TAO serves up innovative excellence with new menu

Combining Zen tranquillity and fusion indulgence, TAO is all about striking the right balance and delivering a sublime experience.

A fusion restaurant nestled away in a cosy and intimate corner of the award-winning Cinnamon Grand Hotel offering the best of al fresco dining with an accent on Asian flavours, TAO is now upping the stakes with a new menu.

It’s all about imagination taking over during dinner from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. as Chef Suresh Senarathne whips up his interpretations of classic-meets-cutting-edge fusion cuisine, blending the vibrant East and vivacious West in an intricate manner.

For starters, try the crab baked three ways, which is guaranteed to impress, or the sensational chicken satay with peanut sauce and pineapple sambol or tantalising jumbo prawn wontons with spicy sweet and sour sauce and fruit salsa.

The starters menu is diverse and also includes Caesar salad with curry dressing and spiced crisps and gratinated mussels with smoked salmon and asparagus, crab cake on iceberg hearts served with lemon grass cream, Thai spiced chilled lobster tail with peach salsa and pepper aioli and king fish yakitori and prawn quenelle on Thai omelette served with sake soy emulsion, amongst many others.

Cleanse the palate with the soups – both of which are equally appealing: Crab meat soup served with Vietnamese prawn spring roll or cummin scented pumpkin bisque with prawn dumpling.

The mains are as diverse as they are delicious and the menu includes a combination plate (red curry chicken, grilled lamb chop and spiced jumbo prawns), marinated pork chops with kang kung, peppered mash and wok fried vegetables, coconut marinated grilled salmon pave with aromatic cous cous, lemon grass marinated lamb cutlets with red tomato and onion mash, the irresistible TAO hopper combination with black pork curry, basil hinted Malaccan fried rice with TAO crispy salad  and garlic aioli and country style curried lobster with mushroom and garlic rice.

That’s certainly not all. A few of the others dishes TAO serves up are cigar of king fish with crab risotto and red curry emulsion, Moroccan spiced loin of lamb with red wine jus and cauliflower cream, crispy fried jumbo prawns in chilli sauce, vodka and curry leaf marinated sirloin of beef with pea risotto and mustard gravy, sizzling duck and pan fried duck sausage on coriander mash and red curry sauce, five spiced duck leg with sweet chilli mango salsa and berry jus and tamarind scented fillet of beef with stir fried egg noodles.

The mains menu also features a side order collection, with dishes such as wok fried vegetable, steamed rice, fried rice and fried noodles.

What meal is complete without dessert? TAO serves up a succulent spread that is sure to find diners spoilt for choice, with the whisky chocolate mousse topped with candied orange peel and spicy fudge slice set to be a sure-fire winner, while the shredded chocolate crêpes with berry ice cream and caramelized banana tart, sweet cream cheese and fresh strawberries in kirsch cream with almond macaroon sticks and chocolate cheese cake with strawberry cream and grape jam quenelles sure to provide stiff competition, while the other items on offer will also come into play when making one’s choice.

Round off your meal with either coffee or tea, with several options on offer for discerning diners, including cappuccino, espresso, café latte, Ceylon tea, herbal tea, Irish coffee, Monk coffee and Tia Maria coffee.

Given the unrelenting focus on innovative excellence at Cinnamon Grand, this new menu fits in perfectly with the tradition of innovating new dishes and indulging patrons, especially TAO regulars, who appreciate the subtle art of fusion cuisine and revel in this unique Zen experience in the heart of the bustling city. Call 2497361/62 for reservations.