Juliet Coombe at Serendipity Arts Café - where great things come together at the auspicious time
You feel the magic from the moment you enter the old city walls of Galle Fort, a four hundred year old fortress built out of breathing corals, huge rocks and shells, and with distended creepers riding pillion on giant banyan trees, hobnobbing with an ancient merchant caste. The air is always filled with the aroma of spices and wafts of cinnamon mixed with the musical call to prayer that emanates from the mosque or the temple’s sound system, interspersed with the toots of ice cream vendors and 1930s singer bicycle horns. They are all part of the voodoo that makes this such a wonderful mystical and mysterious location.
As I wander along the historic walls enjoying its rich heritage and amazing Art Trail during the Fairway Galle Literary Festival, I try out the hot and spicy snacks sold from simple wooden carts made from wagon wheels, which once transported people in an out of the old city. Here, recycled school bags sell sweet treats like ‘pineapple covered in sugar’ or ‘salt and chilli mix’, a cooling combination and a wonderful accompaniment to enjoying the views of the Indian Ocean. The sea thunders and whooshes over the black rocks that the fort is named after and which saved the city from being destroyed by the tsunami in 2004.
Reinventing itself over the centuries, even decades and sometimes even daily, seems to be second nature to Galle Fort. The joie de vivre of the inhabitants, young and old, native and foreign, is seen in gusto during the Fairway Galle Literary Festival. Strolling down the cobbled Leyn Baan Street in Galle Fort, I discover that Serendipity Arts Café at 65 Leyn Baan street has re-opened, with a delicious blend of sweet and spicy aromas coming from the kitchen, which set my senses alight before I even find a table at which to sit and observe the eclectic mix of people as they stroll past. Asker, the wonderful Serendipity Arts Café cook, beams an enormous smile at me, as his mischievous four year old daughter, Simrah, races over and asks me what I want. It is like a home away from home, where travellers and families alike can share their experiences of The Emerald Isle over a hot brew of homegrown ‘lemongrass and honey tea’ or a ‘rice and curry banquet’.
It is great to see that the café has reopened after being closed for so long and re-invented itself with exciting weekly cooking classes. As well as being the cook, Asker Nasoordeen is also the Manager, who has created a menu of delicious meals that include sizzling sauces, which he refers to as his Galle Fort Signature dishes. They are in a word, mouthwatering, when poured over spicy mango prawns in a chilli onion and garlic combination. Asker, who describes himself as a cook and not a chef, is a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay and says he loves to study the way he has become the rock star of master chefs, as shown by Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen. Asker, I learn, combined his early career with being a fitness instructor. Trying out his new uniquely styled sauces and sweet and sour blends is an absolute must for the connoisseur and the adventurous eater.
In the fort, there are now an overwhelming number of fine dining venues, haute cuisine, both traditional and modern fusion, yet, Asker explains humbly, “My cooking successes are based on fresh ingredients, and having a passion to create dishes out of love.”
He enjoys creating unusual dishes like ‘spicy egg with saffron rice’ that could be a meal in its own right and ‘crab curry in a spicy cinnamon curry sauce’ that is popular with his regular customers. Asker explains, with a twinkle in his eye, serving up a rice and curry banquet to me, for lunch, “Whatever you do, do it to your maximum and do it from your heart. Treat the guest as you would treat yourself - with kindness and good spirit.”
Asker laughs with joy, as he chops up fresh herbs for another customer’s salad, in his open plan kitchen, that one can watch him in the old warehouse, open plan restaurant. I learn, as he explains the options for pudding, that cooking is not just an art form, but also requires a rigid routine, “The best way to learn discipline (even in the fitness industry) is to create good operating systems and serve the same dish over and over again, always making sure it tastes the best. Asker does not want to do things in a big way, as he believes in slow cooking, small groups and guests that enjoy old-fashioned hospitality.
“I want us to cook well for a few and be well known in Galle Fort for quality and not quantity (I know there are better chefs than me and places with huge teams) but when someone is searching for a place to have tea, coffee or a fabulous meal or just a dessert, the Serendipity Arts Café is different, as here you will always enjoy a friendly family service with the real island flavours wafting through the old warehouse walls.”
Talking about his Galle Fort cooking classes, which he started five years ago working at Spoons on Peddler Street, his one tip to people trying to follow in his footsteps is, “Don’t be afraid to fail. Also give children nutritious food to develop their brains, and not junk. From their childhood, they should learn discipline when it comes to eating, and from there they will learn to choose to be healthy and stay strong - otherwise, they will eat junk food and get sick.” As Asker looks fondly at his daughter he reveals, “My daughter loves dishes like grilled chicken with (curried seasonings) sautéed spicy vegetable and saffron rice. I disguise salad in burgers so she gets enough weekly greens. She also loves fresh juices with mint and lime, and curry leaf juice, which are good for your digestion, and getting you back onto a healthy track.
Asker’s dream is to write a cook book called, ‘My Galle Fort Recipes’ and run classes that go beyond showing you how to make things by telling people why the different spices are used. In the long term, he wants to create his own product range ‘The Deeno Cooking Sauces’ as a brand. So, if you want to join the lovers of the ‘slow cooking is good cooking’ world, email: [email protected] and make a reservation with [email protected] - you really won’t regret it. Just remember to take a book as slow cooking takes time or some friends to chat with and enjoy eating at a local family run restaurant during the Fairway Galle Literary Festival and ART TRAIL, where you will truly enjoy the art of great cooking in a space that celebrates everything about the arts.
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