Kotuwa - Dickson Road

On an extremely regular basis I enjoy researching and discovering restaurants that I want to try next - the food was one of the main deciding factors in moving to Singapore after all. Since the last lockdown, I have made it even more of an obsession and have typed up a list of all the restaurants I have reserved until the end of the year, along with the menu choices I plan on devouring with my husband.

During one of my research moments, I very serendipitously stumbled across which is now one of my favourite restaurants, Kotuwa. I have never actually been to Sri Lanka or tried its delectable food, but it has always been on my bucket list. Just a pity we can't actually travel anywhere right now! However, Kotuwa definitely helped to make me feel like I was on holiday doing what I always love to do - eat the glorious local food.

Enjoying Lion Stout, a Sri Lankan beer

We started off the evening with the Crab Cutlet and Mutton Rolls. Any time I see the word 'croquette' on a menu I have to have it, so the Sri Lankan style croquette, with spiced crab meat brandade was a definite must. It did not disappoint, as the gloriously fried outer shell gave way to what can only be described as a heavenly mushy centre of tender crab and potato. As for the panko crumbed spice mutton rolls, I would like to have those as a starter to every meal for the rest of my life. They were perfectly fried on the outside, while the mutton on the inside was still beautifully moist and spiced. With the addition of the spicy tamarind dipping sauce, the heat in my mouth was sensational.

Crab Cutlet - Sri Lankan style croquette, with spiced crab meat brandade

Mutton Roll - panko crumbed spice mutton rolls

Next to arrive was the Chicken Kottu. I have had this before, but did not realise until now that it was a popular Sri Lankan street food dish. This was, without a doubt, the best kottu that I have tried, as it was far less greasy than previous versions that I have experienced. The rotti to chicken ratio was perfect and the gravy was lovely, but I did feel like it could have done with a bit more to really amp up the flavour. However, the Seeni Sambol that we also ordered was a fantastic addition that more than made up for the lack of gravy.

Chicken Kottu - chopped up rotti cooked with chicken, vegetables, eggs and gravy

Talking of Seeni Sambol, this unassuming bowl of spiced caramelised onion with tamarind was so delicious with each of our dishes that we ordered another portion to take away with us and added it to every meal that we cooked over the next couple of days.

Seeni Sambol - spiced caramelised onion with tamarind

Now, let's move on to my favourite dish of the night - the Lamb Curry. This boneless lamb shoulder braised in Sri Lankan red curry was an absolute highlight. The meat just fell apart as soon as I picked it up with my fork. On hindsight, I should have used a spoon. I am very used to Thai red curry, but this Sri Lankan version seemed to have some Indian influence to it as well. If you were to ask me what my favourite cuisine was, I would always say Thai and Indian (plus Italian), so this curry was a total wonder to me. I think Sri Lankan may be rising higher in my favourite foods list. What really got me as well was both the plain and egg hoppers that mopped up all of that curry sauce and became a flavour bomb in my mouth.

Lamb Curry - boneless lamb shoulder braised in Sri Lankan red curry

Egg Hopper

Plain Hopper

Last but certainly not least was the Yellow Curry of Sea Bass. This was a crispy fillet of sea bass in a rich coconut gravy. When a menu tells you that something is going to be crispy, then you expect it to be crispy, and this was sea bass was undoubtedly incredibly crispy. It had clearly been cooked outside of the curry sauce because how else could you get that crisp goodness? The yellow curry sauce that it arrived in was, once again, very different from the Thai yellow curry that I am used to, as it had a richer, spicy and smoky taste rather than sweet. I absolutely adored it. The hoppers also were a great addition to help soak up all of that sauce, and next time I'm back I will make sure to profusely thank the waiter that suggested we try the hoppers rather than go for the rice.

Yellow Curry of Sea Bass - crispy fillet of sea bass in a rich coconut gravy. Who wouldn’t want to drink that sauce?!

Finally, the Lion Stout from Sri Lanka that we drank along with our meal was so silky smooth and light for a stout that I probably could have had several more (see first picture). I enjoyed the food so much here that I have already booked to go again in a month and try more of the options on the menu. I'm thinking the Isso Devil stir fried prawns with ginger, green chilli and tomatoes, plus the Dallo Baduma crispy fried calamari tossed in chilli butter and curry leaves will be my next hit. See you soon, Kotuwa!