Hilton Colombo presents the ‘Original’ Oktoberfest

Traditional highlights and favourites are coming back to the sports centre arena at the Hilton Colombo when the much looked forward to annual event, the Oktoberfest takes place from 1 to 10 November.  

Strap on your lederhosen as Hilton Colombo brings you its 26th annual Oktoberfest celebration! Every year underneath the colourful canopy and German flag liners, hundreds of people drink brew, eat bratwurst, and dance the chicken dance throughout the night.

German born Executive Chef Robert Mujagic is preparing to cater to more than 10,000 guests at this year’s event popularly known to be the ‘Original’ Oktoberfest.  Inside the large marquee, visitors will be able to enjoy traditional Bavarian food and brew, served by staff wearing ‘lederhosen’, and accompanied by music played by a live band from Germany.  

Robert will tap into his Bavarian roots to create an Oktoberfest menu consisting Pretzels made with German flour, authentic German Sour Dough Loaf with a thick layer of the most awesome cheese spread known as Obatzda; a Camembert mix with paprika powder and soft butter, thinly sliced Lyoner Sausage with shaved onion in vinaigrette, cold appetizers and salads; Schwarzwälder Schincken -dry-cured smoked ham, produced in the black forest region of south Germany, German Potato Salad and chives, shallots and fresh parsley, and pickled Herrings, more than a ton of home-made traditional German sausages namely Nuremberg, Geflügel Zwiebelwurst, Munich Sausage or the Pork Liver Wurst with a sweet, hot or mild mustard!

A few other choices would be the Pork Schnitzel, Knuckle or even the Schweinebraten (roasted crispy pork belly) together with some Sauerkraut. Spätzle & Knodel – Traditional German Swabian pasta and boiled bread dumpling and the Baked Farmers Meatloaf too is recommended! In addition to these dishes, there’s a whole lot more on the buffet with action cooking.  For non-pork eaters, there will be other options available like chicken and fish. “Just to keep the local palate happy we have invented a 100% home-made spicy Sri Lankan Wurst,” says Mujagic.  

To end your hearty meal on a happy note, there are some German desserts and a few favs like assorted German cakes; Sacher Torte, Black Forest, Lindzer Torte and Crème Cheese Torte and an all-time favorite, the Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce or ice cream, Kaiserschmarrn – shredded pan cake with black raisin, icing sugar and apple sauce and Buchteln – Apricot stuffed sweet buns with vanilla sauce!

The official Oktoberfest is held in Munich each year. It is a 16-day festival that attracts some six million visitors each year. Its roots can be traced to the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became king, to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to celebrate the royal event on the fields in front of the city gates.

Buffet rates and timings; Sunday to Thursday (7 p.m. to midnight) – Rs. 2,888 nett and Friday and Saturday (7 p.m. to 1 a.m.) – Rs. 3,888 nett and the VIP package Rs. 5,000 nett includes table service.  

For reservations and tickets, please call the F&B Reservations Desk on 2492492. www.hitoncolombo1.com fb/HiltonColombo.