Arts
Unwind amidst the Pacific Island magic of Kava
41 Sugar, the hip rooftop restaurant and bar that used to overlook the pale oyster pink dusk-sky of Colombo- over palmy cricket grounds and convents- has moved to a new hemisphere. No, they remain corporeally at the same place- but you would not be greeted by the elegant black and beige decor, with potted frangipani festooned in glittering lights.
Instead, you take the lift up to immerse yourself in this Tiki bar. Plantain trees and palms fan out of pots painted in Caribbean, tribal African-inspired swirls. In the dark- colourful Papua New Guinean natives stare out of cushions; more cushions with intricate jungle camouflage prints abound- with skulls blooming amidst tropical flora. The bar is called ‘Jungle Potions’ .
The new place is christened ‘Kava’- the name of a ceremonial drink traditionally served in the Pacific Islands during rituals. It is said to unite groups of people together, and to connect the drinker to the underworld.
The Tiki Noir experience, novel to Colombo, promotes a relaxed atmosphere during the late afternoon, opening at 5 p.m. But, as dusk spreads, and the sun goes down, a pink haze of lights makes the place come alive- very much like a nocturnal jungle with touches of the macabre at every corner. The atmosphere is so exotic, you forget that civilization is just some feet and one camouflaged door away.
Kava, most of all, is a welcome breeze of a departure from the formalities in Colombo bars, combining a relaxed dress code with affordable food and beverages. With its blithe cocktail melange of tropical island cultures- from the Indian Ocean through to Asia to the deep seas of the South Pacific- it offers an inspired spread – including such delicacies as Jungle Rolls, The sweet potato Jungle Has Fries, Coco loco Prawns and Kava Lava Burger; while the ‘jungle potions’, say the bartenders, are made with strong spirits, jungle fruits and spices as well as “flames, mist, and a little black magic”.
For throughout, there is this sense of juju and voodoo which adds mystery and excitement. The innovative proprietors want you to “journey past the tropical white sands and palm trees, and to uncover a darker side of island magic- a place where the coconuts have eyes, venomous snakes roam the seas, and dead spirits are reincarnated…”
Kava comes as part of MSD Capital Holdings, the synergy behind the Baillie St. Merchants, Conde Nast’s 2019 Hottest New Beach Clubs choice Sugar Beach Thalpe, and the ever-popular Sugar Bistro.
Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi