Sri Lanka

I'm stopping in Sri Lanka for a few days as part of South Asia vacation I'm taking starting next week. Has anyone been or know a lot about the cuisine? I've read a few articles and watched the Anthony Bourdain episode. I also found this thread from 2004: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=18790

I have a pretty high tolerance for spicy food and enjoy eating on the street, so I'm really excited about visiting.

dizzy wrote:I'm stopping in Sri Lanka for a few days as part of South Asia vacation I'm taking starting next week. Has anyone been or know a lot about the cuisine? I've read a few articles and watched the Anthony Bourdain episode. I also found this thread from 2004: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=18790

I have a pretty high tolerance for spicy food and enjoy eating on the street, so I'm really excited about visiting.

I've been a few times. the food can be fantastic, sort of like south indian, but including beef. good sea food, too. one thing that I don't believe I have seen in india was string hoppers, sort of a pancake made from vermecelli, that are used to mop up souces. there are also catholic and muslim communities, with thier own foods. there are a lot of "street vendors" and small resteraunts. I ifnd the level of highine much better, and feel more confortable eating in smaller places than in india.

good tea plantations, cood enough coffee, you can visit spice farms to see spices growing and buy fresh spices.

aside from the food, visit candy, and the elephant orphanage on the way. the botanical garden in the city is cool, with huge fruit bats.

globetrotter wrote:aside from the food, visit candy...

I'm assuming you meant Kandy?

Just confirmed all travel to/from Sri Lanka, will be there for 7 full days at end of Dec 2019.

Any other insights are appreciated as I have not picked out lodging or activities yet

Here are some insights from a trip we took a few years ago. I LOVE Sri Lankan food. Enjoy!
https://happystreetfood.wordpress.com/

bon2mic wrote:Here are some insights from a trip we took a few years ago. I LOVE Sri Lankan food. Enjoy!
https://happystreetfood.wordpress.com/

Read Day 1 & 2 already, I had in mind to take a cooking class so thanks for the insight !!

I'm still jet-lagged from my week in Sri Lanka earlier this month. The food is indeed outstanding. We ate at what I suppose is the trendiest restaurant in Colombo, the Kaema Sutra in the Shangri La Hotel. Clever and tasty with twists like a chocolate chip hopper. And, like everything else on the island, remarkably inexpensive. We also ate the the newest iteration in the restaurant space in the classic Galle Face Hotel, which happens to be Cuban-themed and called the King of the Mamba. We were there to watch the sunset but since it was pouring rain that didn't work out. Not worth seeking out for the food. Other than that we were mostly eating lovely food prepared by my brother's cook, including the best tomato soup of my life, or eating what was available at our lodging. Or, now that I think about it, eating a hot dog baked in a bun at a service area on the expressway that cost about 85¢. We ate lots of out-of-this-world fresh fruit, though we passed on the opportunity to pick up a durian at a roadside stand. Food safety standards seem to be relatively high. Though we were drinking bottled water, we didn't worry about using tap water to brush our teeth, for example, or eating fresh salads.
Practical tips. By all means book a car and driver. Under no circumstances do you want to be driving in Sri Lanka. Ours came to about $60/day and stayed with us for the duration of the trip. They arrange for their own lodging along the way and you settle up at the end of the trip. But the driving is stressful and slow, even if you're a passenger, so if you're going to the cultural triangle it's probably worth it to fly. Because our time was so limited we didn't go to most of the must-see places, instead focusing on one of the national parks so we could see elephants, and the southern coast, so we could swim in the ocean. If your travels take you that direction, I can very highly recommend the Dickwella Resort and Spa. The breakfast buffet, included with our room, was outstanding, with at least eight or ten different curries every morning in addition to a full range of Western offerings (including homemade tropical fruit jams).
Our itinerary was as follows: Day 1 Colombo; Day 2 Galle Dutch Fort; Day 3 Dickwella Resort (stopping at a turtle hatchery and folk museum on the way); Day 4 Jeep safari at Udawalawe National Park then back to Dickwella; Day 5 back to Colombo via a giant Buddha I wanted to see; Day 6 day trip to Brief Garden; Day 7 Souvenir shopping and lunch at the wonderful Barefoot. Then the long flight home.
I'm old enough that I bought lots of guidebooks. By far the best was the Lonely Planet one.

Ann Fisher wrote:Our itinerary was as follows:...

Thanks for posting an itinerary Ann as well as the links/feedback. I'm looking for the fine balance of eats, culture, activities, relaxation. Your post will certainly help.

The "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" awards were handed out at Macau's Wynn Palace this past Tuesday night. There was a Sri Lankan restaurant listed, coming in at #35 was Ministry of Crab in Colombo https://www.ministryofcrab.com/
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