The London Grill marks 50 years with celebrity Chef Phillip Davenport

Celebrity Chef Phillip Davenport (centre) with Cinnamon Colombo Hotels  Area Vice President and Cinnamon Grand Colombo General Manager Kamal Munasinghe (left) and Cluster Executive Chef Kapila Jayasinghe 

• Chef Phillip Davenport to helm a wine-paired menu dinner (15–17 May) and a malt-paired menu dinner (22–23 May)
• Debuts a revamped The London Grill menu curated by Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo Cluster Executive Chef Kapila Jayasinghe

By Divya Thotawatte

As Cinnamon Grand Colombo celebrates the golden jubilee of its iconic The London Grill, the hotel is also set to host internationally acclaimed chef and TV personality Phillip Davenport for two weeks of exclusive one-of-a-kind culinary experiences.

The London Grill, established in 1975 during the Non-Aligned Conference, has proven to be one of Colombo’s most enduring fine-dining establishments. The restaurant reflected Cinnamon Grand’s commitment to showcasing Sri Lanka’s sophistication through world class dining experiences, said Cinnamon Grand Colombo General Manager Kamal Munasinghe.

“For a restaurant concept to survive for 50 years is not easy, especially in a market like Colombo. If you don’t have the right concept, the right people, and the passion to drive a concept to life, it’s very difficult to maintain. Whoever laid the foundation to open this restaurant, general managers, the chefs, the restaurant managers and the opening team had laid a solid foundation at the time when we opened The London Grill.”

In honour of its milestone achievement, Cinnamon Grand Colombo will celebrate the anniversary with two exclusive six-course degustation dinners held this month: a wine-paired menu (15-17 May) and a malt-paired menu (22–23 May). Considering the expertise of Chef Phillip and his unique contributions, the experience was sure to be “mind-blowing” and “something completely different in the market”, noted Munasinghe.

With a diverse career of 32 years spanning Sydney’s top restaurants, private clubs in London, boutique resorts in the Caribbean, and beach clubs in Bali, Chef Phillip is now based in Australia with a focus on TV shows, most recently hosting the hit series Eating Inn while also managing his consultancy business, a gelato shop, and a high-end gastro pub in Melbourne.

For The London Grill anniversary, he had curated a menu inspired by his French training, paired with Southeast Asian flavours.

“To come to Cinnamon Grand Colombo and The London Grill to contribute two weeks of my worldly experience in cuisine and French background, along with Southeast Asian flavours this week with wine pairing, is more exciting to me than my consulting— because I get to showcase different countries, different cities, and incredible knowledge of food,” he said.

Expanding on his approach for the malt-paired dinner, Chef Phillip said that instead of dishes paired with a glass of whiskey, he would be infusing each dish with an element of whiskey. Whether it was a drizzle, a sauce or even a note in the sausage, the vision was to create a unique experience that elevated the dinner.

He further explained, “It’s interesting. Whiskey is very earthy. It’s smoky, dry, and goes very well with food because you can have a sweeter element with something that’s a little bit drier. It’s all about balancing. Maybe that risky pairing is another thing about me.”

In addition to the two weeks of exclusive celebratory dinners, the hotel is also set to launch a revamped The London Grill menu curated by Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo Cluster Executive Chef Kapila Jayasinghe.

Speaking on the innovation and effort behind the newly launched menu, he said, “We have done a lot of practice, blending global techniques with our traditions, and our teams’ roots are really strong. We have tried a lot of international flavours, dishes, and recipes. We have done food tastings and experiments several times, and with that, we have created a really good menu for The London Grill.”

Munasinghe also promised that the new menu would create a fresh and distinctive experience as the new menu marked a departure from the previous eras of The London Grill menus.

“It is a new era for The London Grill, but we are always maintaining the old-world charm of London Grill— that fine dining table head service that you are very much looking forward to when you come to the restaurant for your celebrations. It’s a place for celebration,” he added.

This milestone achievement of The London Grill also coincides with the 20-year anniversary of Cinnamon Grand Colombo, making it a momentous year for the hotel.

– Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera