Sailing to Serendib: At this Mumbai diner, a Sri Lankan table becomes a site of memory, hospitality and repair

In early February, HyLo in Mumbai will momentarily turn its gaze south across the Indian Ocean. Over two days, the restaurant will host Sailing to Serendib, a Sri Lankan food pop up shaped as much by appetite as by responsibility. Conceived in collaboration with the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, Sri Lanka Tourism, and Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, the initiative brings together chefs, diplomats and hoteliers in response to Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in late November 2025 and left large parts of the island grappling with loss.

Sailing to Serendib has both direct and symbolic value, both in the realm of culture and rebuilding

The format is deliberately generous. A dinner and a brunch across 7 and 8 February 2026 present a wide spectrum of Sri Lankan cooking, while directing part of the proceeds to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund of the Government of Sri Lanka.

For Mayank Bhatt, Founder and CEO of All In Hospitality, the gesture grows out of a long held conviction about what restaurants can do when they step away from spectacle. “When we started HyLo and across the restaurants under All In Hospitality, this idea that food can build communities has always been central to how we think,” he says. Years of working alongside Culinary Director Mrignak Singh have led him towards honest cooking, deep respect for tradition, and flavours that feel rooted rather than performative.

The Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, Priyanga Wickramasinghe, situates the event within a wider understanding of cuisine as history made edible. “Sri Lankan cuisine is a cartography of its cultural dynamics, international relations, and migratory patterns,” she says, describing food as a record of movement and exchange rather than a fixed inheritance.

“Food is an intimate and non threatening form of experience,” Wickramasinghe notes, pointing out that after Cyclone Ditwah, the immediate concern was restoring access to food and livelihoods. Indian humanitarian aid, including ready-to-eat meals, formed part of that early response. Against this backdrop, the Mumbai pop-up carries both material and symbolic meaning. “In this sense, ‘Sailing to Serendib’ has both direct and symbolic value, both in the realm of culture and rebuilding,” she says

Wickramasinghe is careful not to frame Sri Lanka solely through the lens of disaster. “I think Sri Lanka’s resilience is an established fact,” she remarks, while emphasising that cultural exchange should continue outside moments of crisis.

While India and Sri Lanka share certain spice grammars and dining customs, he has been attentive to what differentiates Sri Lankan cooking at a technical and philosophical level.

“What has stood out is the intentionality behind Sri Lankan cooking, the restraint, the balance of spice, and the way ingredients are allowed to speak without unnecessary intervention,” Singh observes. The menu reflects that ethos. Live hopper stations anchor the experience, offering plain and egg hoppers with kattā sambal. From there, the spread moves through Chicken and Cheese Kottu, Jaffna Mutton Curry, Negombo style tempered prawns, cashew white curry, brinjal moju and coconut based gravies, supported by fragrant rice dishes scented with lemongrass and caramelised onions.

Desserts such as wattalappan, milk toffee, kokis and sesame balls complete the arc, while brunch expands into fried snacks, seafood and breakfast staples that speak to everyday Sri Lankan tables. Singh describes the structure as expansive rather than didactic. “The starting point for the menu was the idea of a traditional Sri Lankan feast, generous, layered, and meant to be explored,” he says. His aim is familiarity without dilution, allowing Mumbai diners to enter the cuisine on its own terms.

Sri Lankan Dinner

Date: 7th February 2026

Time:7:00 pm – 12:00 midnight

Venue: HyLo Taproom by Igloo, Ground Floor, JIO World Drive, MAKER MAXITY, Hylo Taproom by Igloo, G-30, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400051

Price: INR 6,000 per person

Sri Lankan Brunch

Date: 8 February 2026

Time: 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm

Venue: HyLo, Kala Ghoda, 2nd Floor, Building 30, K Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Price: INR 8,000 per person

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