eat in, eat out Kolamba

Eroshan Meewella's Soho restaurant celebrates all that is best about Sri Lankan home cooking, an enthralling combination of Sinhalese, Tamil, Moor, Dutch and Malay tastes

- EROSHAN MEEWELLA

It might be small but Kolamba's kitchen is mighty, sending out sharing plates layered with flavours to awaken your taste buds. From thin, delicate hoppers ready to be heaped with fragrant curries, to classic desserts you'll find hard to get anywhere else in London; it also does a brunch for those who want an extra spicy kick in the morning. kolamba.co.uk

MENU DECODER

JAGGERY

This dark, coarse, unrefined sugar is made from the sap of a palm tree. In Sri Lanka, kithul jaggery is especially prized, sourced from the fishtail palm. Fudgy and dark in colour, it's nibbled on with cups of tea and, in this case, used to add richness and sweetness to wattalapam.

COCONUT VINEGAR

Popular in Southeast Asia and India, coconut vinegar is made from the sap of the flowers of coconut trees. Rich in probiotics, it can be added to salad dressings, pickle juices and marinades, and it's said to be great at improving gut health.

CURRY LEAVES 

Fresh curry leaves are an essential part of Sri Lankan cooking, their subtle flavour rounding out the taste of a rich curry or dhal. The glossy green aromatics can be hard to find but dried will work, too. Just be sure to use slightly more when cooking.

PANDAN LEAVES

Pandan, also known as rampa in Sri Lanka, has long blade-like leaves with a flavour that's hard to pin down, the closest description being 'tropical' - there are hints of vanilla, coconut, some grassiness and even almond. As such, it works well in both sweet and savoury dishes, be it flavouring plain rice, using to wrap meat and fish or adding colour to coconut-based puds.

Kolamba hiri high cocktail 

SERVES 1 PREP 5 MINS | EASY