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 The beach has always been a place of romance I have felt, with dramatic sunsets painted by the gods themselves and the sound of the waves crashing on the golden shores like the overtures of a symphony. We fortunately live on an island which has been blessed with some of the most breathtaking beaches in the world. To add to the romance, a few restaurants on the shore lines in the country have made quite a bit of names for themselves by either making the mood right by ambiance or by serving some truly exotic cuisine. One such place which has got all of the above just right is the Lavinia Breeze. Although I haven’t been here before I had heard that it is the place to go to especially with that special someone. So when I knew that my next little stopover was the Lavinia Breeze I was quite excited. As usual after flipping through my little black book I came to the usual conclusion of going with my brother who has been reminding me that I haven’t cooked a good meal for him recently. So it was decided that my romantic date was to be with my little brother. After making our way down to Mt. Lavinia and finding the location which was not too hard since there were large boards directing us to it, we parked and crossed over the railway track and made it in the restaurant. We found that there was an option of sitting either in the main area which was open air, the air conditioned upstairs dining area or the wine cellar which they had recently opened. The wine cellar was tempting since I would have preferred to be close to my wine but instead I opted to sit outside in the main dining area which I felt was much more romantic with the candle lights, fresh breeze and the sound of the sea.
We opted for a light red wine for the evening which I feel is the best way to go. I know many people who order expensive white wines when having seafood which is not in my opinion the best way to go. This is mainly because the acidity in the lime which is used to cook and flavor most seafood ruins the taste of the wine so there really in no point in spending that much unless you would have the wine before the meal starts.
The first course of the meal was Mussels in White Wine Sauce which is a personal favorite dish of mine. The sauce was good with quite a bit of tang to it with the flavor of the wine coming through well. I also ordered a Seafood Platter which I wanted to taste for the variation of items on it. The platter was impressive and I must say was enough for about three people. The baked crab was simply in one word ‘super’ with the flavor of the crab bursting in your mouth like a million fireworks going off at the same time. The king prawn was quite large and was perfectly cooked and gratined with cheese. The calamari, seer fish and salmon was also well cooked but what stole the moment were the scallops. The scallops were done to perfection. The light butter sauce brought out the rich flavors and was well worth savoring every bit of.
For the main course I ordered a Baked Crab, my friend a Grilled Seer and my brother a Grilled King Prawn. When the dishes arrived, I noticed the awe in my brother’s expression since I suspect he had never seen prawns as big as which was in front of him. After managing to wrestle a bit off his dish, I must say the Prawn did taste as good as it looked and is a must try dish. Moving on to tasting my friends Seer dish I was amazed on how such a simple fish was made so well. The fish was bathed in a white wine sauce which was seasoned well and the textures of the dish were very well balanced.
After tasting everyone else’s food and managing to fend them off mine, during this time I finally turned my attention to what was in front of me. The Baked Crab with gratined cheese on top. Firstly I must say I was well impressed with the presentation and the quantity. After getting over the look of it I slowly tasted my first bit. In a simple word “wow”. The Crab was cooked to sheer perfection with the emulsion sauce which it was served with went superbly. This dish is a must try something to savor and enjoy slowly.
After taking quite a bit of time on the food we finally found we were quite stuffed and didn’t have room for any deserts, but the ever so persuasive and charming General Manager of the place Mr. Mohanraj Mahendran who studied Hotel Management in Kamuntana, Zurich and worked in the International Hilton Chain as well as the Atlantic Sheraton Zurich managed to convince us in having a Mistake. No it’s not a mistake to have a Mistake. A Mistake is a warm chocolate brownie served with lemon grass ice cream on top. The hot and cold combination with the slight spiciness of the lemon grass was the perfect treat to round of the night and is highly recommended.
All in all, I would say I was very impressed with my first experience at the Lavinia Breeze and would recommend the place in a heartbeat. So hats off to the Executive Chef Manjula Withanage. The food was exceptional and the ambiance romantic, so do make it a point to drop in this lovely place which you would not forget anytime soon.
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