Charlotte and I were in Sri Lanka recently for a wedding of a dear friend. We took the time to explore the beautiful country. We visited the capital Colombo first, then Galle Fort, followed by Negombo for the wedding and, finally, Kandy, in the mountains. We then returned to Colombo before flying back to London. One of the restaurants which stood out during the trip was The Bungalow in Galle Fort.
Galle Fort itself is on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. It is a fort built a short distance from the town of Galle. The fort was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, and then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649. Today it is a heritage monument and UNESCO World Heritage site which, even after over 430 years, maintains its character thanks to the work of the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.
The Bungalow is in the middle of Galle Fort. It is unassuming from the outside but once you cross the threshold you will see a beautiful restaurant set in the courtyard of a 17th century Dutch bungalow. The food was absolutely extraordinary. Charlotte started with the watermelon and feta salad, which she said was deliciously fresh. I had some myself and it tasted as though the watermelon had been picked an hour ago. The same is true of the sensational tuna tartare I enjoyed for my starter. This consisted of fresh tuna, mango avocado salsa, wanton crisps and orange dressing, presented beautifully as below. When I think back on our trip in culinary terms, this is one of the real standouts.
For the main course, Charlotte enjoyed possibly the dish of the trip, the tuna steak. This she enjoyed with durum wheat mash, sautéed greens and a lemon cream paprika sauce. Words fail me when I try to describe the wonder that was this dish. I opted for the halloumi which consisted of grilled halloumi, sweet beetroot, walnuts, pomegranate and beet hummus. It was a sort of mega salad. The smokiness of the halloumi married well with the earthiness of the beet. We both felt very full indeed at this stage but were unable to resist the dessert.
To finish this masterpiece of a meal, we shared a lovely dessert of grilled pineapple with homemade coconut ice cream with shaved coconut flesh. It was a really dazzling medley of fresh flavours.
This restaurant was one of the highlights of the trip. If you are ever 5400 miles from the UK, you may wish to visit it.
