Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, has a rich colonial heritage and is a mix of different cultures, religions and races. It is known for its ancient temples, zoological gardens, beaches and, most importantly, kottu!
This musical Sri Lankan dish first appeared in the 1970s, as a blend of Tamil and Muslim cuisine. Ever since then, the sound of metal spatulas chopping and slashing kottu rotis has been filling the streets of Colombo. But finding the best place to savour kottu as a tourist can be confusing.
So, here are some of the best places for amazing kottu, once you get off your flight between Mumbai and Colombo.
Table of Contents
1. Kaema Sutra
This trendy restaurant at Shangri-La Colombo is a brainchild of Bollywood actress, Jacqueline Fernandez and one of Sri Lanka’s favorite chefs, Dharshan Munidasa. The restaurant offers modern takes of traditional Sri Lankan dishes. It can be on the more expensive side, but completely worth it for its flavours. Some of their signature dishes include Crab stringhopper kottu, boneless chicken curry, Euro Hopper, and ambul thiyal. And for those with a sweet tooth, trying sweet pancake filled with cream and strawberries is a must.
2. Ministry of Crab
Ministry of Crab is another restaurant that is owned by those who are household names in India, cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayewardene. You could even bump into them on a Mumbai to Kochi flight during the IPL season! The restaurant is located in the Old Dutch Hospital Complex on 04 Hospital Street. Although the restaurant is better known for its crab and prawn curries, but you can get amazing kottu here as well.
3. Hotel De Pilawoos
Hotel de Pilawoos is one of the most famous names, when it comes to kottu roti. They have a long tradition of making delicious sliced flatbread, mixed with vegetables, meat, cheese and eggs. It is not a fine dining restaurant but if you want authentic Sri Lankan cuisine, this is one of your better options. It is open 24/7 and is also considered to be a late-night party spot by the locals. They even offer chocolate kottu!
4. Curry Leaf
Located at Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha, 2 Lotus Rd, Curry Leaf is an upmarket restaurant that serves modern as well as traditional Sri Lankan dishes. They offer a wide spread of fresh local and seafood cuisine. But the star of the show is definitely their kottu.
Their kottu has a wonderful mix of texture, the chewy flat bread, the crunchy bites of leeks, carrots and cabbage, and the juicy meat. The dish might look unassuming but packs a punch when it comes to flavour. Apart from kottu, some of their other top dishes are pittu, string hoppers, curries and sambols. They even have a buffet restaurant that is open during the evenings.
These dishes are so delicious that they can even make you change your Mumbai to Kochi flight to one that goes to Colombo instead!