Kolamba [Kolamba Studio Fils Interior Design]

AS we ease into spring, the new year begins in Colombo – one of the dual capitals of Sri Lanka. April marks the start of the Sinhalese and Tamil new year, two of the many communities in Sri Lanka whose mingled food cultures are now firmly on trend here in London.

Hoppers was one of the first restaurants to bring Sri Lankan food to the West End.

Named after the bowl-shaped crisp pancake, often served with a fried egg, the chain now has branches in Soho, King’s Cross and Marylebone.

Kolamba – the subject of this review – opened in Kingly Street near Oxford Circus in 2019 and will soon launch a second restaurant on Blossom Street in Spitalfields.

The location of this original Kolamba is testament to the restaurant’s enduring popularity.

Competition on this street is fierce. Next door is a Dishoom; a few steps down is Kingly Court, home to another dozen or so quality restaurants.

Kolamba has won awards for its interior design, which is apparently a homage to the “tropical modernism” movement inspired by Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.

“You feel transported,” remarked my friend as she scanned the menu. “It’s as if you’re down a back street in a far-flung country.”

There’s a clever blend of polished concrete with rustic touches. Look up and the extraction is disguised by trailing plants and gorgeous oversized lampshades.

On the walls, framed batik artworks pop with colour. The acoustics are spot on, too. The space was packed but never noisy – just the warm hum of happy conversation.

The food here is best described as home-cooking cranked up a notch or two – nothing too fussy or formal.

The menu is divided into Short Eats (snacky starters), larger dishes, sambols and rice and breads.

We loved Aunty Mo’s “Chatti” Roast: nuggets of tender, dry-fried beef served with a tangle of steamed rice and wheat flour noodles – the string hoppers. These are bathed in a fragrant turmeric and coconut gravy.

Kolamba offers plenty of choice for vegetarians and vegans, with options such as a dahl, fried okra and green cabbage sautéed with turmeric, mustard seeds and coconut.

The Pineapple Fry was a remarkable creation. Chunks of the sweet fruit are flash fried with spices, tiny baby shallots, chilli and curry leaves, resulting in a zingy, sweet-and-sour taste sensation.

Make sure to order the sambols, a kind of dry chutney or condiment. The classic version in Sri Lanka stars grated coconut mixed with red chilli, lime juice and onion; another is an umami-rich mix of caramelised onion and pounded salted fish.

My friend did take exception to her Pol Roti flatbread. It was nothing like a Malaysian or Indian-style roti, which are more thin and oily.

The specimen here was like a ship’s biscuit, bone dry and half an inch thick. But that’s the thing about Kolamba – the cooking is true to its roots and full of surprises.

Kolamba
21 Kingly Street, W1B
020 3815 4201
kolamba.co.uk
@kolamba.ldn