City of Dreams Sri Lanka will celebrate Spain’s National Day with a Spanish Sobremesa, welcoming Olga Starnari, Head Chef of the acclaimed JOK Barcelona, to Bistro des Marées on Level 23 from 16 to 18 October.
Across three days of lunch and dinner, Chef Olga will present an exclusive à la carte menu of Catalan and Mediterranean classics, bringing a taste of Barcelona’s contemporary dining scene to Colombo.
The promotion takes its name from sobremesa, the Spanish tradition of lingering at the table long after a meal to enjoy good company and conversation. Chef Olga will bring that spirit to Bistro des Marées, leading the kitchen alongside the restaurant’s culinary team for the three days.
Her menu for City of Dreams Sri Lanka brings together a selection of Spanish and Mediterranean favourites, designed for sharing. The bites include patatas bravas with spicy sauce, Spanish potato omelette with Parmesan almadroc, Catalan-style braised chicken croquettes, escalivada toast with anchovy, and oxtail brioche with truffle mayonnaise.
Guests can also enjoy leek sponge cake with smoked cream and anchovy, Spanish potato salad with tuna, chicken beer meatballs, Galician-style octopus with potato, fried calamari with lemon allioli and spicy mayonnaise, and broken eggs with prawns al ajillo. Soups include a classic onion soup, cherry gazpacho with prawn tartar, and Castilian-style lentils with chorizo and pork belly.
Among the mains are Spanish seafood paella, red snapper suquet, and barramundi with sage ajoblanco, confit cherry tomatoes and olive crumb. Chef Olga will also serve her signature three-meat cannelloni with truffle béchamel and foie sauce, alongside lamb terrine with potato purée and cider sauce, while roasted aubergine with romesco sauce and goat cheese offers a vegetarian option.
The meal concludes with classic Spanish desserts: torrijas, Catalan cream foam with almond crumble, and red-wine-poached pear with vanilla ice cream.
Chef Olga arrives in Colombo with experience from some of the world’s most acclaimed kitchens, including the three-Michelin-star El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, La Grande Maison de Joël Robuchon in Bordeaux, and Eleven in Lisbon, before becoming head chef of JOK in Barcelona.
“Sobremesa is about the time we spend together around the table, and that is what I want to share with guests in Colombo,” says Chef Olga. “I have created this menu for Bistro des Marées with Catalan classics at its heart, dishes made to be shared and enjoyed slowly. I am excited to cook for Colombo and to give guests a real taste of Spain over these three days.”
For City of Dreams Sri Lanka, the residency brings an authentic taste of Spain to Colombo’s dining scene. Located on Level 23 of the integrated resort, Bistro des Marées is its Mediterranean restaurant, known for fresh, wholesome ingredients in a relaxed yet refined setting, making it a natural home for Chef Olga’s cooking.
The Spanish sobremesa with Chef Olga Starnari runs from 16 to 18 October at Bistro des Marées, Level 23, City of Dreams Sri Lanka. Lunch is served from 12 noon to 3.30 p.m. and dinner from 6.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. For reservations, call +94 77 962 8132.
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