Food
With an amalgamation of Chinese, Sri Lankan, Western, Italian and Japanese fare, the food menu here is vast. However, 80% of the menu is dedicated to all-things-Japanese, which is essentially their speciality. Thus we decided to stick to that aspect as well.
Japanese food in Colombo tends to land on the expensive side, but in this place, there's a whole bunch of mains that you can get under Rs. 1000.
We started off with a plate of Tempura Moreawase (Rs. 850), an assortment of shrimps, onion, yam, green bean, carrot and brinjal – battered and deep-fried to perfection. Delightfully crispy to the bite, it wasn't bad, but we wish if they had gone easy with the batter – especially on the veggies.
The tempura sauce, on the other hand, was excellent. Light in texture, it was sweet and salty, while the bits of ginger spiking up the flavour.
Next up, we tried the Salmon Cut Rolls. At Rs. 600, you get eight well-prepared rolls nicely encased in nori. Surrounded by the sticky sushi rice, the tuna tasted fresh, and wasn't doused in vinegar – so nothing interfered with the clean seafood-y flavour it produced. This bowl of happiness is Shoyu Ramen (Rs. 780). Ladened with a messy tangle of ramen noodles, three fillets of chicken char siu, a fried egg and garnished with a sprinkle of chilli powder and spring onions, it was a delight.
The miso infused broth was light and presented a well-balanced concoction of chicken and seafood stock. Having soaked up all that flavour, the noodles itself was absolutely flavoursome too.
We couldn't spot those beautifully reddish lines on the chicken char siu, but nonetheless, they were smoky and delicious. A couple more pieces of that would have been even better.
The Gyu Don (Rs. 990) was a bed of white sticky rice, topped off with chunks of beef, cooked onions, and a fried egg. Both onions and beef were marinated and cooked in Chef's special sauce. Chewy, tender and beautifully maroon, every inch of these beef pieces tasted mildly sweet, thanks to having absorbed all the saucy goodness.
But nonetheless, it didn't overpower the beefy flavour and tasted even more delicious when you bring splendidly runny yolk into the mix.
Drinks
*Pictured above – Lemon & Mint (left), and Tyro Crush (right)
Chef Tyro Fusion Restaurant has a few mocktails, and we tried two of them – the Lemon & Mint (Rs. 600) and Tyro Crush (Rs. 600).
- Very lemony and minty as promised, this Lemon & Mint at Chef Tyro Fusion Restaurant is one of the best there is. With a nice layer of froth on top and bits of mint leaves floating about, it was fizzy, and hella refreshing drink which works nicely as a palate cleanser after gobbling down raw fish.
- If you're looking for something on the sweet side, go with Tyro Crush – a mixture of fresh-pressed raspberry, mint, and Sprite. Frothy, fizzy and beautifully red, this one also has a tinge of sourness to it, drawn from the shot of lime they add.
Ambience & Service
Comprised of a fine dining area, and a rooftop entertainment zone which provides you with some of the best views in the city, the ambience here is quite peaceful. They have added some more furniture to the setup we saw at Bao House, which in my opinion has made it a bit too congested. But nevertheless, it's very comfortable and can fit around 40 – 50 people at a time. And that's just in the fine dining area. They have more space on the rooftop.
Photo Credits – Chef Tyro Fusion Restaurant with Sky View
Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture of their rooftop, which is why I've stolen a picture off their Facebook page for you to see how glorious this sky view is.
The lady who waited on us was welcoming, accommodating, and quick on her feet. We were the only ones at the restaurant, and the food came within around 15 minutes. Plus, she was happy to provide us with recommendations whenever we needed them and did not forget to check back with us for feedback.
Conclusion
We enjoyed our experience at the Chef Tyro Fusion Restaurant. It's a great addition to the Japanese restaurant scene in Colombo and comes with the option of dining with a view too. Our total was around Rs. 4400 with the service charges and given the number of dishes we ordered and the quality of preparation, safe to say that it's is a legit choice for affordable Japanese food in the city.