Take your tastebuds on a trip to Sri Lanka
Buriani, kothu, hoppers and devilled fish are just a few of the punchily spiced delights this cuisine has to offer
Beyond the lush tea plantations and scenic train rides, the highlight of my visit to Sri Lanka eight years ago was definitely the food. From the meals provided at homestays to roadside “short eats”, I was completely captivated by devilled fish, string hoppers, mutton rolls and kothu.
Until relatively recently, the UK’s love affair with South Asian food has focused primarily on often Bangladeshi-owned “Indian” curry houses and Pakistani grills. While Sri Lanka’s signature dishes deploy familiar spices — cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, curry leaves and mustard seeds — their foundations frequently lie in the richness of coconut and the tang of tamarind.
For some time, you had to be willing to look for these flavours in long-established diaspora restaurants, mostly found in outlying areas of the capital, such as Wembley, Harrow and Tooting. The 2015 arrival in Soho of the Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Hoppers was a watershed moment that introduced Sri Lankan food to central London diners and paved the way for the likes of Kolamba, just down the road, and Rambutan in Borough Market.
With halal chicken and lamb on the menu and three more branches — Shoreditch, Marylebone and King’s Cross — Hoppers has never disappointed me yet. The original Soho branch is intimate, with wooden seating, kitschy decor and vintage posters on the walls. Its hot butter squid (£12.50) and mutton rolls with chilli ketchup (£10) are solid starter choices.
The Sri Lankan lamb shoulder buriani (£26) is a centrepiece to share with friends. While restaurant biryanis are often underwhelming, that’s far from the case here. The boneless lamb shoulder is meltingly tender and the layered rice perfectly balanced with Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. It’s the sort of dish anyone would be happy to serve at an opulent wedding. The curry leaf and mustard raita (£4) is a luxurious, cooling and wonderfully complementary accompaniment.
If that’s not enough for you, the Kerala fish curry (£17) is a personal favourite, featuring delicate sea bass fillet in an aromatic coconut sauce with a mild kick of mustard. There are reasons why this place has been one of my West End standbys for so long.
Trinco Bay, meanwhile, is based in the Rayners Lane area of Harrow — one of London’s established hubs for Sri Lankan food. All of its meats are halal and there are extensive fish and seafood options. A whole section of the menu is dedicated to “devils”. These fiery, sour stir fries are wildly popular across Sri Lanka and options include chicken, prawn, kingfish, mutton, squid and seafood (£11-£14). My tip is to go for the prawns, which work really well with this combination of piquant spices, chillies and onions.
“Short eats” is the Sri Lankan name for street food snacks, often made of curried vegetables or meat and served in a white wrap with a crisp crumbed coating. At £3.25 for a portion of two mutton rolls, you can’t go wrong. A range of burianis is available too, including mutton, crab, chicken and kingfish (£10.50-£12.50).
The kothus, shredded roti or another carbohydrate stir-fried with vegetables, eggs and meat of your choice (£8-£12), and thosais, paper-thin dosas made from rice batter and served with coconut chutney and sambar (£6.50-£8.50), are authentic Sri Lankan staples not to be missed.
Kothus are built to your preference with either roti, string hoppers or puttu (steamed wheat/rice flour) as base. They can include curried chicken, mutton, veg or seafood and be prepared at your chosen heat level. Spice is not to be taken lightly here. Authentic Sri Lankan food, even in coconut-based dishes, is notoriously hot.
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The roti chicken kothu (£10) is a good entry-level order and the appam (sweet hopper) is a good way to finish off. Options range from classic coconut milk (£2.75) to caramel Biscoff, and strawberries and cream (both £3.25).
For readers not in London, Sri Lankan cuisine is a little more scarce. Nadu, however, is a great stop if you are visiting or passing through Bristol. It serves halal chicken and lamb, and its parottas (£7 for 2) are freshly made to order. Multi-layered and flaky while still buttery and soft, they’re the perfect thing to mop up an aubergine, shrimp or fish kari (£14-£18).
Nadu’s standout dish is the large-plate roast chicken sizzler, marinated in a signature blend of tamarind, curry powder, cardamom and clove spice, then served on a theatrically crackling pan (£15). The bird’s crispy, charred skin gives way to a truly succulent interior. The devil crispy prawns (£12) are light and airy – no claggy batter here — and the heat really hits after a few seconds. Addictive.
With about 70% of the UK’s Sri Lankan diaspora living in London’s suburbs, there are plenty more down-to-earth, budget-friendly London restaurants to explore. One of my favourites is Kothu, which got its start at food markets in the Midlands and now has three brick-and-mortar branches in Harrow, Tooting and Croydon. Order the king prawn poriyal (£12), devilled kingfish (£12.50) and the aubergine curry (£8). You’ll thank me for it.
