In this case, the initials JC stand for Jean-Charles, not that other JC—although some wags have quipped that his arrival in Negombo is very much a second coming!
That is, a second coming of Café Français, a stone’s throw from the beach after the closure of its prestigious namesake in Colombo’s Park Street, where it enjoyed considerable renown for many years.
Jean-Charles ‘JC’ Toussaint, (pictured), its CEO, was and still is determined to recreate CF’s inimitable French savoir faire and je ne sais quoi, with perhaps a soupçon of Gallic oh là là…
But why Negombo, you might ask? Says JC: ‘I am very confident about Negombo’s development, as many brands are setting up shop here.
‘I feel that within two to three years, Negombo will become the place to be due to its proximity to Colombo and the airport, and its vibrant tourism scene.’
So how has this gastronomic resurrection been received by beachside’s competitor restaurateurs? With open arms—or is it more a case of putting le chat parmi les pigeons?
Do those competitors see CF’s arrival as giving Brand Negombo a welcome tourism boost, which all the other local eateries could benefit from? In short, a harbinger of better things to come?
Or will they disdain it as merely a foreign upstart thinking it can beat the locals at their own game?
Leader
If anyone can be said to be a leader among Negombo’s local restaurateurs, it is Janaka Weeramanthri, long-time owner of the well-known Rodeo bar-restaurant.
He and his partner Gaia also run the successful BoHo cafe-restaurant in partnership with Jetwing Blue, the biggest local link in the island-wide hotel chain.
Janaka doubles as a prime mover and shaker in the Negombo Tourism Association (NTA)—which over the years has actually done little to actively promote and market the town as a tourist destination.
But it is worth paying attention to what he has to say—and he says that giving tourists, both foreign and domestic, a bigger and better choice of what and where to eat has got to be a good thing.
He also believes that if competition leads to an all-round improvement of Negombo’s tourism hospitality offer—better dining, better experience, better value, better mindset—that would also be a big plus.
He says; ‘It’s a very positive development to have Café Français in Negombo, and we are honoured to have them. It means the level of the service industry is going up, which can only benefit our tourism industry.’
No upstart
Richard Hyland is a foreign restaurateur in Negombo, but he’s no upstart. A chef trained in classical French cuisine, following his arriving in Sri Lanka in 2016 he was for four years Executive Chef for SriLankan Airline Catering.
After opening the Skinny Suddha cafe-restaurant in 2020, he took over the popular Cafe Zen in 2022, and opened the nearby Zen Beach in 2024. He and his wife have between them employed 33 local staff.
He says: ‘Café Français has got to be good news all round, not just for foreign and domestic tourism, but also to underline Negombo’s potential to attract more high-end local venues.’
He also believes that ‘foreigners add to the pool of knowledge and skill-sets within the industry, including service hygiene and a dedication to recycling’.
Entrepreneur
Meanwhile, Roy de Cruz is a Sri Lankan hospitality entrepreneur who spent many years in Singapore, where he trained as a top-class chef and ran his own popular upmarket restaurant.
He now owns and runs Prego, a signature Italian restaurant that raised Negombo’s hospitality bar with its combination of electic menu, stylish indoor and outdoor ambience—and a wine cellar second to none.
He also believes that the arrival of Café Français can only add to beachside’s gastronomic landscape, while at the same time raising awareness that Negombo has the potential to attract more visitors in its own right.
He says: ‘Negombo is the gateway to Sri Lanka, but many tourists bypass us on their way from the airport to the southern hotspots. Having French fine dining on the doorstep might prompt a few of them to make a detour…’
So if that age-old adage ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’ can be applied to tourists, the arrival of gastronomie française on Negombo’s beachside speaks for itself.
In which case, we can do no better than to let JC speak for himself:
‘Our goal has always been to promote French gastronomy with the use of quality ingredients.
‘In 35 years since the Pourcel Group’s creation, we have opened restaurants not only in France but all around the world including London, Marrakech, Casablanca, Bangkok, Tokyo, Shanghai, Bermuda, Mauritius, Geneva, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
‘We have always been drawn to Asia and its emerging markets, which is why in 2013 we felt it was only natural to open up in Sri Lanka.
‘In November 2014, we opened Café Français in Park Street in the heart of Colombo, and were welcomed by the local and expat communities.
Challenge
‘However, our biggest challenge was finding quality products. We quickly positioned ourselves as a brasserie and a bar which was the place to go and to be seen.
‘We had to train our staff in the fundamentals of Mediterranean cuisine and international service standards, which is why we brought in three chefs and a PR team from France.
‘Unfortunately, the financial crisis transformed Colombo’s atmosphere. Many expats left Colombo, and many Sri Lankans left the country to settle in Dubai, Australia and Canada.
‘Add to that the opening of several cheap establishments, the lack of tourism in Colombo, the unreasonable increase in rents, and it became unthinkable to remain in the capital.
‘In August 2024, after 10 years, I made the decision to close our restaurant in Colombo and move to Negombo.
‘Why Negombo?’
‘Everyone is opening up in the South, and I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. And I love the charm and village atmosphere that Negombo radiates.
‘Our target customers are a mix of tourists, expats and locals. We are starting to see people from Colombo coming here during the weekends—the proximity to Colombo is a major plus point for us.
‘In Negombo, the goal is to offer quality cuisine, which is why I try to work with only the small and best producers here on the west coast.
‘They include farmers who grow vegetables in their own gardens, organic chickens that are grain fed, and fishermen who deliver their freshest catch every morning.
‘The key is quality, quality, and quality!’
And who can argue with that?