After releasing her cookbook Rambutan, celebrating the food of Sri Lanka and her Tamil roots, Cynthia Shanmugalingam opened a restaurant of the same name in Borough in 2023. Rambutan received rave reviews almost immediately and has built a rep for being one of the best Sri Lankan restaurants in town thanks to dishes like mutton rolls, saffron chicken pongal rice, and kottu roti with crab and chilli butter.
Rasam is a sour, soupy, thin, tamarind-based broth with tempered spices, maybe some vegetables, perhaps some lentils, usually seasoned with a lot of pepper. In Sri Lanka it's often served before a meal in a glass or cup to whet the appetite and awaken the taste buds, or it's served alongside thosai and dosa for dipping, or with rice. It's versatile and quick and oh so good for you.
After finding success with Kolamba, first opened in Soho in 2019 with a second coming to Shoreditch last year, Eroshan and Aushi Meewella have now launched a new Sri Lankan restaurant celebrating the island's street food scene. ADOH! in Covent Garden looks the part - the space features a vibrant palette of red, yellow and teal along with stainless steel, corrugated metal sheeting, and two custom murals by Sri Lankan artist Ruwangi "Roo" Amarasinghe.