Barefoot Cafe- Hidden
off a back alley way Barefoot is an oasis in an otherwise conjested
city. An extensive network of art and craft galleries, Barefoot also
boasts a charming cafe in an outdoor courtyard. The menu is more
continental than local cuisine, but had an impressive cross section of
choices. I started with a plate of hummus and vegetables. While the
hummus was a tad on the bland side the veggies were perfectly ripe and
crisp. A welcome surprise since ordering raw vegetables can at times. I
then moved on to a pasta dish which was one of the specials of the day.
Crisp herbs and veggies in a light sauce, it was a great meal for the
heat. It is the ambiance however, that makes Barefoot a worthwhile
destination. For lack of a better description, its exactly the sort of
place you hope you find when you're traveling. I could easily lose hours
sitting in the shade with a cold Tiger beer and a good book.
Crescat Boulevard- As
is typical for most of Asia, shopping centers boast a host of culinary
offerings. I found myself paying multiple visits to Crescat. At Roots,
the juice bar, you could quite literally get any fruit or vegetable you
could think of run through a juicer. And the results were always
excellent. I lament missing out on Avocado juice, and will remain on the
look out for future opportunities. The remained of the food court
boasted several good Indian spots, including an all vegetarian stand,
traditional Sri Lankan “Tennessee” chicken, and a hot dog cart that was
positively terrifying in the possible array of toppings.
Geragama Estate Tea plantation- I've
been on a lot of beverage tours over the years. As an avid tea drinker
however, I'd never been privy to the process that transforms a simple
leave on a tree into the elixer in my cup. Until now. Stepping out of
the car at Geragama, I'm nearly knocked over by the heavy aroma of
roasted tea that fills the air. Its glorious. Stepping in side, we are
greeted with a pot of tea to sample before embarking to see how it came
to be. Ceylon is of course known the world over for its tea. Geragama is
a raw manufacturing site; its teas are used as the base for blends
developed by the well known “Ceylon” labels. Geragama does not sell this
raw tea commercially; it is only available under the plantations own
label at the processing center. Once we finish the tea, our tour begins
with the arrival of baskets containing newly harvested tea leaves. The
leaves are plucked by hand to ensure only the bud and the two youngest
leaves are plucked. The plucked leaves are then weighed in, and first
quality inspection is made. The leaf is then moved to the factory where
they are withered using
large blowers. The next step in the manufacturing process is cutting
the leaves which releases the juices and begins the fermentation. After
fermentation is completed, the leaf is fired,
to lock in the flavor, to dry it and to improve the keeping qualities. Descending into the drying room truly is like walking into an oven on
the decent. And while heat fortunately rises, its not that much cooler
at ground level. Once the leaves are dried they are sorted based on
color and particle size of the tea: Orange Pekoe (O.P); Pekoe (Pek.);
Broken Orange Pekoe (B.O.P.); Broken Pekoe (B.P.); Broken Orange Pekoe
Fannings (B.O.P.F.); Flowery Orange Pekoe (F.O.P); Flowery Broken Orange
Pekoe (F.B.O.P.); and the Dust . Of this a small amount of tea remains
for sale at the plantation; the vast majority is shipped of the the
distributors to be bagged or blended into an ever increasing variety of
tea. The quality was obvious, and very much worth the extra attention.
I'll never see my basket of tea leaves in quite the same way.
No comments:
Post a Comment