Kolamba East

Sri Lankan·
££££
·
Silver Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Kolamba East

Silver Award

Five years after Kolamba’s Soho debut, co-founders Aushi and Eroshan Meewella have returned with a second site, this time bringing the flavours of Sri Lanka to East London. Nestled away down a side street in the new Norton Folgate development, you could easily walk past without a second glance.

Kolamba East is sleek and minimal, but there’s something undeniably glamorous about the space - a testament to the interior-design expertise of the couple. This clean, neutral aesthetic is heavy with wood and exposed brick but there's nothing cold or clinical about it. The open kitchen and thoughtful layout create a familial warmth, with a seated bar that acts as a focal point in the main room. A curtained dining space is tucked to the side, and we sink into wicker chairs, separated from the packed restaurant, but still a part of its jovial buzz.

Kolamba East specialises in home cooked dishes from Colombo, offering authenticity in its menus of curries, hoppers and sambols; comforting plates of family recipes that are designed to share. We start the evening with a Kolamba Spritz (a refreshing mix of doppelganger aperitif, sparkling wine, soda, cucumber, ginger and orange) alongside a plate of chilli-spiced pappadums which we dunk into a sticky and sweet mango chutney, complete with chunks of the fruit. We’ve barely started what is going to be a multi-course feast, but the essence of what there is to love about Kolamba is ever present: elegant simplicity in its style, bold in its flavours.

Masterful cookery sees incredibly tender cuts of jaggery beef and lamb shanks, each swimming in richly spiced sauces. But more than that, Kolamba East shows how much can be done with its simple, fruit-based curries. A chewy, caramelised wedge of pineapple is the main event of one dish, offering a welcome sweetness that cuts through the complex spicing. The star of the evening is the string hopper prawn biryani, layering the curry with rows of wispy noodles, and we come back for several helpings. A jackfruit alternative of the dish is equally moreish and disappears just as quickly.

Whilst it has the style of a high-end London restaurant, the prices seem more reasonable, and once you’ve had a bite of those biryanis, you’ll find it hard to stay away.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Sri Lankan
Ambience
Cool, Cosy, Lively
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Special Features
Counter dining, Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Child friendly, Dates
Food Hygiene Rating

About

Kolamba East is the second restaurant from Eroshan and Aushi Meewella, who also run highly regarded Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba in Soho. You'll find Kolamba East in Spitalfields, as one of the star openings in the Norton Folgate development, which sits in between Spitalfields market, Shoreditch and The City.

Kolamba East is notably larger than its Soho sibling, packing in 92 covers across a restaurant and bar. The central bar area is also open to those who just want to stop by for a drink, offering a cocktail selection made with Sri Lankan spirits. The restaurant has been designed by Annie Harrison of London-based studio Fare Inc, with a view on paying homage to Sri Lankan artists and architects. Interiors at Kolamba East pay homage to celebrated Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa - a pioneer of tropical modernist architecture - as well as featuring artwork by Sri Lankan artists such as Sonali Dharmawardena and Pragreeth Manohansa.

Similarly to the Soho original, Kolamba's menu is devised from several family recipes, taken from cookbooks and passed down between generations, touching on every aspect of Sri Lanka's multi-faceted cuisine from Sinhalese and Tamil to Moorish, Dutch and Malay dishes. The menu will feature some of Kolamba's signature dishes - the string hoppers are likely to make a return, for example, alongside some favourite snacks from the original menu like the hot butter cuttlefish and the mutton shoulder rolls. Aside from that East will feature some larger feasting plates - a result of the team finally having more covers and a larger kitchen space to play with. 


FAQs

Is there a dress code?

There is no specific dress code, but we would recommend smart casual

Helpful? 0

Location

12 Blossom Street, Shoreditch, London, E1 6PL

020 3435 7174 020 3435 7174

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue 12:00-15:00
Wed 12:00-15:00
Thu 12:00-15:00
Fri 12:00-15:00
Sat 12:00-15:00
Sun 12:00-15:00
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 17:00-22:00
Wed 17:00-22:00
Thu 17:00-22:00
Fri 17:00-22:00
Sat 17:00-22:00
Sun 17:00-21:00

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020 3435 7174 020 3435 7174

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