New Bar Spy - Kolamba

A new authentic Sri Lankan eatery is coming to Soho, giving Londoners a chance to experience the traditional tastes and flavours of Sri Lankan home-cooking. Kolamba - Sinhalese for Colombo, the island’s capital - is set to open in mid-October on Kingly Street, and will offer a range of small and large tapas-style sharing plates. The heavily coconut-oriented menu will feature a number of family recipes and traditional flavours ubiquitous to the country (hence the coconut). 

Guests will be introduced to common Sri Lankan dishes such as sambols (small dishes of fresh salads and vegetables), pol roti coconut flatbreads, black pepper prawn fry and - the ultimate Sri Lankan staple - hoppers (authentic fermented rice batter and coconut milk bowl-shaped pancakes). With all plates intended to arrive at once, the restaurant is aiming to impart some of the country's strong community and mealtime sharing ethos. Interiors will also be influenced by the island's culture, with an emphasis on organic, earthy tones.