TV Times

TV Times

‘The Agency’: For good sax and great time
Picture an exclusive restaurant in Upper Manhattan, throw in a bit of heart from a jazz club and Blues bar in Downtown New Orleans and give it a good dose of fusion food combining flavours of Europe with our own unique Sri Lankan spices and seasonings and you have - 'The Agency'.

The Agency (formally H20) located at No. 447 Union Place (opposite Car Mart) it is currently open for dinner seven days a week, from 7.00 pm onwards.
'The Agency' comprises of two main sections. The most modern discotheque with state of art dance floor and the restaurant area with jazz band for easy listening.

'The Agency' is the place for young adults. An ideal place for relaxation after hard days work. Good jazzy stuff keeps you alive for the rest of the evening'
At 'The Agency', comfort is the Keyword. Step in and you step into the high life - the corporate world in which men and women work play hard.

A lounge at the Mezzanine level sets the pace and lays the base with pre-dinner cocktails and aperitifs before you move into the restaurant proper. Plenty of space to relax and unwind, superb service, mood lighting and a four piece live jazz band whets the appetite and puts you in the right frame of mind to sit back and savour the flavours of dishes laid out by gourmet consultant chef Michael Slayton.

'Food has always been what has consumed me' he said explaining that ever since he was a child, he knew that food was going to be his life's work and passion. 'My approach to food and cooking has always been very holistic. For example, I love to make a connection between seasonality and how a particular dish tastes’ he said.

Originally from Alabama U.S.A. Slayton has moved around the world, absorbing and learning his craft ever step of the way. Having experienced the cuisines of South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand he was seduced into putting down 'temporary roots' when he spent six years in Queensland's Gold Coast where he won the award for 'Best Restaurant of the Year', quickly establishing a very loyal following for his innovative and spectacular creations.

In 1999 he moved to Norfolk Island where he established the Garrison Restaurant as one of the finest dining experinces on the island. If there are boundaries to the flavours and presentation of dishes, Slayton does not seem to know of them. Combining his experience at Chez Antoine in New Orleans U.S.A., the London Chop House in Detroit Michigan, Sign of the Dove in New York, The Promenade Restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel in London, the Troubadour Cannes Sur Mer Cannes in France and La Villa Des Lys Cannes France.

Slayton brings to "The Agency" a mix of all these cultures and cuisine with a distinctive Sri Lankan touch - something that needs to be experienced to be appreciated.

A salad of prawn and wild spinach, green chillies and Siyambala Dressing, Prime Australian Eye Fillet, curry leaf and garlic infused Mash, Red wine and Cinnamon Reducation, followed by a delicious Chocolate cheese cake with Arak and Cardomom infused creme Anglaise is just a sample of what chef Sudath Rodrigo and his team together with the help of consultant chef Slayton, have on offer for you.

'The Agency' has over 50 different varieties of wines from around the world, and the largest selection of cigars available in this city. "The Agency" will move into lunch time operations shortly.

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