Curry Hut, Cathays, Cardiff Sri Lankan restaurant review

Nothing quite hits the spot like post-booze nosh.

Having had a few too many wines at a Christmas party, getting my chops around some spicy fried stuff was very much on the cards.

However, rather than my dearest doner, I was in the mood for something a bit different and so pitched up at Curry Hut in Cathays for a table for one.

I’ve previously written about this cracking value Sri Lankan and Southern Indian restaurant a couple of times - first, on my blog in its original incarnation as Family Choice and secondly whilst working at WalesOnline when it had recently refurbished and re-branded as Curry Hut.

With a menu comprising of short eats, dosa, fries, curries, idli, and string hoppers, there’s a lot to set Curry Hut apart from the typical curry house. Its informal vibe also means it’s very much the kind of place you can pop in for a quick bite to eat.

I was visiting with a singular purpose in mind, to order a selection of my favourite comfort food dishes in Cardiff.

Crisp crumbed mutton rolls (£2.75) were filled with pieces of tender meat and soft spuds in a fiery spice mix, which I think must have included chilli, clove, cinnamon and fennel seed. A bowl of ketchup was a basic dip but the sweet and tangy sauce balanced all those spices well. 

You’ve probably heard me bang on about egg kothu roti (£6.49) many a time and here, as per usual, a big bowl of crisp and soft pieces of fried flaky bread were stir-fried with carrots, onions, omelette, and plenty of fragrant curry leaf. It was an excellent example of this comforting dish.

Devilled paneer (£8.49) hit the mark too. The sizzling hotplate of crisp slightly chewy pieces of cheese were coated in a sweet and spicy sauce with crisp peppers, fragrant curry leaf, and tiny yet ferocious green chillies.

I had an absolute feast at Curry Hut for less than 20 pounds and it was the ideal post boozing dinner. I also took about half home for lunch the next day. Bargain.

If you’re seeking well-spiced and well-priced Sri Lankan food then Curry Hut is well worth a visit any day of the week, whether sober or tipsy.

The Details:

Address - Curry Hut, 96 Salisbury Road, Cardiff CF24 4AE

Web - https://www.curryhutcardiff.com/

Telephone - 029 2022 0522

Rambutan, London, Sri Lankan restaurant review

I try to avoid becoming too chummy with chefs and restaurateurs whenever I review restaurants. 

It makes it a bit awkward if you criticise their food when you’ve already found out the name of their pet tortoise and they’ve regaled you with their culinary origin story, including that time they did a one-week stage at the world’s 137th best restaurant. 

I like to get in, get out, and write about my dinner.

So, it could have potentially been a bit awkward writing about London’s Rambutan, which is owned by Cynthia Shanmugalingam, an old university friend and former flatmate. 

Fortunately, having a fantastic meal was as much of a nailed-on certainty as me never passing the financial threshold for a Coutts bank account.

Rambutan is already one of London’s hottest openings this year, with multiple glowing reviews from national critics. And Cynthia’s accompanying book of Sri Lankan diaspora cooking is Fortnum and Mason’s debut recipe book of the year and features on numerous best of 2022 lists. 

So, there was never any risk of our friendship being in jeopardy. 

Located on the edge of Borough Market, Rambutan is a modern high-ceilinged space with earthy toned décor and a big counter seating area that looks onto an open kitchen where chefs cook over charcoal. 

The menu comprises of small plates, but they’re well-proportioned meaning you get a good feed for your buck. 

Ceylon and lime iced tea (£4) was a refreshing balance of fragrance, sweetness and drying tannins. 

From the snack section, little gundu dosa balls (£5.30), with a light, cakey texture, were delicious dredged through a ferociously spicy and vivid coloured coriander and green chilli sambol. It was a sign of things to come as Rambutan doesn't hold back when it comes to packing its Sri Lankan food with chilli and spice. 

Beguilingly smoky pieces of meaty aubergine moju (£8.70) were dressed with a thick sauce dotted with lightly pickled onions.

Boulders of meltingly tender black curried pork (£15.50) were coated in a meaty, toasty and earthy sauce. It must have been the result of hours of slow-cooking for all those flavours and textures to meld together. 

A light charring had lent pieces of red pineapple (£11.60) a compelling complexity and they sat in a sauce rammed with curry leaf and mustard seed. 

Sticky pongal rice (£14.90) was a cross between a biryani, rice pudding and a risotto - the short grained rice coated in a thick comfortingly spiced coconut sauce, flecked with tender chicken pieces and topped with crispy onions. It was so good that I’d have been happy with just a bowl of the stuff and spoon. 

Crisp and flaky roti (£4) were a lovely mop for all the punchy sauces but I don’t think I could have eaten three like one particular restaurant critic.

An ever-changing line-up of soft serve ice cream is the sole dessert on offer. On our visit, a cardamom twanged wattalapam soft serve (£7.50) was drizzled with sweet and smoky kithul palm syrup.

We had a killer lunch at Rambutan and there’s no doubt it’s my favourite new place I’ve visited in the capital this year. 

The Details,

Address - Rambutan, 10 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD
Web - https://rambutanlondon.com/

Ceylon Spicy Pot, Adamsdown, Cardiff Sri Lankan restaurant review

If you’re a fan of Curry Hut, the delicious and bargainous Cathays-based Sri Lankan restaurant, then you'll be interested to know about Ceylon Spicy Pot.

This recently opened Sri Lankan restaurant is owned by the same couple who first ran Family Choice, the takeaway which was hidden at the back of a convenience store, before the business was returned to the owner and transformed into Curry Hut.

Now, they’ve struck out on their own and taken over the former site of The Broadway Cafe, just off Clifton Street in Adamsdown.

Other than changing the sign on the front door, it doesn’t look like there’s been much sign of refurbishment. But, there’s a definite charm to the lack of slick interior design flourishes, which look so good on the ’Gram.

With a menu featuring string hoppers, biryani, kottu, fries, curries and a Saturday special of lamprais, there’s a lot of tasty sounding stuff on offer. And the absence of Devil paneer meant I was forced to order something different for once.

Whilst Ceylon Spicy Pot is applying for an alcohol licence, it’s currently bring your own booze. As we lacked that nugget of information before our visit, we instead enjoyed a pair of delicious mango lassies (£2.50) with plenty of fragrant tropical fruit.

Despite there only being ourselves in the restaurant and a small takeaway order to deal with, we had a bit of a wait for food. I can imagine if the place was any fuller then things could get interesting.

Piping hot crisp mutton rolls (£1.99) were filled with tender curried meat and potato with a big blast of chilli. Somewhat ironically, a bowl of sweet chilli sauce served to temper the spice.

Runny yolked egg hoppers (£1.50) had a hyper-crisp lacy edge and were seasoned with a good twist of black pepper. It was a little bowl of katta sambol that really brought the dish alive - combining red chilli, plenty of citrus, and the salty savouriness of dried fish flakes, it was a deliciously complex condiment.

King fish fry (£6) combined seriously crisp crusted pieces of meaty fish, topped with golden fried onions and little green chillies, which I dared not to eat. Whilst the fish pieces were a little bit dry in places, there was still something very compelling about the dish.

Aubergine curry (£5) was the star of the meal. Long-cooked pieces of soft and tender aubergine and sweet tomatoes that had been added at the last minute were bathed in a copper coloured gravy with layers of warming spice and good thrum of chilli.

Egg kottu (£4.50) was a lovely example of one of my essential orders. Combining soft paratha shreds, scrambled egg, carrot shavings, soft sweet onions, it was a corking bowl of comfort food. Whilst the recipe eschewed curry leaves, it made up for it with its bold spicing.

It was also accompanied by a dinky pot of ferociously spicy mutton gravy which was lovely poured over it.

We really enjoyed Ceylon Spicy Pot - they serve great value Sri Lankan food that's cooked with a lot of love and I’m certainly looking forward to exploring more of their menu. 

The details:

Address - Ceylon Spicy Pot, 10 Broadway, Cardiff CF24 1NF
Web - https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-ceylon-spicy-pot-cardiff
Telephone - 07455 192175