The biggest joy of visiting a country, for me at least, is the food.
Before our honeymoon in Sri Lanka, I’d watched Rick Stein bounding around, enthusiastically tasting Sri Lankan food with a big smile on his face, and I couldn’t wait to eat everything. Once there, the rich subtleties of the delicious food really blew me away.
After two weeks of indulging, eating, sleeping and sunbathing away our wedding stress, I wanted to learn the secrets of Sri Lankan cuisine. Then unexpectedly I got my chance.
Arriving at a guesthouse on a tea plantation near Nuwarya Eliya, we were ready for lunch. After hearing the extensive menu, it became clear that the chef wasn’t there. He’d gone to the town and wouldn’t be back for a few hours. And the manager had no idea how to cook our orders. What to do?
When my new husband offered me in the chef’s place, the manager looked relieved. And that’s how I found myself bustling around the kitchen while the hotel manager handed me utensils, ingredients, and freshly picked herbs from the garden. It was great. I was so happy to be back in the kitchen!
We were less pleased when we got the large bill for lunch on the final day. The ingredients had been cheap, and labour was, well, me. But in exchange for my ‘assistance’, the chef offered to teach me Sri Lankan cooking on our two remaining nights.
Sri Lankan curry, or Rice and Curry as the meal is referred to, always includes a balanced meal of lentil daal, a mild coconut curry, a hot red curry, a salad with onions, vegetables and lime juice, a tempered curry, plain rice and popadoms.
The flavours are simple, but delicately spiced and delicious.
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Pho Vietnam- Vietnamese Restaurant
Address: 71 Rosmead Pl, Colombo 10007, Sri Lanka
Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 9PM
Phone: +94 117 386 565
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Canara Soup Cabin
Address: QWV4+GCP, Moratuwa – Piliyandala Rd, Piliyandala, Sri Lanka
Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 10PM
Phone: +94 71 632 1998
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Street Soup Hut
Address: WVF2+3J2, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 10:30PM
Phone: +94 77 952 2233
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Najla Soup Cafe
Address: WVQ7+65P, Abdul Hameed St, Colombo 01200, Sri Lanka
Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 11PM
Phone: +94 71 554 4757
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Sunlight Garden Chinese Sea Food Restaurant
Address: 52 Abdul Caffoor Mawatha, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka
Hours:
Closed ⋅ Opens 6PM
Phone: +94 114 342 666
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Siam House Restaurant
Address: 17 Melbourne Ave, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 11:30PM
Phone: +94 112 595 966
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