Nuga Gama

Nuga Gama, at the Cinnamon Grand hotel, recreates a traditional Sri Lankan village in the middle of Colombo. The hotel presents it as a village experience set amid the urban landscape of the city, which makes it a gentle introduction to Sri Lankan food for first-time visitors. Its own description promises true island flavours prepared by local ammes, the village cooks behind the restaurant's home-style dishes.

The food is the point. The emphasis on ammes means home-style island cooking rather than international hotel fare, and the menu is published on the hotel's website, so you can look through the dishes before you go and decide what to try. If you are unsure about ingredients or heat levels, ask when you order.

The Cinnamon Grand itself is one of Colombo's best-known hotels. It opened in 1975 as the Hotel Lanka Oberoi on Galle Road and is now owned by John Keells Holdings, with 475 rooms and 26 suites and a number of other restaurants and bars, so Nuga Gama is easy to combine with a drink elsewhere in the hotel. John Keells Holdings holds a majority stake in the hotel's parent company, and the hotel is counted among Colombo's five-star properties.

Reservations are handled through a dedicated phone number on the hotel's website, and booking is sensible for dinner and for larger groups. It suits families, couples and groups who want a relaxed introduction to local food, and it is a useful option for hotel guests who want Sri Lankan cooking without leaving the grounds.

The hotel stands at 77 Galle Road in Colombo 3, a short walk or tuk-tuk ride from Galle Face Green and the seafront. Kollupitiya's shops, including Barefoot further down Galle Road, are close by, and Gangaramaya Temple and Beira Lake are a few minutes away by tuk-tuk, so dinner here fits easily after a day of sightseeing in the city centre. If you would rather start the evening outdoors, Galle Face Green is the place for a sunset walk; its promenade was completed in 1859, and its food vendors sell snacks such as cooked crabs, prawns and mango slices with pepper and salt.