The Gallery Café is situated in the center of the city of Colombo yet it remains a beautiful quiet haven to all our patrons. One enters the building down a paved driveway with temple trees and large urns along each side. A doorman dressed in a black and white striped batik Paradise Road sarong greets you as you wonder past showcases containing art works of the current exhibition. A view across a long pond filled with striking purple nil manel , Sri Lanka's national flower, continues through the latticed doors towards a giant cement urn, which sits at the boundary wall of the cafe.

The Art Gallery is situated at the entrance to the Café. Exhibitions display works of mostly local artists, changing every three weeks. On the side of this courtyard is The Gallery Shop. Open from 10am to 10:30pm, the shop is ideal for finding a quick last minute gift and is filled with a good selection of Paradise Road merchandise.

 
 
 
 

Past the Gallery, through a large doorway begins the Gallery Bar. During the daytime, laid out on a long cement table are The Gallery Café's signature cakes, Double Chocolate Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue pie and the Paradise Road Chocolate Cake. The Gallery Bar is filled with tanned leather directors chairs placed around polished cement tables, and from the bar one looks out onto The Gallery Café pavilion, action station and garden. While the entire restaurant is al fresco the pavilion provides a cool shelter from the hot sun as well as the tropical monsoon. The smaller Garden area tables are sheltered with white umbrellas. The walls surrounding the café are weathered, mossy mustard complemented by the purple nil manel on each table.

 

The menu features fusion cuisine, some of the speciality dishes being Lemongrass and Ginger Chicken with spinach and potato mash, Mediterranean Prawns with saffron risotto, Black pork Curry with rice and accompaniments and Grilled Seer with coconut risotto. The desserts are a whole new experience, definitely not to be missed on a visit to the Gallery Café. The dessert menu consists of many mouthwatering treats, 70 percent of which are chocolate. To mention a few, chocolate nemesis with apricot coulis, chocolate fondant with orange ice cream and tiramisu are some of the sought after sweets.

The Gallery Café is unlike any other restaurant in Sri Lanka. Situated within the former office of Sri Lanka's renowned architect, Geoffrey Bawa, this restaurant has attracted some of the world's top designers, artists and many heads of state. The Gallery Café is a feast for the eyes and palette, whether it be during the day when one can appreciate every aspect of its design or at night when the whole restaurant is transformed into a candlelit magical space.