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Paradise

London, Soho - Sri Lankan - Restaurant - £££

Refined Sri Lankan cuisine in sleek surrounds

Overall Rating: Very Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Very Good

We are pleased to report that Dom Fernando’s one-of-a-kind Sri Lankan restaurant continues to be a crowd puller. It helps that a major revamp has given this snug Soho spot a sleeker, more elegant look, while the kitchen's modus operandi has become even more ambitious.  The cooking revels in its close ties to other southern Asian cuisines, but the format is now a well-balanced six-course tasting menu – a modern riff on Sri Lankan flavours created with British seasonal produce. A vivid array of taste combinations ranges from hot, tangy and sour (the lacto-fermented Kentish strawberry rasam broth with wild garlic oil that opened our lunch, for example) to the fragrant, subtly sweet undertones of kiri-hodi – a light coconut-milk curry of Cornish pollack and langoustine, teamed with a Cox's apple sambol and delicate coconut milk rice. Elsewhere, watalappam is usually served as a dessert but here forms the savoury base for a combo of Brixham crab, jambola (...

We are pleased to report that Dom Fernando’s one-of-a-kind Sri Lankan restaurant continues to be a crowd puller. It helps that a major revamp has given this snug Soho spot a sleeker, more elegant look, while the kitchen's modus operandi has become even more ambitious. 

The cooking revels in its close ties to other southern Asian cuisines, but the format is now a well-balanced six-course tasting menu – a modern riff on Sri Lankan flavours created with British seasonal produce. A vivid array of taste combinations ranges from hot, tangy and sour (the lacto-fermented Kentish strawberry rasam broth with wild garlic oil that opened our lunch, for example) to the fragrant, subtly sweet undertones of kiri-hodi – a light coconut-milk curry of Cornish pollack and langoustine, teamed with a Cox's apple sambol and delicate coconut milk rice.

Elsewhere, watalappam is usually served as a dessert but here forms the savoury base for a combo of Brixham crab, jambola (pomelo), sea buckthorn and kalu-sago (jaggery). And there’s the occasional palate-wallop of chilli – note the fiery dab of Yorkshire rhubarb lunu-miris (a mix of salt and chilli) that’s served alongside tender spring lamb (the high point of our visit). This came with black-garlic curry, turmeric and saffron dhal, sweet and sticky aubergine pickled with vinegar and jaggery, and a light, hand-stretched buttermilk roti to mop up all the juices.

A mini 'magnum' of white chocolate and alphonso mango with mee-kiri caramel (from Laverstoke Park Farm) provides the perfect finish. Cocktails come boldly spiked with unexpected ingredients (from mango leaves and rambutan to foraged kalamansi) or you can choose from the brief but well-chosen wine list.

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VENUE DETAILS

61 Rupert Street
Soho
W1D 7PWGB

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OTHER INFORMATION

Counter seating, Credit card required

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