Britain’s love for Indian food has been going strong since the boom of curry houses in the 1950s and ‘60s. There are now over 9,000 Indian restaurants in the UK, spanning the spectrum of Anglicised high street takeaways, region-specific eateries and Michelin-starred temples to fine dining. But when it comes to the food of Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation just twenty-seven kilometres off the coast of southern India, a lot of us assume it’s no different to what’s found on the subcontinent.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sri Lankan dishes are fresh, vibrant, distinct and starting to become known in their own right thanks to a clutch of restaurants in London. First there was Hoppers, which introduced people to the Sri Lankan savoury pancake of the same name (alongside other southern Indian dishes). Now there’s Kolamba, a modern restaurant in the heart of Soho with a more focused approach to authenticity and the sorts of dishes cooked and eaten in homes across the island.