Thursday, July 26, 2012

International Hotel Chains in Sri Lanka


A number of international hotel chains have recognised the infinite potential of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. Many of the world’s biggest brands have shown interest in opening luxury hotels in the island.

The global giant Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, the owners of the famous Sheraton brand has made an investment of USD 80 million. The Sheraton Colombo will be a 306-room hotel which will include a Presidential Suite as well as a number of other themed suite rooms. The property will house 4 restaurants and will be located in central Colombo. The Sheraton Colombo is expected to open its doors in October 2013.

Another leading hotel brand, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has made an investment of USD 550 million on its first ever hotel project in Colombo. The hotel will overlook the famed Galle Face Green promenade and is projected to be complete by the end of 2015. Offering some of the largest hotel rooms in the city, each room will be approximately 484 square feet by 592 square feet. The Shangri-La Colombo will include a wide range of specialty restaurant concepts and numerous dining opportunities.




The most recent chain of hotels to join in on the bandwagon is the Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Group. The Hyatt Regency Hotel will be a 43 story luxury 5 star property. The property is expected to feature 565 rooms, banquet facilities, numerous food & beverage outlets and a fitness centre.

Foreign investment continues to flood in as Sri Lanka’s popularity in the tourism and leisure sector grows. The industry benchmark in terms of product offered and service standard will be raised, with well established international brands joining in and heightening competition amongst city hotels.


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Chicken Curry for the Soul

Sri Lankan’s pride themselves in being culinary experts when it comes to rice and curries. We boast of the most flavourful curries that are a complex blend of spices ingeniously layered to form a fiery explosion of deliciousness. Once you try a typical traditional Sri Lankan curry, you will never turn back – I kid you not!

Rice is the staple diet for most Sri Lankans and is eaten with a variety of curries that are prepared in different methods. Various spicy condiments or ‘sambols’ also accompany any meal, adding that extra bit of punch (in the guts?) to your meal!

If rice does not interest you, do not fret! You can try out other traditional specialties such as string hoppers (a stringy noodle made out of wheat flour), hoppers (a crispy bowl shaped pancake), roti (flat bread) and thosai (a savory pancake).
Additionally Sri Lankan cuisine has been heavily influenced by Western invaders (Dutch and Portuguese), South Indians as well as Arab tradesmen.

Biriyani is an aromatic rice dish. What makes biriyani unique is the fragrant stock that the rice is cooked in. This stock is prepared with a number of various spices and meat that complement the rice perfectly. This delectable dish is extremely popular and enjoyed by all Sri Lankans.

Lamprais is yet another way of preparing rice, influenced by the Dutch. The rice is prepared in a complex mixture spices, turmeric and coconut milk. Once again the stock plays an extremely important role in its preparation, with a combination of meat being added to enhance the flavours. A number of different curries and sambols are added as accomplishments and it is packaged and served in a banana leaf. Among these curries and side dishes is blachang (a ball of finely ground prawns), frikadels (crumb fried meat balls) and brinjal pahi (brinjal fingers fried in traditional spices).

Yes, in case you didn’t believe me the first time, Sri Lanka is definitely a foodies haven. Explore the complex flavours and exotic spices of Sri Lankan cuisine and prepare to be delighted!

In the West, people often crave a warm comforting bowl of hot soup after a hard days work or when sick. Unsurprisingly this is not the case with me. As a Sri Lankan, I crave chicken curry! I yearn for a thick steaming curry comprising of tender chicken, coconut milk, garlic, cinnamon sticks, ginger, chilli powder and a number of other spices.
I believe a chicken curry a day will most definitely keep the doctor away! So forget the soulful chicken soup of yesteryear and try our chicken curry!



Here’s the recipe for those of you who would like to try it out for yourselves.



RECIPE FOR CHICKEN CURRY

Serves 4

Ingredients:-

1 large broiler chicken
1 cup thick coconut milk
2 cups diluted coconut milk
1 sprig curry leaves
1 small stem of lemon grass, chopped
1 large onion, chopped fine
2” piece of ginger, crushed
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cardamoms
4 cloves
3” piece of cinnamon, broken up
3 heaped teaspoons roasted curry powder
3 teaspoons chillie powder
½ teaspoon saffron
Salt and pepper
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons oil

Method:-

Remove outer skin of chicken. Cut into 2” cubes or pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and then lightly fry onions, garlic and ginger until translucent. Add curry leaves, lemon grass and cook for a minute. Next add pieces of chicken. After a minute, add diluted coconut milk, curry powder, saffron and chillie powder. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked. Add spices and the thick coconut milk followed by lime juice. Taste and add more salt if required. Simmer on a low fire until the gravy is thick.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Time to grab that snorkelling mask!


It's the perfect time of year for snorkelling in Trincomalee. This shot was taken off the the cliff of the Koneswaran Temple. I happened to noticed a couple of people snorkelling by the rocks. Unfortunately since I was leaving for Colombo I could not do the same, but I'm sure they must have spotted the most colourful coral and exotic fish!

Enticing don't you think?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Outbound training

Last weekend the Leisure Inbound team headed to Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa, for our annual outbound training. It was a wonderful change for many, who spend most of their days planning exciting tours for others. I won’t lie, the schedule was rather strenuous and the heat did get the better of us all! But we left Hikkaduwa with some food for thought. These fun-filled activities were used as a starting point to foster team spirit and also to highlight the importance of creating a culture that is conducive to change through effective and open communication.
Whilst this trip was all about building team spirit, we did manage to have a bit of fun at our social as well! 
Just thought I would share a few pictures of us hard at work!











Have a great weekend all! :)