YAMU

Hello, we’re YAMU, and we love exploring Colombo. If you’d like to know what’s hot to eat, drink, buy and do in Colombo, let’s go.

KAMU (food)
First, eats. This week we discovered two new delights, Jaffna-style ice cream on Marine Drive, and a 24-hour eatery in the historic Fort.

Rio’s Ice Cream (truck)
Jaffna’s famous Rio’s Ice Cream has finally made its way to Colombo. It’s served from an ice cream truck, just look out for the unmistakable red signage down Marine Drive. Most of the time, you should find it parked right next to Hamer’s Avenue in the Wellawatte area.
So, what sets Rio apart from other ice cream places? We’d say value for money. Like a good Tamil movie chock full of fight scenes, with the odd love story and plenty of song and dance, Rio packs all kinds of things into their ice cream sundaes – if you let them.
Tips: Try the Rio special – four scoops of ice cream- fruit and nut, vanilla, mango, and milk, with a healthy sprinkling of nuts on top. The milk ice cream is quite unusual and delicious too.

Harbour Stop (0712900602)
The biggest story in Colombo is the rebirth of Fort, our natural downtown. One hidden gem in the city center is the Harbour Stop, housed on the ground floor of the Gaffoor Building, down Main Street. This beautiful triangle shaped building is the most bustling at lunch, but it’s open 24 hours a day, always a bonus.
It’s also a popular spot for office parties and events, included the Pettah Interchange performance next week, which we’ll detail below.
Tips: Can’t go wrong with the rice and curry at lunch. If you’re adventurous, there’s an amazing view of the port from the YMBA across the street.

GAMU
So what new wonders are there to buy in Colombo? We’ve discovered one shop with surprisingly affordable arts and crafts.

Casa Serena (112587440)
Casa Serena is tucked away on Havelock Road, across from Police Park, and it’s known largely by word of mouth. It’s special because they offer lovingly curated goods at affordable prices. The thoughtfully restored colonial house has a beautiful array of notebooks, paper products, scarves, textiles, boxes and other local and imported goods, all priced to own.
They have beautiful notebooks for Rs. 240, scarves for Rs. 1,200 – the perfect girlfriend gifts which look more expensive than they are. There’s also an interesting book collection and gallery space upstairs.
Tips: Check out the wrapping paper. It’s tasteful, beautiful and only Rs. 65 a roll.

KERAMU
What’s there to do in Colombo, the city just waking up to what it could be?

REVEAL 2012 (115867772)
This weekend, you can see the work of some of Sri Lanka’s hottest design talent, the young graduates of the Academy Of Design. They’ll be showing their work – which ranges from fashion to photography to interior design – this Saturday and Sunday (the 4th and 5th) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Park Street Mews.
It’s always worth supporting young people, and the quality of design at these shows has been getting better and better. Either way, the Mews is never a bad place to spend a weekend, especially since they serve breakfast all day.

Pettah Interchange (112694562)
This event isn’t until next week (August 11th), but it’s worth preparing for. It features electronic artists from Germany, India and Sri Lanka who’ve been work-shopping and learning in preparation for a truly innovative event. The Interchange is also interesting because it’ll be held in the Gaffoor Building, right next to Harbour Stop, as the artists reclaim the rather odd underground car park, which was once used to store boats.
The event starts at 8 p.m. and entrance costs Rs. 1,000.
So there’s some things to eat, buy and do for this week. For more on a daily basis, check out www.yamu.lk or facebook.com/yamulk. Happy exploring!