Ginza Hohsen | Restaurant Review

 A taste of Japan in the heart of Colombo

Ginza Hohsen is a little Japanese oasis located in Galadari Hotel. The fresh cuisine is an ode to their dedication to remaining truly authentic.

 

Starters

Sashimi Maguro – LKR 2,900 

This gorgeously presented platter of tuna sashimi is so fresh and full of flavour! Both the colour and texture were just right and left you wanting more.

 

Sake – LKR 2,100 

Similar to the maguro, the sake or salmon sashimi was not only perfectly plated but it had the brightest colour and the flavours weren’t fishy at all.

 

Sushi

Spicy Tuna Maki – LKR 1,550 

Consisting of nori (seaweed), sushi rice, and sashimi-grade tuna, these little mouthfuls were bursting with flavour. The tuna melts in your mouth and there is a subtle kick from the Ichimi Togarashi (one flavour chilli pepper) that really completes the flavour profile of the whole dish. The portions are quite large as well. Our pictures only display half portions; each sushi dish comes with 8 pieces.

 

Ebi Furai Maki – LKR 2,100 

This sushi is made with crispy golden brown tempura shrimp covered in sushi rice and seaweed. As opposed to other sushi that tends to melt in your mouth, this has a nice crunch to it as you bite down. It tastes amazing alone or with a splash of soy sauce. The portion size again was impressive; I struggled to eat it all in one go!

 

Mains

Ramen – LKR 2,700 

As a weeb* myself, I’ve tried a good deal of ramen in my life. Ginza Hohsen has easily stolen the show and I can comfortably claim that it’s the best ramen I’ve had in my life. The broth had the ideal umami flavour along with thick, soft noodles that absorbed the broth. The egg was cooked just right with a bright yellow gooey yolk. Large pieces of succulent pork made your mouth water at just the sight of it. The portion size again was impressive and overall a hearty dish!

 

Mixed Grill TeiShoku – LKR 3,800 

If you’re not looking for just one type of meat for your meal, this is the perfect dish for you. The dish consists of chicken, beef, mushroom, shrimp, fish fillets, onions, and okra. Each item had smoky undertones that complemented the other well. The special garlic sauce paired with the platter was divine and elevated the dish to another level. The platter comes to you sizzling hot on a cast iron pan, the aroma wafts all around so you’re bound to want to devour the whole thing despite how full you’ll become. Paired with sides of white rice, a delicious salad, miso soup, pickled ginger, and fresh watermelon and pineapple, you’re sure to be satisfied to your heart’s content.

 

Ise Ebi Tenjyu Set – LKR 4,400 

Ise Ebi or Japanese spiny lobster is one of Ginza’s premium sets consisting of deep-fried lobster on top of sticky rice, lobster soup, pickled ginger, salad, and fresh pineapple and watermelon. The fried lobster had both sweet and savoury elements; however, unlike normal sweet and sour dishes, the sweetness wasn’t the main component. When eaten with the rice, it had an excellent flavour profile. The lobster soup wasn’t overpowering; instead, it was very subtle which made it easy to eat while complementing the other components of the set. Trying to eat the flesh of the lobster in the soup was a bit of a challenge and it got messy but that’s part of the whole experience. A little bit of soy sauce goes a long way with the delicate flavour of the dish so be careful not to lose the flavour of the lobster.

 

Desserts

Ginger Jelly – LKR 360 

Homemade jelly infused with ginger; if you’re a big fan of ginger like many of us out there, you’ll love this. It’s different from how Sri Lankan dishes usually incorporate ginger into savoury dishes. This little twist is unique!

 

Coffee Jelly – LKR 360 

This time the jelly was infused with coffee. Now, this isn’t a subtle flavour profile and has a pretty good kick to it, so be warned.

 

Homemade Ice Cream – LKR 750 

Matcha

Creamy and sweet ice cream infused with matcha. The matcha gives it a slight bitterness. Unfortunately, matcha isn’t my favourite flavour, so I couldn’t appreciate the dish fully.

 

Red Bean

My favourite of all the ice creams, they had a unique nutty sweetness from the red beans that I loved! I could have a whole tub of this.

 

Black Sesame

Much like with the matcha, sesame isn’t my favourite flavour, so once again I wasn’t able to enjoy the dish to its full extent. However, I must say that the texture and every other aspect of the ice cream were perfect.

 

Drinks

S.O.B – LKR 1,200 

Containing cherry and vodka, this was slightly strong but what good drink doesn’t have a kick to it? It was a gorgeous pink colour and was presented perfectly.

 

Mint & Ginger – LKR 600 

The perfect refresher after those hearty meals. The mint was sharp and melted into the ginger making it delicious!

 

Ambience

As you walk in through the doors, you’re transported to what feels like a small Japanese oasis. The walls are decorated with authentic and cultural art, traditional clothes, and decorations from the country. The location is very pristine; you can tell that the staff and management are very proud of their work.

 

Extra notes

The food was prepared fresh and quickly by the amazing staff. They were extremely kind and accommodating. The whole experience was amazing and I would totally recommend everyone to try the cuisine here.

*weeb: a term used to define someone who is obsessed with Japanese culture.

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