Steaks and Kebabs: Best chops in the south

Chaaya Tranz’s third restaurant is a meat lover’s paradise in Hikkaduwa

 

By Cheranka Mendis
Away from the bustling city of Colombo, on the stunning coastal belt of Hikkaduwa lies Chaaya Tranz – a beautiful hotel offering guests and travellers a gastronomical journey like none other.
Having recently opened their third restaurant to add diversity to the gastronomic offerings at the hotel, Steaks and Kebabs serves an incredible menu of delicious meats for food-lovers.
Cosily decorated with wicker chairs and tables, located right before their speciality restaurant The Crab, Steaks and Kebabs is ideal to spend the evening with good food and good spirits while flute music fixes the mood to that of a peaceful and relaxing one.

 
What sets them apart
What the restaurant offer is a unique proposition – chunks of juicy and yummy steak done up to your preferred style and kebabs that represent diversity in taste, flavour and spice.
To compliment this, the menu of the restaurant itself has been designed as a sticker pasted on recycled wine bottles, giving a new twist to the traditional menu cards seen everywhere else. All three menus – steaks, kebabs and cocktails come on bottles and for those who have an extra bit of spirit in their hearts, the restaurant offers cocktails by the bottle as well.
“We wanted to give a different meal experience to guests,” Chaaya Tranz Food and Beverage Manager Baba Shahana Carrim said. “For guests who stay with us for two to three weeks, trying out our buffet or feasting on crabs alone would be unexciting. The restaurant fills this gap well and has received rave reviews from all our diners.”

 
The steaks
What is served here are international standards steaks, Carrim said, while Executive Chef Julinda Pushpakumara added that what is served are all Australian steaks imported for the restaurant alone. “Cooking steak is not an easy task. We have to cook it to the preference of our diner – medium, rare or well done. It is personalised. We take pride in delivering the best on plate.”
There are seven types of steak to choose from – rib eye, tenderloin, sirloin, lamb rack, fillet mignon, veal tenderloin and T bone. All steaks are 230g each and come with two side dishes and garnished with a sauce of their preference.
“Everyone loves the tenderloin,” Chef Pushpakumara assured proudly. “Our European guests love the idea and are sure to ask for a good steak for dinner.” T bone and rib eye are also part of the fast moving clan of steaks.
Having been served a dish of beef tenderloin with asparagus and mashed potatoes, we thoroughly enjoyed cutting in to the beautifully brown steak and chewing in to the juicy meat. The herbs Pushpakumara used evidently did wonders as every bite was a burst of flavour in the mouth.

 
The kebabs
There are six specialised kebabs on the menu. Breast of duck kebab, Arabic grilled chicken kebab, lamb kofta kebab, tandoori chicken kebab, teriyaki marinated beef kebab, and cheese and vegetable kebab makes up the list. Here, Pushpakumara was influenced by the Asian and Arabic fusion of flavours. “Be it an Indian, a Chinese or an Arab I wanted to give them a taste they are familiar with. Hence the diversity of flavours on the menu.”
Most however tend to go for the tandoori chicken kebab which comes with a bit of biriyani on the side, Carrim added. This is served with makini sauce served and cucumber and onion salad.
The Arabic grilled chicken kebab is also a favourite. The spices for this are specially brought down from the Middle East. This was served with delicious hummus and a slice of pita bread with lemon garlic sauce. The teriyaki marinated beef kebab, which we were also fortunate to taste, came with Japanese egg and vegetable noodles and chillie salsa. Of these the first two were the favourites although the teriyaki marinated beef was also a treat to feast on.

 
Special mentions
The lavan bread that was served while we waited for our mains needs a special mention as it was crispy and delicious in its own right. Served with basil, olive and tomato dips, the bread was addictive and absolutely scrumptious.

 

The verdict
Open from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., the Steaks and Kebabs restaurant is sure to delight the diners with the beautiful atmosphere with the gentle lapping of the waves and the calming breeze that drifts in and out of the restaurant space with ease. With the ability to sit 48 persons in one seating, what is offered here is something unique to what is generally offered in a restaurant. Although some may argue that the menu is limited, the diversity of each dish is a treat to both the eyes and the taste buds.
If you are in Hikkaduwa over the weekend to enjoy the sun and breeze, do make a note to dine at Chaaya Tranz’s latest addition to its gastronomic journey – Steaks and Kebabs.
Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera