Food Where To Get Your Meals in Bento Box in Lanka!

Where To Get Your Meals in Bento Box in Lanka!

2017 Jan 6

by Aanisha Cuttilan


On a slow Wednesday afternoon we realised that Sri Lanka really needs a comprehensive article on all the places you could get a Bento Box. One thing led to another and we decided to rid ourselves of the mid-week blues and our larger-than-life craving for sushi. So to solve all your bento box indecisions, here’s a round-up us Colombars could really use.

Kate Ryori

Kate Ryori is run by a home chef, Bhagya, in Kirulapone. At 800/= per box, this is the friendliest and cheapest option for a Bento Box us Colombars could find.

What our option came with: Salad, Japanese omlette, Katsu chicken + Panko prawns, pickled cabbage, 8 Tuna + Cucumber maki rolls and condiments (pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce, soy paste, mayo and sauce for the curry)

What we didn’t really like: the pick-up for the box is straight out of the chef’s kitchen and whilst it is in Colombo, we got a little lost trying to find her house. A bit of a hassle, a bit of a distance.

She also only does take-out and since we were on a bit of an adventure, we ended up eating in a shady spot right down her road (sorry Bhagya). However, this was totally on us and was also oddly a pretty chilled-out way to kick-off the day.

What we loved: Bhagya is a lovely lady who is very accomodating with her orders. We also loved the hefty portion and that is was so affordable for so much food. The food was fresh and crispy and tender in all the right places, we’re definitely going back for more.

You could get in touch with her through her Facebook page here, or give her a call on 077 308 8036. Do keep in mind she prefers if you place your orders a day before you actually want them, and she does both lunch and dinner.

Naniyori

Based in the same building as Steam Boat in Nawala, a Bento Box at Naniyori will cost you anywhere from  790/= to 1,200/=, excluding VAT and Service charges.

What our option came with: 5 Tuna, Mullet and Calamari Nigiri, 6 Cucumber and Tuna maki rolls, Assorted Sashimi, Rice and Pickle

What we didn’t really like: The food took quite a while to come to the table, but a cool thing they had was a door-bell type call button that we could use to summon and bother the staff, so it wasn’t a terrible down factor, all in all.

A buzz-kill though, was that even though our Box cost 990/=, our total bill came up to 1,300/= with VAT and service charge.

What we loved: The ambience was spot-on with private rooms for large groups of friends, dim lighting and ample seating options. We were welcomed with cups of warm green tea, and the food – though nothing to rave about – was decent and tasty.

They also had cute little knick-knacks on the tables like origami books and Japanese dining etiquette pointers, which we enjoyed.

Zen

The Japanese specialty restaurant located at Zylan Luxury Boutique Hotel is based down Rosmead Place and will cost you approximately 2500/= for a bento box.

What our option came with: Miso soup, rice, teriyaki chicken, tempura vegetables + prawns, salmon and tuna sashimi, salad in peanut sauce. They also brought us a lovely little fruit platter when we asked for the bill.

What we didn’t really like: Nothing, really. The time we visited, the receptionist was probably having lunch so we took a mini adventure through the hotel to actually find the restaurant.

What we loved: On the same note, the restaurant has seating all over the hotel. Downstairs, upstairs, Al Fresco, everywhere! So you choose your setting and you dine in it, basically. Another cool thing was that even though there were two of us sharing one bento, the wait staff were nice enough to give us two bowls of miso soup, so props to great customer care. The food was also delicious, particularly that peanut sauce on the salad which was unlike anything I’ve had before, and you could definitely see the attention to detail and care that they had put into preparing the dish.

Zen is a calm and quiet gem that doesn’t get too crowded so it’s ideal for a secluded lunch with someone special, and although this was the most expensive of the lot, we definitely think it’s worth the buck.

Poppy Hana

Based at the Hype Park Corner Arpico premises, Poppy Hana offers a variety of bento boxes ranging from 1200/= to 2000/=.

What our option came with: Tempura prawns + vegetables, teriyaki chicken, 4 Fusion California rolls, salad, miso soup, and rice.

What we didn’t really like: Lunch hour gets pretty crowded on weekdays what with so many offices in the vicinity, but I think this speaks more about how good Poppy Hana is and less about a negative aspect of the restaurant.

What we loved: the service was fast, the food was great and the ambience felt like home. Poppy Hana is one of the very few restaurants in Sri Lanka that boasts Kaiten Sushi, or a sushi conveyor belt, which is really cool. The bento box was also large enough for two of us to share, but then again we don’t really have raging appetites so it could also suffice as lunch for one very large male.

They also had cute Japanese etiquette pointers, so take heed.

By this time, I’d had enough sushi to last me a couple months and both my wallet and my appetite couldn’t handle any more bento boxes. But you could also try out:

  • Ginza on the Edge, at Water’s Edge
  • YUMI at Taj Samudra
  • Clique Cuisine who, we hear, delivers on Fridays

So stay tuned for a second round up/ review of bento boxes you can get in Sri Lanka! Comment if you think we’ve missed out any bento box joints and do check them out and let us know what you think!

1 COMMENT

  1. Good read daughter, way to go.
    If you happen to visit Dubai, try Sumo, best bento box I ever tasted, but then again that’s the only bento place I ever been to. ?

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