New in Colombo: Wildish, Kiri Kōpi and a smash burger counter

Colombo opens restaurants in waves, and this one leans casual. Three places worth knowing about, each solving a different problem.

Wildish sits inside Capitol TwinPeaks and comes from the team behind Wild Cookbook, which is the useful thing to know about it — the cooking has a point of view rather than a menu assembled from what sells. Go for dinner rather than lunch; the room works better at night.

Kiri Kōpi, at 76/1 Flower Road in Colombo 7, is a coffee shop and bakery open daily from 8am to 8pm, with the kitchen closing at 4pm. That last detail matters more than it sounds: arrive at six and you are having coffee and whatever is left in the case, which is a fine evening but not the one you planned. Morning is when this place is at its best.

Smash Burger, at 381 Galle Road in Colombo 4, does one thing. Handcrafted burgers, a short menu, no ambitions beyond that. It is the answer to a specific question at a specific hour and it answers it well.

What these three have in common is worth noting. None of them is a hotel restaurant, and Colombo dining has been dominated by hotel restaurants for years. Independent rooms with their own identity opening at this rate is a change in the city, not just a change in the listings.

If you have been to any of these, the review form on each venue page is open — first-hand accounts of a new opening are worth more than anything written from a press release, this one included.