A delicious meal in a quirky setting
Now, I’m not going to pretend to be the next Gordon Ramsay, I simply don’t usually get that emotional about food, but, I appreciate great food when it passes my lips and there are a few restaurants from my recent visit to Sri Lanka that deserve some serious praise. (I started off writing about the ‘top 3’ places, but simply couldn’t cut any of these out!)
King Coconut, Negombo
Go there, eat the seafood.
We walked past the giant plastic dinosaur in the front garden (no, I’m not sure what the relevance is) and into the open-fronted, almost shack-like restaurant to sit at our table by the beach. The World Cup was on offensively loud at the back but the staff were friendly and polite. My husband ordered the crab curry and I selected that night’s special – the seafood platter (lobster, crab, prawns, king prawns, seer fish, chips and vegetables – I’m full just thinking about it!) and we shared both meals between us.
The portions were huge but we finished every morsel. The curry was in the Sri Lankan style (but thankfully not as spicy as the local’s would have it!) and had marinated the fresh, whole crab beautifully. The seafood was plump, fresh and juicy – the best I have ever tasted (and I’ve lived by the sea as long as I can remember).
Self-Caught Tuna, Jungle Beach Resort, Trincomalee
One outrageously early morning, I went on a fishing trip with my husband. We fished in the local style – hand lines out the side of a fast-moving boat – and didn’t have so much as a nibble for hours. When my husband hooked a 15kg yellow fin tuna, we began imagining the delicious meals this beautiful fish could provide.
Our hotel did not disappoint and we were served lunch and dinner from the same fish (with plenty left to spare for the restaurant). For lunch we had sashimi (simply the deliciously fresh tuna served sliced and raw) with a side salad and it was like nothing I have ever tasted before. Not particularly ‘fishy’ but moist, meaty and filling.
At dinner, the chef served us each three huge fillets of flash-fried tuna, each with a different orange-based jus. Again, it was an incredible meal, made all the more momentous as we had hooked the fish ourselves just hours before. (It’s seems right to note that all the food in general at Jungle Beach was phenomenal.)
Helga’s Folly, Kandy
The main thing to note about Helga’s Folly is that it is simply the quirkiest place I have ever been in my life. Towering, dripped-wax candles, old photographs, mismatched and moth-bitten furniture, stuffed hunting trophies, strange paintings, a bat flitting around (inside)…the place oozes an Adams Family vibe. To complement this unique and senses-bashing setting, the service is personal and the food…divine.
We chose the set menu and were not sure what would be served. What came was an array of surprising and mouth-watering delights. Green curry soup served in a cup and saucer, Sri Lankan chicken curry with delicately cooked rice and veg, rich chocolate ice cream with a surprise chilli sauce at the bottom (I wished I hadn’t eaten all the ice cream before I discovered this part!) followed by Sri Lankan tea served in antique silverware. An absolute must-visit if you’re in the area.
The Train Carriage, Heritance Tea Factory, Nuwara Eliya
This is a dinner option at the fantastic Heritance Tea Factory Hotel and was the most romantic meal I think I’ve ever had.
The ‘conductor’/waiter himself is half the experience – his enthusiasm and dedication to creating a memorable evening is astounding. From the moment we boarded the restored train carriage to disembarking several hours (and seven delicious and carefully prepared courses) later, neither my husband nor I stopped grinning. I don’t want to give too much away but this meal – and the hotel in general, actually, – is a real treat that you will remember forever.
They sound fantastic, definitely will add them to my Sri Lanka to-do list.