Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | Damindra
Combining the Japanese and Sri Lankan kitchens with fresh Scandinavian ingredients, Damindra Tillekeratne continues to amaze and delight Copenhageners as his restaurant, Damindra, celebrates its tenth anniversary.
Celebrating ten years in a league of its own Having just celebrated its tenth anniversary, the Japanese gourmet restaurant Damindra and its owner Damindra Tillekeratne continue to surprise and astonish guests. From start to finish, a meal at the intimate and exclusive restaurant is saturated by the Sri Lankan chef’s open, creative and playful approach to food, people and life as a restaurateur.
all over the world. Today, ten years on, Tillekeratne continues to successfully combine the two to surprise and amaze guests.
By Signe Hansen | Photos: Damindra
Located in the heart of Copenhagen, a short stroll from the buzzing Nyhavn strait, Damindra presents an extraordinary experience. What puts the restaurant in a league of its own is an intangible quality personified by Tillekeratne himself. His fingerprints are on everything from the Japanese-inspired ikebana flower decorations, which he makes himself, to the personalised service that often includes a visit by him at the table, and of course the restaurant’s delicate signature dishes such as the popular sizzling sashimi. “My passion is to show my guests new sides of Japanese food. It’s to make people happy and satisfied while they are at my restaurant. I want my guests to taste exclusive food in a kind, warm and welcoming atmosphere; I want to surprise them and give them more than they expect. That’s my responsibility, and it’s my dream come true 24 | Issue 94 | November 2016
when it happens,” says Tillekeratne, who is always at the restaurant. Damindra’s exclusive and intimate atmosphere and impressive wine menu have made it a favourite with a wide range of guests, from romancing couples to international foodies and local business people. Most important is of course the food. Several branches of Japanese cuisine inspire the menu, which presents an ever-changing selection of fresh delights in an array of colours and tastes prepared from scratch with fresh Scandinavian ingredients. “My passion for food started in the family kitchen in Sri Lanka, a place bursting with spices. Later, I became fascinated with Japanese cuisine and today I often combine the two,” explains the Sri Lankan-born chef, who founded Damindra in 2006 after working in various restaurants
For more information, please visit: www.damindra.dk and www.facebook.com/Restaurant Damindra