigs have already been announced and hopefully Colombo's bands will be back in action soon.

Over the past few weeks, our cravings for music have been at least partially satisfied by the likes of Rockland White Rum's "Live Sessions" which have featured some solo musicians and they are back again this Friday with a Block Party edition with not one but three performances, by Q, KK and Magic Box Mixup starting at 7pm. It's a fantastic line-up and we really hope that these live music livestreams will continue!

And there's another, new livestream session this Friday evening by Nightlife Colombo, with three live performances during the evening, by 5th Bass, Shevon Rajasekera and Cold Sweat. This runs from 8pm to 11pm.

Some bands and musicians have also been doing their own livestreams and on Thursday 30 September we look forward to seeing Barstool Prophecy at 6pm. 

On Friday we welcome Dillon back on stage at Playtrix where he will be playing live from 8.00pm, perhaps the first musician back on stage this month?

And looking ahead to next week, Sam Day will be back at Playtrix for "Acoustic Wednesday" on 6th October from 7pm.

No news on any DJ livestreams this weekend, but on Friday some venues will have their house DJs back on the decks, and we expect more updates soon.

Thanks to SoundScope, Rockland White Rum and Island Pulse for the livestreams over the past few weeks, please do keep this going. And kudos to the bands and musicians who streamed too. Hopefully some of these will continue as well!

Keep an eye on the gig diary, we'll add music events as soon as we hear of them.

Other Events

Friday 1st October is Children's Day and we've found a few treats and deals for the kids to enjoy.

La Rose Blanc are offering a "buy two, get one free" deal on eclairs, doughnuts and cupcakes - so buy two for the kids and you get one as well!  Country Kitchen have a "Junior Bakers" selection available for Children's Day with favourites like Mac & Cheese or Sausage & Mash, available for pre-order. And the Hilton Colombo Residence have a parents' and kids' meal for 4 available, a themed family menu with lots of favourites, available for delivery from 01 to 03 October.

As usual, we've been looking for online events that might be of interest from here and around the world.

On Saturday at 6pm, Chokolaate are hosting a discussion about something which many people find stressful: Peer Pressure. This is at 6.00pm.

Of course a good laugh can brighten almost any mood and we have found a couple of comedy sessions. On Friday at 10.30pm there's an International House of Comedy Open Mic, so you can join in too if you want. On Saturday at 3.30pm, Trainwreck brings 'true stories' from an assortment of comedians.

On Friday at 7.30pm you can join an international talk about Future in the Fashion discussion fashion in general and how it is likely to be in the future. 

Also on Friday you can join a talk from the USA by a dietitian on the subject of "Eating for Diabetes", discussing the role that nutrition plays in managing diabetes and reducing the risks of side effects. This is at 7.30pm Sri Lanka time. 

There's a free Make-Up Masterclass for ladies on Saturday, where a make up artist will talk about personal branding and self image. This comes from the USA and will be at 7.30pm Sri Lanka time.

Looking ahead to next week and the ECCSL and EU Delegation are hosting a webinar on Sri Lanka - Europe Trade and the future of GSP+.  This is on Tuesday 5th October at 10.00am.

Events are being added to our diary almost daily, especially now as restrictions are easing, so keep checking back and see what's new.