We've seen Marina! Not the beach, but the restaurant. Lovely place, isn't it?. And then there is Lagoon which is Marina on steroids! While Sri Lanka is known for sea food, didn't except a scene like this in a 5 star hotel. I mean there was a full big Sting Ray on display! Phew.
Simply the size of the fishes and crabs on display were mind boggling. The restaurant being packed, we were happy to be seated outside by the mini stream filled with fishes and the air with fishy odour. I guess that set the tone for the dinner and the evening. One poor guy who was vegetarian for that night (or month) was stuck with us and while all of us felt sorry for him, no one wanted to give him company. He did enjoy some Kala Kung with some green curry on his own.
Back to the plot. Our host in Sri Lanka went all out on his orders. Cuttle Fish batter fry, crabs, lobsters and prawns were on the table. I think our friend's heart was also on the table, though we couldn't see it, we all felt it. Our brains didn't, though. He said that for the torture we were giving him and for his sacrifices, he is surely going to heaven. And he was equally sure that we were headed to hell! Like straight!
The Cuttlefish batter fry was an instant super hit and was washed down by all! The fish had a slight squid-ish texture which was lovely for a batter fry, so while the batter had the crisp, the fish was chewy and together gave us a nice combination of textures. The prawns and the lobster thermidor were the usual with a nice garlic butter marinade for the prawn and the usual thermidor.
The next hit dish was the crab. The crab was not monstrous, but was large and the photo doesn't do any justice to the size. It was about 1.3 kg and at (LKR) Rs.700/100g, it wasn't cheap. The chilli gravy in which it was cooked had seeped into the crab and lended its flavour a little bit to the crab!
We finished off sharing three desserts, a simple chocolote brownie and two different custard puddings, one with their traditional 'Seeni Sambal' on top! The meal cost our host about Rs. 35000 (LKR) which is about Rs. 16,000 for 7 of us. Yes, expensive!
Lagoon is at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo at one level below the lobby, by the swimming pool and fishy garden!
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