Located at : 2 Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka

Availability : 10^th Dec 2024 – 03^rd Jan 2025

Price : LKR 5,888 nett per adult | LKR 3,888 nett per child (5-12 years)

‘Twas an afternoon well spent at Hilton Colombo’s Viennese High Tea buffet. The spread at Lounge & Bar (LAB) wasn’t massive, but it was comprehensive and, above all, the food tasted really good!

It was quite evident that everything from the finger foods to the sandwiches, pastries, burgers and more had been carefully curated, with a lot of thought going into the flavours of each. The highlight, for me, from the savouries was the döner kebab (bottom left of the plate below). Everything about it was on point – from the pita to the marination and cook on the lamb, to the combination of excellent tahini and coriander which rendered a beautiful flavour to it. The roasted pumpkin pizza (bottom right) had an interesting flavour to it, too, that we enjoyed. We also liked the fried tuna ball (center left), which had a very unique taste and texture to it. You also see here a minced meat and mozzarella tart, chicken schnitzel burger and Viennese pork sausage with mustard sauce.

Among the soft drinks, the lychee and strawberry punch was excellent. I liked the fact that it was not too sweet – which is important when you’re planning to dig into the sweet counter later on! It was a refreshing combination of the aromatic, mild sweetness of lychee and a touch of strawberry tartness.

On the next plate, we’ve got a smoked chicken and mushroom ciabatta (top), an absolutely fabulous and juicy pork wrap (center left), a smooth and delicious avocado and carrot combo on wholemeal toast (center right), egg on toast (bottom left), and a satisfyingly good cream cheese and apricot mix on toast (bottom right). That center row there – so good!

I also loved their pretzel bread. So soft, so comforting, with a mild but lovely aroma and taste of pretzel. Had I not already stuffed myself with the other goodies, I would have dived into another one of these. Of course, there were several more intriguing items at the spread, but I just didn’t have the capacity to try all of them.

The sweet section involved an array of chocolate and hazelnut treats – guaranteed winners, a lovely salted caramel toffee cake, lychee and rose water cake, Viennese finger biscuits, scones with jam and clotted cream, a few good-looking cakes and bakes, a chocolate fountain and the likes. A selection of hot teas and coffee were available as well.

I was glad that we made it to the Viennese high tea affair at Hilton Colombo. If you’re looking for something different to try on a chilled afternoon this season – definitely check this one out.

Yummy Rating: 4.5 / 5.0