Yaalu Yaalu Selsdon

Eater’s Guide to the Best Sri Lankan Restaurants in London - Eater London

"Yaalu Yalu? There’s also hathu & batu, hoiya hoya and sticky picky on the menu here — and that’s just the starters. This stylish, unconventional Croydon gem serves attractively presented, modern Sri Lankan food. Many come a long way for the lamprais: here, it’s banana leaf-wrapped rice with fish cutlet, pickled aubergines, onion sambal, seasoned cashews, plantain chips, fried eggs, and a choice of black pork curry or tamarind chicken. There’s also a rich but homely lotus root curry in coconut milk served with ‘red raw rice’ (i.e. not par-boiled), whole seabass baked in banana leaves, slow-cooked goat stew and spicy wild boar. The restaurant offers a rare chance to taste kiri pani in London: a creamy buffalo milk yoghurt pudding topped with palm jaggery syrup." - Sejal Sukhadwala