Ginza Hohsen Colombo’s legendary Japanese Restaurant

We are happy to see that Ginza Hohsen is still one of the best spots for authentic Japanese cuisine but even more that it’s now one of the more reasonable Japanese restaurants that one can easily dine in without compromising on quality...

text Panchali Illankoon

In the bustling city of Colombo, where new restaurants seem to come and go in the blink of an eye, there stands a culinary legacy that has weathered the tides of time. For nearly 40 years, Ginza Hohsen has positioned itself as one of Colombo’s most reputed spots for authentic Japanese cuisine, offering a dining experience that is as genuine as it is timeless. 

The name ‘Ginza Hohsen’  entered Colombo’s culinary scene in 1987, when the restaurant opened its doors for the first time at Hilton Colombo.  At a time when Japanese restaurants were far and few in the city, Ginza Hohsen quickly became a preferred favourite among lovers of Japanese cuisine. After 20+ years at the Hilton, Ginza relocated to Waters Edge, Battaramulla for several years before establishing itself at its  present location adjoining Colombo’s Galadari Hotel.  

Having created a name for itself by consistently maintaining its quality and standard for over four decades, the loyalty of its patrons continues to top Ginza as one of Colombo’s most preferred spots for authentic Japanese even today, despite the increasing number of Japanese dining options available in the culinary scene.

At the helm of this legacy is the owner and host Richard Balasuriya. Having left Sri Lanka in the late 70’s to work in the F&B industry in Japan for over 10 years, it was an offer to run a Japanese restaurant at the Hilton that brought him and his wife back to the country.  Since founding Ginza Hohsen, Mr. Balasuriya is still at the centre of the establishment’s operations, ensuring that it continues to uphold its good name and reputation among its patrons. Remarkably, it’s also not just the diners that remain loyal to Ginza Hohsen - many of the staff working  at the restaurant have been with him since the beginning, with some having been there for the full 37 years, while most have served for 15 to 20 years with Ginza. 

We have experienced the hospitality of Ginza Hohsen many times over the years and on our most recent visit, we were pleased to see that little has changed in terms of the quality and standard Ginza maintains for itself.  Here’s what we enjoyed on our visit,

Sashimi & Sushi

If you want a balanced mix of sashimi and sushi, Ginza’s platters are ideal. They have a variety of set platter options that range from a very reasonable Rs. 4,100 for 12 pieces upto Rs. 14,700 for a 32 piece platter.  For those who prefer to mix and match according to their preference, they have a make-your-own-platter option which we opted to do  in order to have a variety of both sashimi and sushi. 

We got salmon and tuna sashimi together with their Volcano Maki, Ebi Fry (prawn) maki and their Ikura Uramaki sushi – an inside out roll with salmon, tuna and avocado garnished with tobiko (fish roe) on top. The sashimi was neatly sliced and more importantly, fresh – the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth taste of the salmon was divine.  The Ikura Uramaki sushi was perfectly hand rolled and you can’t go wrong with a Volcano roll. For 20 pieces in our mix and match platter, it was priced at Rs. 10,000 which we thought was value for money. 

Bento Boxes 

If you want a little bit of everything, we think the Bento Box is the perfect option. Each bento is served with rice, miso soup, fresh salad and cut fruits. Ginza’s bento’s start from Rs. 2,900 for a Chicken Yakitori Bento and has options like Pork Katsu bento (Rs. 3,900), Grilled Salmon bento (Rs. 4,900) and Maki Sushi bento (Rs. 3,500) and a variety of other bento boxes with seafood like prawns, seer, eel as well as teppan. 

Ramen 

With ramen having its moment in the spotlight, Ginza is one of the few places that delivers on an authentic bowl of ramen. We opted for their Pork Ramen which was a bowl of pure comfort – chewy noodles, sliced pork paired with seaweed, spinach and jammy soft-boiled egg with the broth so rich and flavourful with just the right amount of umami.  It’s a no-fuss, no-frills kind of dish that was simply a delight to eat.

Teppanyaki 

Despite being close to being full, we couldn’t resist their Teppanyaki – food cooked on a hot iron grill. Ginza has teppanyaki courses you can opt for which come with a salad, miso soup, a side of rice and dessert or the meats and seafood can be ordered a-la-carte. 

What we love about Teppanyaki is how immersive and entertaining it is. It’s a meal with a lot of drama and flair–  our Teppan Chef Ajith started our meal with an impressive fire show and had us ‘ooh’-ing and ‘aah’-ing at his knife skills as he tossed them in the air mid-grilling.  The Tsuzumi course which we opted for had salmon, jumbo prawns, chicken and squid with vegetables and a side of garlic rice and was a course that can easily be shared among 2-3 people. 

If you are looking to entertain guests or want a fun and interactive dining experience, we definitely recommend opting for Teppanyaki. 

We are happy to see that Ginza Hohsen is still one of the best spots for authentic Japanese cuisine but even more that it’s now one of the more reasonable Japanese restaurants that one can easily dine in for under Rs. 5,000 without compromising on quality.  

Pics by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe/ginza