The Ceylon Tavern - Lavender Hill - London - 7/10

I’ve never had Sri Lankan food before, but boy will I again! They Ceylon Tavern is a real find. It’s pretty unassuming from the outside, and looks like any other curry house down Lavender Hill. But the inside of the restaurant is luxuriant and something quite special.

From the marble floor to the red patterned wall paper the whole room looks like a colonial drawing room, complete with grandfather clocks and corniced ceilings. We were the first people in the restaurant (we were quite early) which worried me slightly, but I had nothing whatsoever to fear.

Soon the restaurant filled up, and it can only be because the whole place has a certain elegance about it. As does the food.

The very polite staff asked if we had ever eaten Sri Lankan food before, and suggested the Ceylon Tavern buffet menu, which provides a starter and three curries per person, as well as rice and rotti. I plumped for this option, but Slowbear couldn’t resist going a la carte, simply because he was intrigued by the Cockle Pittu (I will explain all later).

With our drinks came some miniature poppadums which were very tasty, but a little oily. I had a glass of the house white which was serviceable and Slowbear had a bottle of Ceylon Pride (lager) which was tasty and not too gassy for a curry.

The starters came and although the presentation was average they made up for it in flavour. Slowbear had devilled pork which to all intents and purposes could take your head off. I had vegetable patties which were equally as hot and beautifully spiced, but the pastry was a little dry.

Next the main course and this was a real triumph. The buffet menu came with a choice of meat dish – I went with King Fish Curry – and two vegetable curries. The king Fish curry was very good. It came in a rasam style sauce which was again very hot. The fish was delicate but a little over done for my tastes, although it wasn’t too tough. The okra curry was full to the brim with coconut milk and chili and the okra wasn’t too slimy. The stand out dish was the Mysoor Purrapu, which is a lentil dish similar to Tarka Dal, but with a hint of mustard. This was exquisite and went particularly well with the handmade rotti.

Slowbear’s main course was something I’ve never tried before, and it didn’t disappoint. Cockle Pittu is a sort of biryani, served with King Fish curry, omelette and rice and wheat flour cooked with cockles, onions and chilli and grated coconut. It was a revelation. I would go back to the Ceylon Tavern just for this dish.

Although we ordered a lot of dishes, the portions of each one were perfect for two people and we cleaned our plates full but not stuffed.

We then ordered a dessert, which is something I don’t really do in curry houses for fear of those dreadful picture dessert menus with chocolate bombs and lemon sorbet served in an actual lemon. But there was no such thing here. We ordered a traditional vattappam which is very similar in texture to crème caramel but with cardamom, cinnamon and cashew nuts. It was delicious. I couldn’t get enough. I wish we had ordered two!

If you like spicy food and want to try something a little different to your usual curry, then this is the place for you. All the food is pretty hot, but for a chili lover for me this is a bonus rather than a flaw.

The service throughout the meal was attentive and helpful but not too in-your-face. The entire meal came to £50 including service and two beers and two glasses of wine, which in my opinion is a bargain.

I will certainly be back to The Ceylon Tavern and in fact can see it becoming a regular haunt.