316, Ethul Kotte Road, Battaramulla
This place has closed down
Ginza On The Edge is the suburban successor to the Hilton’s Ginza Hohsen. It's on the 1st floor of Waters Edge and offers high-end Japanese with excellent service to boot.
Ginza On The Edge is one of the more senior Japanese restaurants on the block. Namesake of the former Ginza Hohsen, Ginza On The Edge offers a very complete Japanese dining experience. Their prices definitely fall on the higher end, but it’s possible to manage under 2k if you order the right stuff.
The spiritual successor to Hilton’s Ginza Hohsen, Ginza On The Edge offers a mostly traditional Japanese menu with pretty much all the quintessential dishes. Their probably best known for their teppan dishes, which we focussed on during our last visit, but this time around we tried out their sushi variations. While their stuff is pricey (Rs. 2,500 per head, in our case), we came away quite satisfied with both the food and the level of service.
We started off with the Nigiri Teishoku (Rs. 1780). Teishoku is a general term used for pre-set meals, but this one was presented more like a bento box. It comes with five types of nigiri (tuna, shrimp, squid, white fish and crab stick), assorted tempura, salad, pickled veges and miso soup. They’ve got a bunch of other bento and teishoku options as well, so these are probably the best way to keep the cost down.
All five of the nigiri were on point with fresh seafood, well cooked rice and just the right amount of wasabi. The knifemanship was also quite impressive, akin to what we’ve seen from the likes of Nihonbashi and Zen.
The assorted tempura consisted of two large shrimp, squid, carrot and egg plant. We liked the thickness and the crunch of the batter, though we felt it could have done with a bit more seasoning, but nothing a bit of soy couldn’t fix. All in all we think this is a good deal, however, we felt that salad could have probably been replaced with some maki or kaizen don to add more value.
Next up we went for two half portions of the spicy tuna uramaki and ikura uramaki (Rs. 435 + Rs. 785). This was actually a brilliant suggestion from the waiter (Sujith, if I’m not mistaken). The spicy tuna is the perfect sushi for locals since it still has the freshness of traditional sushi with a huge spice kick and a bit of crunch from the crushed tempura coating. This is the flavoursome kind of spice so it doesn’t linger and burn.
Follow that up with that the ikura urmaki and you’ve got a roller coaster of flavours going on inside your mouth. Ikura means roe, but this one was actually more of a salmon-avocado maki with roe on top. It was the perfect combo with the spicy tuna because of the contrast of the creaminess of the avocado and slightly fatty salmon.
The Pork Shogayaki (Rs. 590) had the right flavours going on with distinct sweetness and flavour of the ginger coming through. The problem, however, was that the pork itself was overcooked, possibly because it was was shredded quite thin.
For dessert we tried the azuki with shiratama (Rs. 450), which is more or less mochi on a bed of red bean paste. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of short grain glutinous rice which has a wonderfully soft and smooth texture with a light sweetness. The red bean paste is where most of the sweetness comes from with the flavour of the red bean lingering on the palate. Mochi is actually quite rare in Colombo so we’re glad Ginza’s got it. Cafe Japan does a variation of it known as Daifuku mochi where there red bean paste is stuffed into the mochi.
Ginza sticks to a relatively simple and traditional look with an all wooden set up and large windows all around so there’s plenty of natural light. They’ve got a few tatami tables set up on the side for folks who want to have a more private meal, and seating outside on the terrace, if you feel like having your meal overlooking the green.
Service on our visit was exceptional. We dropped in for lunch when only two other tables were occupied, so it all felt very personal. The waiters were friendly and attentive, but not overtly so. Their suggestions were great, and when they weren’t sure of certain details, they didn’t hesitate to call in the manager for assistance.
Ginza isn’t your everyday Japanese eatery, but if you’re looking for a more high end experience, it’s right up there with some of the best Colombo has to offer. With a renowned teppan selection and equally impressive sushi, they’ve got all their bases covered.
Ginza On The Edge is the suburban successor to the Hilton’s Ginza Hohsen. It's on the 1st floor of Waters Edge and offers high-end Japanese with excellent service to boot.
Ginza On The Edge is the suburban successor to the Hilton’s famous Ginza Hohsen. It's on the 1st floor of Waters Edge and offers high-end Japanese.
Ginza On The Edge is the suburban successor to the Hilton’s famous Ginza Hohsen. The new Ginza is on the 2nd floor of the stylish new Water’s Edge (hence the “On The Edge”), and offers high-end Japanese.
Address
316, Ethul Kotte Road, Battaramulla
Directions
Come towards Battaramulla on Rajagiriya Road, turn left after the Diyatha Uyana to the Waters Edge Entrance. Walk in up the main stairs and before entering the lobby, turn right, towards the wooden staircase. Ginza is up these stairs, at the end of a long carpet corridor.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyThis place has closed down
Cuisine
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Ratings Breakdown
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Best rolls in Colombo in my opinion. Didn't try the sashimi, but the rolls were exceptional. It's not THAT expensive, and worth every rupee for the quality. Bit quiet at lunch times, so the atmosphere was lacking. Service was great.
Agree with Jono - this review makes it seem exorbitant. I'm not sure how you can say Nihonbashi is affordable but Ginza is crazy expensive.
The rolls definitely are the items to go for here.
Stupidest place all staff busy with either tea breaks or chatting poor service
Am not agree with Joseph Michael as Ginza is the best Japanese Restaurant in Colombo since 1987. Staff is very polite and they look after the guests very carefully. Ginza was in Hilton Colombo for 26 years and have received commendation certificate from the ambassador of Japanese Embassy.
Best place for fresh sushi .sashimi and Teppan.
Not so expensive .you will get the value for money
Yes you are right. Ginza is my favourite Japanese Restaurant. If you have a craving for Japanese food in Sri Lanka, you are not going to find any place better than Ginza. Compared to most restaurants in SL, This is a place I continue to come back to and it never disappoints me. Staff is really highly friendly and helpful.
Yes. You are right… Ginza is my favourite Japanese Restaurant. If you have a craving for Japanese food in Sri Lanka, you are not going to find any place better than Ginza. Compared to most restaurants in SL, This is a place I continue to come back to and it never disappoints me. Staff is really highly friendly and helpful
We were prompted by the review and comments so much so that we have visited Ginza on the edge many on many occasions and have been very pleased every time. Yes, it is a bit 'pricey', but what you get is well worth it… We would recommend it to anyone who facy Japanese food. Ginza is one of the best in town.
Excellent Japanese High Tea on 29th August 2015…. One of the good place for high tea as for a hangout while dining with friends for nearly 3 hours. Food variation is considerably satisfied for the amount you pay. The service is good. Surely We will come back…
Am patronizing Ginza Japanese Restaurant since 1987 when it was at Hilton and now it has been re located at Waters Edge 2F at Battaramulla.Every time we were at Ginza highly admired the friendly service of the staff and the food other than any other place.
Shabu shabu,Spicy Tuna Maki and nigiri sushi ,Gyoza and all the other items in the menu can be recommended without any hesitation. They maintain the taste , quality and the freshness of the food all the time,Most of the ingrediance and fish items are importing from Japan.I we want to enjoy Japanese food Ginza is the place to go for us.
5/5
Gustof
More like real Japanese food for us. We love this place!
5/5
Anikalee
Rated 5/5
4/5
ASHANIJ
Rated 4/5