Try, if you can, to hark back to the 1920s and 1930s when Louise Brooks, Gloria Swanson, Coco Chanel, Zelda Sayre, and Josephine Baker were what Beyoncé is today. Think bias cut evening gowns in liquid satins and silks, tweed suits, flounces and frills and topped off by a cute beret or tilt hat. Consider the fact that a blind pig or speakeasy – an illicit liquor establishment – was in; this was after all, the Prohibition era when times were bad economically but Hollywood was on a roll. In my personal opinion, this was a period that led to a cementing of style and class that is still adored today by the likes of Lady Gaga and Tom Ford.
Times in the 1920s would have been bad, and they were; yet this particular speakeasy laying in wait mysteriously ensconced by a little flower shop on Mohamed Macan Mawatha is a brilliant reinvention that firmly belongs here in 2018. The brain child of Anika Fernando, the phrase – Ask for Fern – is a brilliant play on words and is a nod to her own surname. Garnering a string of academic achievements, she along with her brother Dimitry planned a bar that certainly is themed better than any other place I have been to in Colombo. The idea, I am told, lay marinating in Anika’s mind for 3-plus years before being carved intricately into reality – a reality that is found located on 32B Sir Mohammed Macan Markar Mawatha.
Let’s talk food: It is divine. Period. The menu is heavily representative of all things Asian; I’ve been told that the Pulled Beef Redang Bao, which is Indonesian style Beef Redang packed in a steamed Bao Bun with a serving of homemade Green Chilli Sambal, and the Mizo Glazed Salmon, which is Glazed Salmon with Coconut Foam complemented with Grilled Pumpkin and Garlic Green Beans, are firm favorites amongst patrons. This particular menu that is collated and curated by Chef Andri Jamil from Singapore is a definite hit and is sure to evolve as time progresses.
Scanning the menu, which sported style, font and calligraphy cues from the 1920s, I couldn’t help but visualize the name – Anna May Wong: that sultry Chinese American Hollywood star that Tinsel town adored – written in cursive hand in my brain. There’s plenty of choice here and the portions are ample; however, as Anika said: share plates is what they particularly promote. Maybe more conversation is desired among patrons here; this is a given since Ask for Fern is the talk of the town.
Food is good, but booze is better; Ask for Fern does not disappoint in this regard. An Acharu Cocktail sits marinating waiting to give you an alcoholic punch quite possibly one that’s as ferocious as having an argument with Johnny Torrio. Also opt for Where’s Wally Bastian? – A kaleidoscopic mix of Ceylon Arrack, King Coconut Water, Lime, Bitters and Sugarcane. Single Malt is cheaper than therapy one particular Facebook post on their page claims, and this I agree with. One could go on writing about the virtues of drinking the night away, but the experience is far better, don’t you agree?
If work is the meat of life then dessert is the pleasure so advises B. C. Forbes, and there is plenty of pleasurable experiences on the menu. After your gourmet adventure is done, I suggest that insidious craving for sugar is appeased by indulging in one of the best desserts that I have ever had – the Pandan Ondeh Ondeh with Palm Sugar Filling that is coated in Grated Coconut. Aside from all the positive reviews and the verbal accolades that have been gifted like a bouquet, this enterprise is something that should be admired for a completely different reason. That reason is the fact that something exceptional like this was dreamt up by a start-up-inspired individual who is as persistent as she is enterprising. More admirable, I would add, simply because she truly is the embodiment of this millennial generation – hardworking, inspirational, empowered, and meticulous when it comes to planning.
And so I shall conclude: Whether it is a night where (1.) caution should be flipped casually in the wind, or (2.) a romantic adventure needs a sense of initiation, or (3.) a casual arbitration among friends is the order of the day, or (4.) a simple night indulging in your favourite alcoholic vice is desired – I suggest you begin writing the pages of that particular experience at Colombo’s only speakeasy. Perhaps I tickled your curiosity; in which case, may I invite you to venture down that eerily lit path near the age-old Ramada Hotel, find that ochre-lit flower shop, and simply: Ask for Fern…
Written by Rohitha Perera