Shrimp Night at Mövenpick Colombo | Restaurant Review

Mövenpick invites diners every Friday night to a gastronomic seafood trip around the world!

If it’s one thing we Sri Lankans indulge in, it’s some good seafood! We had a chance to review the seafood night at Mövenpick’s AYU Restaurant and trust us when we say that it is any seafood lover’s dream.

When you expand your buffet itinerary to include cuisines from all over the world you’re bound to have a mix of diverse and unique dishes, and that’s exactly what we had. Yet if you’re not as big of a seafood lover as the rest, don’t worry, because there are plenty of non-seafood dishes as well. These dishes range from non-vegetarian to vegetarian so no one gets left behind!

Their unique dining experience also includes live cooking stations for their variety of cuisines. This exclusive buffet night doesn’t entail a BYOB policy, but has an array of beverages including wines and even cocktails made at their bar!

This multi cuisine buffet is priced at LKR 7,900 nett for adults and LKR 3,950 nett for children. 

Appetisers

Seafood Bisque (5/5)

Savour crab, lobster, shrimp and much more seafood in one bite with Mövenpick’s Seafood Bisque. It isn’t a soup frequented in Sri Lankan restaurants, but deserves more attention than it is given! The end result of boiling together different types of seafood was a broth that was rich and bursting with flavour. 

Mains

• Japanese Section

Sushi – California Maki, Seafood Maki, Fried Salmon Maki, Tuna Nigiri and Salmon Nigiri (3.5/5)

Paying homage to one of the most popular seafood-centred dishes in the world, the sushi selection at Movenpick is something you need to try! Our personal favourite was the Seafood Maki and Fried Salmon Maki, each with a unique taste. The Seafood Maki in particular was soft and creamy in the middle because of the seafood paste with pops of flavour coming from the caviar. 

Fresh Fish Station – Fresh Oysters, Steamed Cuttlefish, Seafood Cocktail (5/5)

It was clear that this station was created with the purpose of highlighting the raw and unfiltered taste and texture of seafood. With minimal seasoning added directly to the seafood and additional sauces presented to accommodate different diner’s preferences, this was accomplished. The oysters were opened right before my eyes so the freshness of the molluscs was undeniable. The steamed cuttlefish was another favourite because it was something new to the hot butter cuttlefish we Sri Lankans usually indulge in. 

• Thai Section

Seafood Pad Thai Noodle with Chilli Chicken and Bangkok Prawn Curry (5/5)

This section was by far my favourite station and if I could go back to the shrimp night at Mövenpick again, I’d serve twice as much. The Pad Thai was sweet, nutty and what I imagine hawker-style Pad Thai in Thailand itself to be! The Bangkok Prawn Curry and Chilli Chicken complimented the stir-fry noodle well, rounding the entire meal into something too good to miss out on. 

• Pasta Station

Prawn Carbonara (3/5)

You can’t go wrong with a good carbonara on your buffet spread! I’m always delighted by a simple yet creamy carbonara, and it was only elevated by the addition of shrimp. In retrospect however, I would’ve preferred some extra seasoning to the carbonara to make it stand out from everything else in the buffet. 

• Sri Lankan Section

Seafood Hoppers (4.5/5)

You’ve probably had hoppers with a fish curry on the side, but have you had freshly made hoppers infused with seafood flavours? Probably not. But we did, and let me tell you it was a treat! Minced pieces of prawn and cuttlefish along with other seafood and veggies were added to the soft centre of the hopper, giving the hopper its unique flavour. If you need some gravy along with this, there were plenty of curries present to take your pick. 

• Pizza

Seafood Pizza (4.5/5)

When in doubt, have the Seafood Pizza at Mövenpick’s Shrimp Night! Here, the live cooking element of the buffet was on full display because diners had first-hand experience in seeing how the pizza was made! Containing a concoction of all our favourite seafood including prawn, cuttlefish, crab and herbs like basil, this pizza was definitely oven-cooked to perfection!

Desserts

Coconut Slice (5/5)

Suffice to say this was one of my favourite desserts from the colossal dessert spread at Mövenpick! It tasted like coconut tarts consisting of both the crunch of the coconut flakes as well as a soft centre. The presentation of the dish was also something I appreciated because it had a lovely caramelisation on top. 

Crème Brûlée (3/5)

When it comes to cooking, the simplest of ingredients can make the most extraordinary dishes! Such is true for the beloved Crème Brûlée which has its roots in Western Europe. What we tried at Mövenpick definitely embodied the richness of a Crème Brûlée but didn’t encapsulate the taste of its origin. Personally, it more so embodied the taste of a caramel pudding. 

Ambience 

What set the Shrimp Night at Mövenpick apart from other seafood buffets, and buffets in general, was its live cooking element. While the live cooking gave us fresh and sizzling food right from pan to plate, it also added a layer of excitement and interaction to our dining experience. 

In fact, you can ask questions about the dishes and interact with the chefs themselves who were very hospitable. The restaurant also included a bar for cocktails and other beverages, as well as ample seating to give you and your loved ones all the privacy you need. 

To share some final thoughts, the chefs at Mövenpick have made a fantastic effort to condense multiple cuisines into a single buffet.