COLOMBO: The Vethodys, a family of Malayali entrepreneurs with roots in Kerala and Sri Lanka, have brought back to life a slice of Colombo’s colonial past with the re-launch of their extensively renovated 135-year-old iconic Hotel Nippon situated in the heart of the capital’s business district. “Nippon” as it is popularly known, occupies Manning Mansions in Slave Island, a place which the 16th Century Portuguese rulers of Colombo had used to house slaves brought from Africa. Being one of the oldest buildings in Colombo, Manning Mansions were designated as one of its “heritage” buildings by the Sri Lankan Department of Archeology with strict rules for their upkeep. Hotel Nippon found its place in cinematic history when it was featured in David Lean’s Academy Award-winning film Bridge On The River Kwai shot in Ceylon in the mid-1950s. According to Dr.Valsan Vethody, a Director of the hotel, some of the indoor shots of the Japanese army headquarters were shot in Nippon, and its then joint proprietor, Greg Roskowski, a Polish émigré, had acted in the film as one of the British Prisoners of War. Read the full article on The New Indian Express
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We were a family who rarely ate from out, as my mum was and still is someone who promotes homecooked food be it rice and curry, cakes and desserts or short eats. There was a short list of food items which were not homemade, that we were allowed to indulge in as kids, and among them was the Nippon Mutton Rolls from Hotel Nippon. So naturally, we had to give them a try.
“Hotel Nippon has been around for a while. In fact, I believe it was one of the first five hotels in Sri Lanka amongst the likes of The Grand Oriental Hotel, The Galle Face Hotel and The Grand in Nuwara Eliya,” says Vishnu V. Vethody, Director, Hotel Nippon (Pvt.) Ltd. He goes on to add, “Even though a lot has changed since its inception, and even though the initial theme and food styles may have altered over time, there's one thing that has remained rock solid and unchanged – the recipe of our Nippon Rolls. Especially the Nippon Mutton Rolls.” Vishnu says hearing about the stories in relation to the rolls over the last few weeks have been overwhelming, “People get absolutely nostalgic and swear that the first bite of the Mutton Roll just takes them decades back into their past, to one of their fondest memories.”
The hotel which has remained with Vishnu’s family for decades is also preserved by the Archaeology Department as a ‘Heritage Building’ and has undergone a massive facelift to bring it back to its former glory while also revamping its image and bringing in the customers of old and welcoming in the new. The hotel is home to The KAFÉ which in turn, is home to the famous Nippon Rolls. In time to come, they will be introducing Kerala street eats at the café.
Read the full article on life.dailymirror.lk