My favourite restaurants: Cynthia Shanmugalingam

When British-Sri Lankan chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam opened her debut restaurant Rambutan in 2023, it quickly began ranking in lists of London’s best Sri Lankan restaurants, with people lining up especially to try her flaky butter rotis, fresh sambols and warming, spice-filled curries. There are a handful of excellent Sri Lankan restaurants in the capital – Hoppers and Kolamba also make headlines – but Cynthia’s restaurant feels notably different from these other players, offering diasporic cooking inspired by a life split between Sri Lanka and the UK.

Born and raised in Coventry, Cynthia grew up surrounded by a food-loving family, where her mother would use British ingredients to cook traditional Tamil dishes from her home village in Jaffna. Still, it wasn’t until later in life that she realised she wanted to work in food. Cynthia graduated from Cambridge with an economics degree and spent her early career working at the Treasury and doing consultancy work, which in hindsight provided her with the entrepeneurial skills required to eventually open her own restaurant. 

In 2012, after the Sri Lankan Civil War was over, Cynthia spent time travelling around Sri Lanka with her family, rediscovering the food from her childhood and learning about traditional Tamil village cooking. Although it took a few years to crystallise - and having opened multiple pop-ups as well as a street food charity, Kitchenette Karts, in the meantime - she finally settled on the idea of opening her own restaurant, somewhere that showcased the village cooking she'd discovered on her travels, through the eyes of her diaspora upbringing.

The timing wasn't perfect, and the pandemic delayed its opening somewhat, but she used that interim period to publish her first cookbook, ‘Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka’, which laid the foundations for her first bricks-and-mortar site in Borough Market. Rambutan plays an important role in the portrayal of Sri Lankan cooking in the UK, serving rustic, homely, carefully spiced dishes in an energetic restaurant, with an open fire kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work.

Cynthia's connection to food clearly runs deep, so we asked her to share which restaurants have had an impact on her own life. Read on for the chef's favourite London restaurants.

Ganapati, Peckham

Cynthia says: ‘The Keralan food in this homely south London restaurant is so authentic and unusual - you can find pathiris (these thin Moppila pancakes from the north of Kerala), delicious hand-stretched rotis, curd rice, an amazing selection of curries, and a homely approach to cooking which is the biggest compliment I could give. Mallu food is close to my heart and when there was a war in Sri Lanka, I spent a long time in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, a place that feels close to home for Jaffna Tamils especially - it’s a gem.’
Where: 38 Holly Grove, SE15 5DF
Book now: Ganapati

Hanimeli, Hackney

Cynthia says: ‘This tiny Dalston cafe is a great spot for homemade Turkish fare made by the women who cook there - an unbelievable Turkish breakfast spread of grape molasses and tahini, lots of cheeses, salads, different homemade breads, eggs, yoghurt and more. They make beautiful mantis or little dumplings with yoghurt and butter, and lots of homely dishes, all served up with huge smiles and generous Turkish hospitality.’
Where: Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BJ
Book now: Hanimeli

Tayyabs, Aldgate

Cynthia says: ‘My first flat in London was in Whitechapel, and I tried for three hard years to give up meat for ethical reasons before I gave up and became a committed meat eater. Those days and now, the vegetarian curries at Tayyabs really pulled me through - the baby aubergine and dal, the tinda masala - an apple gourd curry - chickpea curry, even a simple and delicious bowl of dal, mopped up with their signature freshly cooked, hot and sweet naans. It's remained consistent all these years, even as it’s expanded with its own success, and I love it.’
Where: 83-89 Fieldgate Street, E1 1JU
Book now: Tayyabs

Brawn, Shoreditch

Cynthia says: ‘This beautiful restaurant on Columbia Road has defined London's honest, small plates cooking for fifteen years, with an amazing wine list, and a nonstop parade of lovely, unfeasibly attractive, super knowledgeable staff to help guide your choices. All the pasta is perfect - you should get the crudo, a pork chop, a salad - the sourcing is all excellent, you don't need to queue or wait, and you are guaranteed a wonderful night.’
Where: 49 Columbia Road, E2 7RG
Book now: Brawn

Esters, Stoke Newington

Cynthia says: ‘I used to live round the corner from this Stoke Newington institution and am embarrassed to say I had a sweet treat every day - a fruit scone, a miso and chocolate cookie, a slice of delicious cake. These guys really know how to bake, the coffee is perfect, there is a little garden in which to enjoy their ever-changing menu of breakfast and lunch fare. It's brilliant.’
Where: 55 Kynaston Road, N16 0EB
Book now: Esters

Discover more delicious breakfast spots in London, or find out where other top chefs like Saiphin Moore, Paul Ainsworth and Mike Davies like to eat.