Upali, Simply Sri Lankan, Colombo, Sri Lanka

I've never had a jackfruit gravy! I don't think so! With a tanginess from tamarind and some kind of a mango-gravy-ish flavours, the dish, GATA POLOS, was the epitome of our lunch which introduced us to some wonderful Sri Lankan cuisines in Colombo, aptly named Upali, Simply Sri Lankan.

The king coconut opened our lunch. Perfect thirst quencher for a hot day and for the visitors like us, it added a visual element to the meal. With a tinge of lime and the slightly different flavour from our own tender coconut, we were set for the Sri Lankan lunch.

While very similar to our cuisine, specifically Kerala cuisine, there is so much difference too. The similarities and the differences are wonderful for an exploring palate. Like an Indian lunch, rice is the staple! Rice with three vegetables and a chicken or fish gravy was the norm. The differences were in the sides. Like that supremely wonderful jack fruit gravy, the POL SAMBAL, which was like a dry chutney made of chillies and coconut added variety to the meal.

Two fish preps were the stars for the group! A deep fried fish and a mackerel grilled, both of which were certainly not for my palate, but was loved by the locals and my friends!

As travel opens up the brains, I am seeing a lot of similarities in foods but with difference that make the variety, spicy! ;-) I have no idea, what the last part of that sentence means, but that's ok!

Wattalappam is a must try for dessert!

While our hosts in Sri Lanka paid for the meal, I think a meal for two will cost about Rs. 2500 (LKR) which is about Rs. 1200 INR!