Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba has followed up the success of its first restaurant in Soho by launching a second eatery, Kolamba East , on Blossom Street, close to Spitalfields and Shoreditch . Co-founders Eroshan and Aushi Meewella say the new restaurant shows a modern take on Sri Lankan home cooking, bringing the vibrant flavours of the nation's capital Colombo to east London. Kolamba is not to be confused with another popular foodhouse in the capital.
Anyone familiar with Sri Lankan cuisine in London will know of the similarly-named restaurant, Colombo , which has two branches in Worcester Park and Putney. The brand new menu at Kolamba East revives dishes from Eroshan and Aushi’s childhoods spent in Colombo. These start with Eroshan's recipes, many of which were handed down by family and friends.
Guests can enjoy snacks or ‘short eats’, such as mas paan, a fluffy bun filled with slow-cooked black pork curry, served with pineapple jam, and idli with sambar, which sees savoury rice and lentil dumplings paired with a duo of sweet and spicy chutneys. READ MORE: 'I went to the beautiful glasshouse café tucked away in a Fulham garden centre and had the best avocado on toast' The menu also includes a new selection of larger feasting plates, such as the moor king prawn string hopper biryani , a dish originating from the Ceylon Moor community, made with alternating layers of steamed noodles and king prawn curry, and a jaffna lamb shank, served in a rich and spicy tamarind sa.