The Sheraton Colombo has recently unveiled its newest pop-up menu at BAYU. ‘An Eastern Affair’ is a carefully curated selection of Eastern delicacies with a focus on dim sum, sushi, and bao. This pop-up-style dining experience brings together the delicate craft of Japanese precision and the comforting warmth of Chinese flavours. What emerges is a spread that is playful, elegant, and unapologetically indulgent
Setting the stage: BAYU
On the Sheraton Colombo rooftop, BAYU has always been a place that lingers on the senses. There’s a certain drama in the way Colombo unfurls from the Sheraton’s rooftop, a rhythm of cars below, lights shimmering along the water, and the distant hum of the sea. Add to that low-lit tables, a DJ curating mellow beats, and the gentle clink of chopsticks against porcelain, and you have the perfect stage for An Eastern Affair.
The idea here is more casual sophistication than stiff fine dining. Dishes come to the table designed for sharing, inviting conversation and movement as you partake in the simple joy of passing plates, reaching across for another dumpling, and rolling the soy sauce just right over a piece of sashimi.
Sashimi and sushi: the ocean’s bounty
Our Eastern Affair experience began with a bright line-up of sushi and sashimi, each piece a bite-sized showcase of precision and restraint. Tuna Sashimi arrived first, jewel-toned slices arranged with the kind of understated elegance only sashimi can carry. There’s a clean confidence in raw tuna; it doesn’t hide behind sauces or smoke. Each slice melted softly in the mouth, with the faintest suggestion of the sea, reminding us why raw fish is both an art and a gamble.
Then came the Salmon Nigiri, each morsel balancing the lush, fatty richness of salmon on a compact bed of rice. Nigiri is about harmony: the warmth of the rice against the cool flesh of the fish, the seasoning calibrated just so. BAYU’s take managed that delicate middle ground; rich but never cloying, precise yet still indulgent.
For those leaning toward non-traditional Japanese comfort food, the Avocado Cream Cheese Roll offered creamy textures wrapped in familiar warmth. While purists will raise an eyebrow, this roll spoke to Colombo’s appetite for fusion, the avocado lush and buttery, the cream cheese just decadent enough to make you reach for another.
The Ebi Tempura Roll added crunch to the table, the prawn battered lightly enough to hold its crisp without overpowering. Dipped into soy, its salty bite carried the perfect foil to the softer rolls.
The Maguro Spicy Roll, with tuna at its heart, packed a gentle heat that unfurled slowly on the tongue, never sharp but enough to keep you lingering. And finally, the Rainbow Roll: a playful stack of colours, wrapping multiple fish and vegetables into one roll, vibrant both on the plate and the palate.
What stood out across the sushi course was balance, each roll distinct, each with its own rhythm, together forming a chorus of flavours that played well into the night.
Dim sum delights
If sushi is about precision and restraint, dim sum is about comfort and warmth. Each dumpling is designed to be savoured in a single bite, and the ones at An Eastern Affair came with just the right mix of familiarity and surprise.
The Chilli Basil Chicken Dim Sum was a standout, carrying the boldness of Thai-inspired flavours folded neatly into delicate skins. Each bite had heat, herbaceous notes, and a tenderness that made you forget how complex the construction really was.
Classicists will find joy in the Prawn Har Gao. Translucent wrappers gave way to sweet, bouncy prawn filling. It was everything dim sum should be: clean, delicate, deeply satisfying.
For the vegetarians, the Vegetable Crystal Dumpling is no afterthought made to tick a vegetarian box on the menu. Its filling was light yet textured, a medley of seasonal vegetables wrapped in dough so thin it seemed like stained glass against the lamplight.
The Shumai, plump and hearty with chicken and prawns, reminded us why this is one of dim sum’s most enduring staples. Each dumpling was juicy, fragrant, and unapologetically filling.
The Spicy Beef Gyoza broke the rhythm with a punch of umami. Pan-seared to a crisp base, it gave that satisfying crunch before releasing savoury beef laced with spice, a perfect contrast to the subtler dumplings.
Eating dim sum is about tempo: bite, sip, pause, and repeat. At BAYU, the dim sum arrived in intervals that encouraged conversation, giving each dumpling its moment in the spotlight.
The unexpected hero: Japanese seafood fried rice
After the procession of sushi and dim sum, the Japanese Seafood Fried Rice arrived like a quiet finale. It was less about showmanship and more about satisfaction, a dish that gathered everything together.
The rice, slightly sticky, carried the fragrance of the sea, dotted with prawns, squid, and scallops. It was hearty without being heavy, umami-rich without leaning too far into salt. In many ways, it tied the evening together: the communal comfort of rice, the celebration of seafood, the familiar woven into the unexpected.
It was the kind of dish that didn’t demand attention but won it anyway, leaving the table quiet for a moment as everyone reached for spoonfuls.
More than a menu
What An Eastern Affair gets right is that it isn’t simply about serving sushi or dim sum, it’s about crafting an atmosphere. At a time when Colombo’s dining scene is ever-expanding, this curation feels intentional. There’s no overwhelming list of options, no attempt to do everything at once. Instead, it’s a compact menu, designed for evenings where food is as much about togetherness as it is about taste.
It’s also a reflection of BAYU’s ethos: Rooftop dining that marries sophistication with ease. You can arrive dressed for a night out or simply wander in after work; the experience adapts to you. The menu, meanwhile, feels indulgent without being intimidating, the kind of food that invites curiosity without scaring off the less adventurous.