captivates many of us. During a visit to Bentota, I decided to have my dinner at the Shack. The restaurant captures the traditional essence of a massive beach hut, but elegantly sustains its modern comforts. Nestled on a green patch of elevated land bordering the beach, it supplements the resplendent hotel building. The view of the ocean really adds to the atmosphere one desires to enjoy.
The Shack has fresh seafood displayed in a counter and cooked to order. I ordered my food and sipped a lime and soda. A musician plays an accordion. This was a lovely surprise as this instrument is rarely played in Colombo. It brought back pleasant memories of beach dining in Florida. Seafood bisque is served. It had dormant intense flavours perfect for dinner, yet, this is not a soup appreciated by many Sri Lankans as they tend to want their soups spicy: like curry which is a wrong mind set. The bisque was brilliant, accompanied by bread rolls served with mashed aubergine, an organic alternative to butter. It was followed by a seafood kebab. The kebab crowned with an olive was cute, positioned on a white plate; perhaps, it would have a better visual appeal on a black plate for contrast. As the accordion serenaded us, the salad was brought to the table. Its immaculate presentation was outstanding. Often, we eat salads that are tossed in bowls. Chef Neeraj and his team had elevated the salad to a higher level, as there were three layered miniature towers, on a foundation of vegetable julienne. This is also a fine way to entice kids to eat their veggies!
The main course was a large platter which is really a generous portion, though it may perhaps be too much for a lady. The plate was laden with rings of fried calamari, prawns, crab meat nicely cushioned on shell and sea bass. The plate was akin to a veiled bride, you see the beauty as you remove the veil. The glow resonating from the lamp on the table added a touch of mystique to the platter which also had potatoes, carrots and beans. The sea bass would have looked better with a bit more brown colour for contrast. But, the combination perfectly highlighted the rich diversity of seafood we have in our island.
The crab meat had a lovely texture and smooth consistency. The spicy Sri Lankan sauce infused much zest into my dinner. I had to take a few minutes to soak in all the flavours of seafood. I was contemplating on having dessert. The kind wait staff motivated me and I yielded. The rectangular plate displayed orange mousse, vanilla ice cream and pineapple crumble. The orange mousse glowed like silk. The vanilla ice cream was a nice treat as the night breeze was turning a bit hot.
The Shack gives customers a beautiful dinner experience. Where else can you walk on the beach after a scintillating dinner?