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CAFÉ CRUISIN in Sri Lanka
After several years under the dubiouscontrol of the likes of the Portuguese, Dutch and British and a history that dates back to 543 BC. Sri Lanka today is up languidly at a bar, hading seen it all. Its capital, Colombo is one of themost exciting and intresting.

Cities in the Indian subcontinent and one of the few sports on the island that have embodied the country’s passions in style.

Lovely old colonial buildings and island beaches vie for attention with modern architecture that houses all the finer things of life, available at a price. Sri Lankans worship cricket, adore elephants and enjoy music. As only enterprising cities can do, Colombo has taken these three, added a dash of shopping, a stroke of art and combined it with its greatest passion—food. It is easy for a foodie to get lost in the city; to want a taste of everything; to want to explore further—and one can. Here are a few cafes to give you a headstart on your culinary journey through Colombo.

The Gallery Cafe
Ten years of serving scrumptious lemon butter lobsters and unforgettable chocolate cakes to top designers, artists, architects, diplomats and experts would make for a hugely successful cafe. New art exhibitions every three weeks and the availability of popular Paradise Road stores’ merchandise would make for an exceptionally good cafe. Well, take all that and set it up in renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa’s former office and you get The Gallery Cafe. With around 20 hotels and the Sri Lanka Parliament House to his credit, Bawa’s penchant for fusing the best of modern design with nature is well visible at The Gallery Cafe.

The entrance is marked by a black-tiled pond filled with black catfish, further ornamented by nil monel (purple in colour, it is Sri Lanka’s national flower), across which are the Gallery Bar and Cafe. To the left is a souvenir shop and just before the pond is the resident Art Gallery displaying works by the best local talent. Leaving the flummery aside, The Gallery Cafe is a great spot for fine dining.

Must try: Mediterranean prawns with saffron risotto, calamari pasta and Lemon Meringue pie.

Cricket Club Cafe
Hidden behind trees and ample green speces. Cricket Club Cafe is a landmark and not just Lanka. We are talking that spreads wide, across, many countries’ cricket teams and just about cricket patron who has stepped on this trop” land. The whole place s presided over by the of the game, and James Whight, the Aussie owner has ensured that all hits mates enjoy every past and present game to the fullest. There is a large collector of Sir Donald Bradman memorabilia including his hat, his tie, his bat, original pictures of his best innings and even a bar named after him.

The Gentleman’s Game doesn’t end there. Even if you miss out the regular patrons—Sri Lankan and English cricket team there is enough of it around you. The menu is in the form of a scoreboard, and the food and drinks resemble an extensive cricket thesaurus. Get yourself an umbrella, coffee mugs or saltshakers as souvenirs and take home a slice of CCC. And if there is a match on cancle your flight ticket and stay back for a De’Silva’s Bruger, because the show here goes on, long after the night gets blurry.

Must try: Succulent Chilli crabs along with The Googly (described on the menu as: This delivery will get you a wicket, Melon Liqueur, Mango Liqueur, Lime juice and Fresh Mango blended with ice).

Mahout Cafe
Sri Lanka loves elephants, and Colombo’s plush emporium Elephant Walk understands that. The in-house, or rather in-courtyard restaurant, the Mahout Cafe, is better designed and lighter in spirit than most organic cafes around the world. The cute animal theme runs across just about everything here; it is also housed in a bungalow designed by Geoffrey Bawa. Options include a vast selection of Salads, juices and sandwiches or go for the full whammy salad, sou, main course and desserts. Elephant Walk also offers exclusive home accessories worth shopping for. It might have little to do with the 1954 movie Elephant Walk but by lunching at Mahout Café you can surely get a waistline similar to Elizabeth Taylor’s as she glides between Sri Lanka tea plantations.

Must try: The alternative Sandwiches.

BAREFOOT Garden Café:
Barefoot elaborate multi coloured handloom shop is a must see in Colombo. Its Garden Café you will be glad to hear, is equally colourful. Late afternoons at this frangipani-fringed café often translate into a live providing background score, light lunch and around the clock. Choose Lion Lager beer. The atmosphere is deliciously relaxed and the table cloths and walls are colourful enough to cheer up the weariest of travelers Explore the art gallery or lose yourself in the expansive books section Said to be Arthur C Clarke’s favourite haunt, the tables here are some of the most sought after in the city. Look out for the changes in the menu if you go more than once which in all probability, you will.

Must Try: Barefoot’s homemade ginger beer.