The Sunday Morning Brunch was recently invited to sample the fare at Colombo’s famed answer to the rotating restaurant, Blue Orbit. Perched atop the Colombo Lotus Tower, Blue Orbit is designed to be more of an experience than a restaurant.
Sri Lanka’s first revolving restaurant and the tallest dining establishment in South Asia, Blue Orbit by Citrus offers a unique blend of breathtaking views, an elegant ambience, and an extensive international buffet.
The restaurant is designed around a celestial theme, which is most prominently seen through a signature blue swirl that dominates the ceiling in a pattern resembling a planetary orbit.
The real star of the show, however, is the panoramic view. The dining area rotates gradually, almost imperceptibly, treating guests to an ever-changing perspective of Colombo’s skyline and the vast ocean beyond. This movement is seamless, making it an almost dreamlike experience as you enjoy your meal against a dynamic moving backdrop of the city.
With a seating capacity of 200 guests, the restaurant boasts an extensive international buffet featuring seven diverse cuisines: Western, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Sri Lankan, and Indian.
The buffet takes place with a core orbit of main dishes, but also with several different action stations and corners dotted around the outer orbit of the restaurant, which include a sushi corner, a fresh seafood corner, two dessert corners (one dedicated to local flavours and another offering a more global selection), a dumpling corner, and a salad corner.
The buffet is a true culinary adventure, offering an extensive spread that caters to a wide range of palates. Among the standout sections is the dumpling station, featuring a variety of meats. While the beef dumplings fell a little short in terms of texture, the chicken and prawn dumplings were a revelation – juicy, well-seasoned, and perfectly steamed.
Seafood lovers will find themselves gravitating toward the sushi and cold seafood stations. The sushi is impeccably fresh, with an assortment of interesting sauces that elevate each bite. The cold seafood selection is equally impressive, offering high-quality options that showcase the best of what Sri Lanka’s waters have to offer.
For those with a penchant for European flavours, the cold cuts and cheese station is a must-visit. A well-curated selection of meats is complemented by a wide array of trimmings, allowing guests to craft the perfect bite. The cheese station also impresses with its variety, catering to both casual cheese lovers and connoisseurs alike.
The main courses also run the gamut of cuisines from good old Sri Lankan fare to Indian (the butter chicken was on point) to East Asian noodles and chilli chicken with cuttlefish in oyster sauce to Western favourites like beef pie as well as unusual dishes like lamb lasagna.
Also not to be missed is the travelling ice cream station by Jolly’s Creamery in the form of a train which makes a journey around the restaurant once per sitting, while also having its own designated spot for guests to find it. We recommend the bubblegum ice cream, which brings back a deep sense of nostalgia.
Blue Orbit’s lunch buffet is a remarkable journey through flavours and textures, enhanced by an ambience that is truly one of a kind. Gastronomically, it offers something for everyone from the local foodie to the discerning global citizen, combined with unique views and the experience of a rotating restaurant.
PHOTOS ISHAN SANJEEWA