• A new chapter for Italian dining within Bawa’s architectural vision

At Cinnamon Bentota Beach, history is difficult to separate from the experience of dining. The resort stands between the Bentota River and the Indian Ocean on a site that has passed through Portuguese, Dutch, and British occupation before becoming part of Sri Lanka’s first purpose-built resort town. 

Today, this layered setting provides the backdrop for L’Incontro, an Italian restaurant conceived as both a new culinary destination and a meeting place within one of the country’s most recognisable hotels.

A gathering point 

‘L’Incontro’ as a concept was introduced by Cinnamon Bentota Beach General Manager Johan Aschan, drawing partly from his own experience in the international hospitality industry.

“I opened a restaurant in Amman, Jordan, at the Hyatt, and I took the name from there,” Aschan explained. “L’Incontro means a place where you can meet and gather. It is a gathering point.”

The idea feels particularly appropriate at Cinnamon Bentota Beach. The hotel occupies the historic site of an old British-era rest house and was originally designed by legendary Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa between 1967 and 1969. 

Before that, the land was associated with an old fortress known as Parangi Kotuwa. Bawa transformed the location into the pioneering Bentota Beach Hotel, blending open spaces, local materials, art, and tropical landscaping in what became a defining example of tropical modernism.

However by 2018, cracks in the main building’s concrete made extensive redevelopment necessary. Architect Channa Daswatte, who is also the Chairperson of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and Lunuganga Trust, led the redesign, preserving Bawa’s central concepts while adapting the hotel to contemporary standards. 

Over approximately 18 months, the original 26-square metre rooms were expanded to around 50 square metres, and new facilities were introduced, including spaces for specialised à la carte dining.

However, the rebuilt hotel soon faced the pandemic, followed by Sri Lanka’s political and economic crisis. “We opened the hotel at full capacity and then had Covid,” Aschan recalled. “When we started to operate the hotel again after Covid, we had the Aragalaya. All this news does not bring you customers.”

A distinct identity

Only around 2023 could the team fully focus on shaping the hotel’s identity and bringing its spaces to life. As Aschan put it, “We tried to put heart and soul into this hotel.”

Food became an important part of that effort. Cinnamon Bentota Beach had already developed a broad culinary concept through Hawkers, inspired by Sri Lanka’s history as a meeting point for different nationalities, cultures, and cuisines. Its speciality kitchens and chefs reflect that diversity, with Chinese, North Indian, and Sri Lankan culinary expertise forming part of the hotel’s offering.

The next step was to create more distinct dining options. Aschan noted that the way travellers reserved hotels had changed considerably. 

Many now book accommodation directly online rather than purchasing complete packages through destination management companies. Bed-and-breakfast bookings have become increasingly common, leaving guests free to choose where they would like to eat throughout their stay.

“When guests book on a bed-and-breakfast basis, you need to give them dining options,” he said. “You have to create multiple opportunities. They can have something from the special pool menu, go for seafood in the evening, or choose another restaurant.”

L’Incontro emerged as an answer to this changing travel pattern. The objective was to create a restaurant distinctive enough to attract guests who might otherwise leave the property for dinner, while also making use of spaces that had not yet reached their full potential.

Balancing comfort and refinement

The restaurant occupies the middle ground between casual and formal dining. It has white linen, a dedicated wine list, and polished service, but avoids becoming overly rigid or intimidating. The menu is intended to be diverse enough to satisfy different expectations of Italian food while remaining grounded in familiar flavours.

“If you go to an Italian restaurant, everything that comes to mind has to be there,” Aschan said. “It has to be a good mamma’s kitchen. You need a good artisan bread basket, olive oil on the table, espresso, and gelato. Simple, but good – that is what we have.”

That simplicity, however, required a significant investment behind the scenes. Aschan admitted that he was initially nervous about whether such an investment would generate the necessary returns.

The early response has nevertheless been encouraging. The restaurant may not serve 40 covers every evening, but it is gradually gaining traction, particularly among guests who book bed and breakfast stays. The hotel now alternates its speciality dining schedule between L’Incontro and its seafood offering, the Sea Meats Spice seafood restaurant, helping each restaurant develop a clearer identity.

“We have been positively surprised,” Aschan said. “The feedback has been good and people like having this option.”

The culinary team is led by Executive Chef Kamal Surendrajith, who previously worked at the Marriott in Colombo, alongside Executive Sous Chef Chaminda Kumara and a wider team of local and international talent. The aim is not merely to reproduce a collection of popular Italian dishes, but to respect the structure and traditions of an Italian meal.

A brief tasting of the menu demonstrated this balance between comfort and refinement. Warm bread arrived at the table with sun-dried tomato sauce and onion jam. The beef carpaccio, accompanied by rocket, aged Parmesan, capers, and rock salt, was light and well balanced, while the cream of mushroom soup offered earthy flavours enhanced by truffle and pickled mushroom.

The seafood linguine was a highlight, bringing together reef fish, prawns, cuttlefish, mussels, and scallops in a tomato sauce with pecorino romano. The herb-crusted lamb loin with butternut risotto was attractively presented, although the lamb was slightly dry. A bright passionfruit sorbet provided an excellent palate cleanser between courses.

The meal ended with L’Incontro’s tiramisu, made with mascarpone mousse, espresso-soaked savoiardi, dark chocolate crémeux, and artisan coffee gelato. It was rich without becoming overwhelming and, importantly, tasted like a genuine tiramisu rather than a loose interpretation of one.

A renewed life

L’Incontro remains a relatively young restaurant, still building its audience and finding its place within the wider resort. 

Its rise has taken place against a difficult background: a major hotel reconstruction, a pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a rapidly changing tourism market. Its progress therefore represents more than the opening of another speciality restaurant. It is part of Cinnamon Bentota Beach’s effort to bring renewed life to a historic property. 

In a hotel built around encounters, between river and sea, architecture and nature, heritage and modern hospitality, L’Incontro has found a fitting home as its newest gathering place.