The Colombo air is buzzing with excitement shrouded around the opening of the One Galle Face, which promises to be Sri Lanka's largest international mall as of yet. With the view of the Galle Face Green, one of Colombo's most iconic and scenic views, One Galle Face is definitely roaring to go, with an arsenal of exciting additions, introduced to our island home for the first time!
The One Galle Face, equivalent to eight football pitches, here's a sneak peek from us at YAMU!
First Impressions
Spectacular. So spectacular that even the President himself couldn't contain his excitement and decided to open it earlier than the scheduled time!
The great thing about One Galle Face is the fact that it has something for everybody, and of course with a retail space this big, you could expect nothing less!
Each store differing from the other, with appealing decorations enchanting the window shoppers, whispering them to check them out, it's pure torture if you're a compulsive shopper. From some of the best action figures, mind-boggling toys that even us who are supposed to be adults find extremely entertaining, to gyms, classy curtains and even fancy underwear, it's got it all.
Spaciously arranged and not too congested, what with its first time experiences and the baffing food court – the Food Studio, One Galle Face lives up to its hype.
The Retail Space
Here's a quick breakdown of what each floor contains, in case you were as overwhelmed as us the first time you went.
Each floor containing up to 30 stores, it's a collection of all of the best establishments under the sun.
Level One
Level One is where you will be able to find most of the clothing items, from Calvin Klein, Charles and Keith, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Armani and multiple other establishments.
If you're on the lookout for a timepiece from one of the more expensive watchmakers, or if you're an ardent collector of pens, the first floor is yours. From establishments like Rolex, Parker, Omega, Longines, Chatham, Tissot; you'll be home.
Done with level one? Nope, there's more!
Level One is also home to the best jewellers in town, prepared to present to you the finest bling blings, and if you're looking for a fancy handbag to go with it, there are stores like Furla just for that.
You'll also find a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Abans and a Samsung in the mix. There were also stores like Tag Heuer which is scheduled to open in December.
Level Two
Level Two also contains clothes, but of a different sort altogether. Level Two is where you will find the stores that specialise in a particular sort of clothing; be it Indian, batik or anything along those lines – it has everything.
They also have a Hard Rock Cafe that is scheduled to open next year (in two months), and also have stores like Sona Mandhir, Exhibit, Jia Moda, Tribe, Jezza, Linen and I, Avirate, Coco, Raspberry, Firefly, Hameedia and some twenty others.
You can also find some good tea at Level Two at Zesta and Halpe Tea.
Level Three
Where else can you find a store specialised at golf supplies? ProGolf at Level 3 has got it all covered. Along with ProGolf you have other stores that have their roots intermingles with sport, like Adidas, Puma, Nike, Reebok, while also having stores like D-Blaq, US Polo Assn, Arrow and Live and Kicking. They also have the stores that promote clothing that is completely opposite to those refereed above; stores like Tuxedo Ceylon, that is scheduled to open later this year, in December.
You will also find quality stationery stores like Unik Creations, and also hand made utensils and ornaments at Midaya and The Pottery Shop.
Available here is also an iStudio and a Huawei.
Also, another unique feature is the fancy hairdressers and other stores specifically focused on grooming you. They have a place for foot rubs, BC -Nails and Lifestyle for, as the name suggests, your nails, Christelle Cutting Station for a haircut, and anything and everything you need for a quick fix.
Level Four
The 4th Level has to be the favourite of so many.
It starts off with the teasing of your olfactory senses; different stores like Sidhdhalepa, stores selling cinnamon, candy stores and fast food outlets, pleasant smells wafting from each of the stores as you walk by!
With the Candy Crush store, a paradise for young and old, with a McDonald's and an entire play area with Bumper Cars to keep the kids occupied while the parents do their shopping, everything in the fourth floor is also strategically placed.
You can find places that satisfy your every home need, from Cozy Linen, Light and Shade, Ximi Vogue and Home Lux while also being able to buy the best stuff for your child from Mothercare, Babycare, Glitz Kids, Belly Bees and the most exciting toys from Catchme.lk or The Toy Store!
There is also an Adventure Zone available for children between 2 and 12, along with a few cafes that are still to open.
Level Five
An assortment of all sorts of miscellaneous things can be found here at Level 5.
From paintings to plants, action figures (Collectique) to fancy underwear (Club House Vivaldi) and funky socks (Maze), gyms to jewellers, we loved it.
One of our favourites from here was the Training Yard, a gymnasium of the highest tier, who have an amazing array of equipment and a promising training plan, paired up with a place where you can get healthy food. We feel like this place is going to be the birthplace of many Instagram stories with (grind *fire emoji*) on it.
Level 5 also has a Lanka Hospitals branch, who are looking forward to, over the next few weeks, establish a consultation, pharmacy, lab and an emergency ward.
And let's not forget the amazing arcade.
With carnival music playing in the background, and an arsenal of arcade and carnival games (like the ones in the movies!), Newoice looks like the new up and coming place to hangout!
Dialog and Mobitel are also here, along with places like DineMore, Pasta Mania, Nut House, Ceylon Bee Honey, Chesma's Cookies and Mong Kok Chinese Restaurant.
Doctor Mobile, a clinic for mobiles, is also available here.
Level Six
The impressive PVR Cinemas take up most of this floor along with a spacious outdoor encampment where you can have food from British Pub, A Minute by TukTuk Colombo, TGIF, Oriental Gourmet and other such places, while also enjoying the view!
Lower Ground
Last but not least, and one of the most appealing aspects to a mall: the food court.
As you enter the food court, first you'll notice the restaurant collection by Food Studio – Thalappakatti, Twister, China Express, Sumatran Spice, Jeewa's, The Mango Tree, Shiok, Cheese Heads, Tokyo Shokudo, Suksamran Thai, and ETC.
And then, there's a whole bunch of other restaurants – from franchises like Pizza Hut, WAFL, Manhattan Fish Market and KFC, to familiar faces like Mitsi's Delicacies, Whight & Co., BreadTalk, David's Dangerously Delicious Char Siu, and Delifrance. We also spotted the stalls by Rancrisp Cashews, Gourmet Lanka, and Miniso too. This area also extends to a giant Keells Super branch.
The restaurants that belong to Food Studio have dedicated seating spaces which do not allow food from other restaurants in the food court. Therefore, it's better to keep that in mind as you sit down to enjoy your food.
This is just a brief roundup, and there are a lot more stores that are scheduled to open, like Chili's, and with these additions, it promises to become bigger and better. Do make sure that you visit the mall as soon as possible before you see all of it on the hundreds of social media updates by, er, everyone.
