Sunday Brunch at Cinnamon Grand Colombo

I haven’t done a brunch post in a while so I’m happy to be able to share an amazing brunch experience I had recently. As you probably know I was visiting Sri Lanka earlier this month.

I’ve been going back to Colombo quite consistently since about 2008. I’ve stayed at different places during my trips back home but the Cinnamon Grand Hotel is probably my favourite hotel in Colombo. I’ve frequented this hotel on many occasions as an in-house guest and restaurant goer but I’d never tried out their Sunday Brunch.

Clearly I had no idea what I was missing! I decided to try out the Sunday Brunch on June 17th which just happened to be Father’s Day. I was truly impressed by the whole event. I can honestly say I’ve never seen such a large spread for brunch in my life! This Sunday Brunch definitely beat every other brunch I’d been to.

The Food

From the appetizers – which included lobster tails, shrimp, oysters and a selection of sushi, to the carving stations, main dishes and deserts this brunch was a hands down winner for me. I was a little overwhelmed by the selection of dishes and options. This is definitely one event you need to prepare for ahead of time, i.e. don’t eat breakfast and bring your eating pants!

If you know me personally, you’d know that I eat a lot! This brunch was no exception. I happily helped myself to 2 rounds of appetizers, the main course and 2 rounds of dessert.

There was so much to choose from I wish I had prepared better to try every single dish. I did a quick  count of the main dishes and I counted over 35 which is quite impressive for any buffet let alone a brunch.

The dessert selection was to die for and included a chocolate fountain which was the highlight for me. There was also an ice cream and flambé station.

The Place

Cinnamon Grand’s Sunday Brunch is held at the Taprobane restaurant. This space is one of the main restaurants at the hotel and is also home to their daily breakfast and lunch buffets. The restaurant is spacious and offers table top and sofa style seating.

The brunch takes place between 11am and 3pm every Sunday. I was informed that there are 2 sittings for brunch; one from 11:30 am-1 pm and another from 1:30-3 pm. I recommend going early so you can spend the afternoon walking off the meal 😉 Reservations are a must as this brunch is quite popular among locals and tourists alike.

The Price

There are 3 different pricing options for brunch depending on what type of an experience you’re looking for. The basic brunch buffet sans alcohol is Rs 3517 nett which is around $35 Canadian (I’m using a conservative conversion rate of Rs 100 to $1 CAD however the daily rates may be higher).

If you’d like to add some alcohol to your experience Taprobane offers 2 other pricing options:

The Beer Brunch for Rs 4172 ~ $42CAD

The Bubbly Brunch for Rs 5400 ~ $54 CAD

I chose the bubbly brunch and it did not disappoint! I was able to enjoy unlimited glasses of champagne with my meal 😉 Where else can you get that for $54?! All these packages are great depending on what you’d like and I think the pricing is quite reasonable for the amount of food and beverages you get.

The Verdict

I highly recommend this brunch experience to anyone who visits Colombo. This was definitely the best brunch I’ve been to and I really enjoyed it. It’s a must-do in Colombo.

I’m hoping to be home again for Christmas and I’m already making plans to check out the Holiday edition of Cinnamon Grand’s Sunday Brunch 🙂

Palm Print Midi Dress

In case you haven’t been keeping up with me on instagram, I recently took a trip home to Sri Lanka. I was so happy to be able to make the trip back so I stocked up on a tonne of new Summer clothes to wear while I was there. One of my fave finds was this off-the-shoulder palm print midi dress from Old Navy.

This dress is so versatile and stylish combining 3 trends that are in for Summer. Can you guess what they are? Well this dress has a tropical flare to it with the palm print pattern; the tropics were everywhere this Spring and the trend continues on in to the Summer. Off-the-shoulder necklines are also trending this Summer and this dress doesn’t disappoint. Modesty is  making a comeback this year with midi dresses being back in style and replacing the high-waisted shorts and mini-skirts we usually see in the Summer.

I especially like the black print on the white fabric in this dress as it gives it an air of sophistication and is a nice reprieve from the traditional green palm prints I’ve seen this Summer. The cotton lining makes this dress light and comfortable to wear, perfect for a warm Summer day.

Sri Lanka is a tropical country and can get quite hot and humid during the monsoon season. I found this dress incredibly comfortable to wear amidst the tropical heat. To accessorize I paired this dress with my favourite bamboo bag from Cult Gaia. I had a pair of black block heels that I picked up from the Bay earlier this year. They just happened to have a palm leaf pattern on them as well 😉 These shoes were really affordable and I picked them up for under $50. If you look closely you’ll notice that they’re a dupe of a Schutz design from last year. I added a pair of palm leaf earrings in keeping with the tropical theme to finish off this outfit

What do you think about the midi trend this Summer, do you prefer modesty or the traditional mini?

Shop The Post:

Canada Day Outfit Inspo from Suzy Shier

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Canada Day Outfit

Yikes! It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been so busy with life in general that I haven’t had much time to sit down and actually write a post. I have however been keeping up on Instagram 🙂

Time has flown by so fast, can you believe Canada Day is less than a week away?! I don’t know about you but I always go all out with my outfit for Canada Day. It’s the one day of the year where you can wear your red, white and maple proudly and unabashedly!

I found the most adorable Canada Day dress at Suzy Shier and I’m just thrilled to be able to share it with you. What better way to celebrate Canada Day than by wearing a dress from one of the country’s oldest and best known retailers. Fun fact – Suzy Shier was founded in 1966 and has been around for over 50 years with over 140 stores across Canada!

This red and white printed dress is the perfect way to show off your Canadian pride. The butterfly details in the print are so feminine and the dress is super comfy to wear. It’s light and airy just like a butterfly, I love the way the skirt of the dress flutters when the wind catches it. My dress is part of Suzy’s High Tea collection that’s currently available in stores and online. This collection focuses on feminine florals and prints with a splash of red for colour.

I  liked the vintage look of this dress and decided to play in to the vintage vibe when I styled it. I paired this dress with an adorable picnic basket bag that I picked up on my travels (I’ll share more about my most recent trip in an upcoming post). For accessories I added my favourite pair of white wedges with a bow detail.  In keeping with the vintage flair I added a fascinator that I found at Unique Accessories last year.

How are you showing off your Canadian pride and celebrating Canada Day this year? Wearing red and white perhaps?

Tropical Beach Dress

If you’ve been following my blog you probably know that I have a soft spot for anything tropical. Maybe it’s because I’m originally from the tropics (shout out to all my Sri Lankans!). Whatever the reason I just can’t say no to anything tropical, so when I saw this tropical beach dress I simply had to have it! How perfect is this dress for a day at the beach or a summer afternoon out with friends?

The print on this dress is like an instant vacation. I love anything to do with beaches and this dress in particular reminded me of a dress I’d seen years ago on t.v. I may be dating myself here but growing up I was a fan of the show Friends. I remember an episode where the group went to a beach house and Rachel had on this tropical beach print dress. I always liked this dress and over the years tried to find one like it but never had any luck. I was pretty thrilled when I found this mini version that’s pretty close to it, granted hers was a maxi and mine is a mini but I still love it!

I paired this dress with my favourite palm tree sandals from Forever 21. I ordered the sandals online and haven’t seen them in store in Canada yet however they do fit true to size. Since the dress is so busy I accessorized with a set of simple white flower earrings. I’ve linked a similar pair at the end of this post.

What do you think of the tropical trend this Spring and Summer – would you rather go to the beach or wear it and take it with you wherever you go?

Shop The Post: