Nuga Rosmead | Restaurant Review

Fusion food at its finest

Have you ever had a hankering for exotic food, but with a dash of local flavour?

Well, we’ve got just the place for you!

Nuga Rosmead is undoubtedly a haven for those looking to have Western dishes infused with local goodness. Their attention to detail and presentation have been repeatedly commended over the years. To discover more about their mouth-watering dishes, continue reading our review.

Starters

Batter Fried Prawns – LKR 1,200 

From Nuga’s small plates category, we started off with the Batter Fried Prawns. The dish comprised 6 large prawns encrusted with a corn flour batter and a sour cream sauce to top it all off. Each prawn had the right amount of consistency to it, and the flavour of the cream sauce enriched the taste of the prawns. One thing to be mindful of is that a slight dip in the cream sauce would be more than adequate to boost the already flavourful prawns.

Mutton Empanadas – LKR 1,000 

We in Sri Lanka are more familiar with these as patties, but their original counterparts are a Spanish dish called Empanadas. Nuga captures the empanadas’ true essence and taste by staying true to its origins. The dish included 3 empanadas, each wrapped in dough. The curry on the inside sealed the deal by bringing the best of both worlds. Gooey, spicy and meaty are the best words to describe the mutton curry. We would’ve certainly liked a couple more empanadas added to the dish, to savour it better.

Mains

Chilli Chicken Hopper Benedict – LKR 850 

The Chilli Chicken Hopper Benedict is part of the Sri Lankan brunch menu. It can simply be summed up as ‘Sri Lanka meets the Wild West’. The dish consisted of a small mound of chicken nestling on two egg hoppers, and a separate large plain hopper, presented in a curiously unique manner. The egg hoppers and chicken had a seamless fusion, but tearing in to the hoppers was a tiny bit of a hassle. Then again, who would’ve thought that egg hoppers and grilled chicken would go hand in hand?

Vegan Burger – LKR 950 

This Vegan Burger would certainly be every vegan’s biggest dream in a mouthful. This was not your average burger, and it was structured in a simple manner. The patty was composed of mashed potatoes, caramelised onions, nai miris and a few more ingredients geared to sate the vegan appetite. Biting into the burger gave us the same feeling as eating a meat-based burger. All in all, I would gladly recommend the Vegan Burger to anyone on any given day.

Creamy Chicken Rice – LKR 1,200 

Picture an Italian carbonara, but its base replaced with rice instead. Yes, you got that right. The Creamy Chicken Rice was an exciting fusion dish that was perfectly prepared down to the last grain. Spinach leaves were also a vital ingredient of the dish. The cream cheese, chicken and rice complemented each other uniquely, and we’d say it is an acquired taste.

Curry Mutton Pasta – LKR 2,100

This dish is synonymous with a biriyani, but consisting of pasta instead. The mutton was tender and exuded a great deal of spice, while the pasta was chewy and acted as a perfect base for the mutton. All the spices in the dish were added in specific amounts to make the dish any food lover’s favourite. One complaint that we have though, is that the portion size was a tad smaller than expected.

Desserts

Blueberry Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate – LKR 600 

The Blueberry Cheesecake can only be summed up in one word – Heavenly. Breaking into the cheesecake itself was a sight for sore eyes. Layers of flavour were purely magical. The blueberries, cheese and dark chocolate sandwiched in between oozed so much genuine flavour; it’ll leave you with a pleasant aftertaste that’ll last hours.

Apple Tart (warm) With Ice Cream – LKR 600 

The apple tart consists of a warm outer layer, with insides bursting with a mixture of sliced apples and cinnamon. Simply breaking into it releases a whiff of absolute flavour that’ll leave you in a daze till you grab your next bite. The ice cream on the other hand, sits on a fine line of sheer sweetness and a mere spoonful can trigger your sweet tooth. The cinnamon flavouring of the apple tart was a tiny bit stronger than expected and we feel that the flavouring could be brought down a notch in the future.

Drinks

Virgin Mango Mojito – LKR 700 

Imagine traipsing about in the sultry weather with your tongue drier than a bone and thinking of some way to rejuvenate yourself… Well, Nuga might just be able to remedy this. The Virgin Mango Mojito was primed with a large, melting block of ice infused with mango flavouring and mint leaves. Both the mint and mango flavours complemented each other, making it a wonderfully energising beverage.

Virgin Espresso Martini – LKR 840 

The Virgin Espresso Martini is a call-out to all hardcore coffee lovers. The large cocktail glass with coffee filled to the brim and roasted coffee beans was absolutely divine. Personally, I don’t have much of an affinity towards coffee, but for those who’d prefer an amped up dose of coffee, all I can say is go for it!

Ambience

In terms of the ambience, the restaurant is absolutely mesmerising when you first set eyes on it. The entire place is built around a colonial house with additional tweaks made where necessary. There is also a massive open area that’ll make you want to sit down and let a fresh breeze blow past you. The entire expanse of the restaurant projects a homely feeling which literally hits almost any visitor. Sitting down to eat in this breath-taking setting is sure to keep you rooted to your seat for quite a while.

Service

The service offered by the restaurant is top tier. Every one of the staff is friendly and helpful in their own right despite it being a busy work day for them.

The restaurant’s setting and cuisine synergize seamlessly, bringing forth an enjoyable and unprecedented experience for all those who come here.

Tip: Cheesecake all the way. That one’s a real winner!