Bowls of comfort
Burrito bowl
With a fairly recent trend taking over restaurants to serve up hearty meals in a bowl, the Mirror Magazine decided to round up a few restaurants that served up their offerings in easy, compact, aesthetically pleasing dishes.
Bowl’d
Bowl’d is relatively new to the restaurant scene (est. 2018) but they are bringing in something completely new to Sri Lankan cuisine, Poke bowls which are a Native Hawaiian dish.
The word Poke means “to cut.” In this particular context, the verb describes a delicate dish of raw, fresh fish that is marinated and served cold over rice. The rice and fish are then seasoned with sauces and accompanied with vegetables and garnishes. All ingredients are sliced and diced in bite-size portions.
Bowl’d offers the traditional Poke favourite tuna and salmon as well as teriyaki chicken and vegan options with tofu and eggplant. Customers have a choice of sushi rice, zoodles (zucchini noodles) and red rice as their base. You can order their house favourites or customize and create your own bowl.
We tried out their Spicy Salmon which was sushi rice topped with Salmon sashimi, spicy soy sauce, edamame, cucumbers,tomatoes, onions, avocado, tobiko, wakame, wonton crisp and a wasabi mayo. The Teriyaki Chicken which was a personal favourite was served with sweet corn,carrots, onions, red bell pepper, shredded seaweed, wonton crisps and a chilli mayo.
The vegetables were fresh and all the elements tied in well together to provide a light yet filling meal. Having been garnished with spring onions,sesame seeds, pickled cucumber and ginger really brought out the crisp flavours of the dish.
Bowl’d also has amazing vegan ice-cream that is made out of fresh fruits and topped with home-made granola and kithul coconut chips.
Follow the restaurant on FB on
facebook.com/Bowld.sl/
Teriyaki eggplant
Spicy Salmon
Chicken and Hummus Plate
Café Kumbuk
Cafe Kumbuk has quickly been gaining a repertoire of serving health-conscious meals to their customers while trying their best to ‘meet the needs of gluten free, dairy free, vegan and vegetarian friends,’.
The naked burrito bowl as the name suggests is a deconstructed burrito bowl which is gluten free and is available as a vegetarian and vegan option. Cumin and rice topped with kidney beans, chicken carnita, guacamole, tomato salsa, buffalo curd, lettuce, grilled corn, feta cheese, tortilla chips, sriracha and pickled onions. Each mouthful has a rich bite of all the spices infused in the dish.
The chicken and hummus plate transport you to the Middle East with the use of spices such as fennel,cumin and garlic. The bowl came with flatbread, two chicken kebab skewers and a sweet creamy pumpkin hummus. The sharp tang of the pomegranate and pickled beets, crispy onion, fresh cucumber and feta and mint salad that accompanied the meal balanced the dish. The bowl can also be made vegan and you can opt for no bread as well.
Cafe Kumbuk has some killer smoothie and breakfast granola bowls as well, ideal for a healthy filling start to your morning.
The Bibim as the name suggests serves the famous Korean rice dish Bibimbap. ‘Bibim’ when translated means mixing various ingredients and ‘bap’ means rice. Coming in deep bowls, steamed white rice is topped with minced tempered vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms squash, fernbrake, watercress, and bean sprouts. Mung bean jelly is also added alongside a fried egg and the meat of your choice (we prefered chicken for this one). Then depending how much you can handle your spice, add in the Gochujang which is a spicy fermented chilli paste. Mix it well and enjoy a bibimbap.
They also serve up a Korean style fried chicken which was a good side dish to snack on or share. Pro-tip try it with the Gochujang for a spicier kick.
Follow the restaurant on FB on
facebook.com/cafekumbuk/
Laksa Noodle Bar
Laksa noodle bar is a great spot for a quick, hassle-free dinner. Offering cuisines from across East Asia, the restaurant focuses on noodle based dishes such as the Malaysian Laksa Lemak, the Japanese Miso Ramen Soup and the Filipino Pancit.
These comforting bowls of noodles are wholesome and hearty. The Mee Goreng dish we tried was egg noodles tossed up in tomatoes, spring onions, fried tofu and bok choy with the meat of our choice which was beef. A good balance of sweet, salty and spice, the Mee Goreng was a crowd favourite.
The Ho Fun was a whole lot of fun to eat as the rich soy and chinese wine that coated the handmade flat rice noodles made a delicious base for the dish. The crisp onions and bean sprouts added crunch to the dish as the tender chicken was cooked to perfection.
It was an unbelieve-a-bowl experience as we got try out some great dishes that were delicious and comforting only in a way a bowl can be.
Follow the restaurant on FB at
facebook.com/laksanoodlebar.lk/
