Dom’s favorite dish
“Our position is to push the boundaries of Sri-Lankan meals,” says Dom Fernando, chef-owner at London Paradise. “In order for you conventional Sri Lankan there are many good locations to have it, however we thrive on creativity. We need to do one thing progressive.”
To that finish, his Soho eating room blends high-quality Sri Lankan British elements in dishes which, in cooking strategies or plating, go to new locations. Barbecued hen thighs, for instance, marinated in lemongrass, ginger, curry leaves and ramps (panda leaves), are served skewered on an ambarella fruit curry with petals of Roscoff onion, glazed with Sri Lankan Lion stout. As Dom places it: “We do not have to be outlined by conventional curry.”
Launched late 2019, such innovation has established Paradise as certainly one of Britain’s extra imaginative eating rooms. Regardless of the pandemic (“It has been a really difficult two years,” says Dom), this small, 35-cover restaurant has wowed critics and diners alike, justifying Dom’s resolution, over a decade in the past, to swap accountancy for a life at InterContinental Resorts, the place he honed expertise earlier than Paradise.
The hospitality gene, that need to host and feed folks, was on this 39-year-old’s DNA partly due to an act who took Dom – then a baby – out to eating places (“a large occasion which acquired me into meals, restaurant design and the visitor expertise”).
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But it surely’s additionally as a result of, rising up in Hendon, north-west London, meals was central to how his Sri Lankan household bonded: “Meals and household, gathering to prepare dinner and eat collectively, is basically essential in Sri Lankan tradition. Prepared-meals have been by no means a factor. Getting a Maccy D’s or pizza was a severe deal with. We at collectively each day: my mother and father, my brother, typically different relations too.
“It’d take two hours to make meals for 4 to 6 those that was eaten in an hour and, as a young person, I could not perceive why we have been cooking on a regular basis. There was a interval once I hated curries. At college, I would flog my curry packed lunch and go to the tuck store. However at 15, 16, my palate modified, and all I needed was South Asian meals.
“My grandmother, my mom’s mom, who lived in Putney, was the household matriarch and, actually, my love of meals got here by her. She was the queen of ‘quick eats’ – Sri Lankan snacks resembling croquettes-like fish cutlets or bread rolls with seeni sambol [caramelised onion relish]. My recipe for fish patties, which resemble empanadas, jogs my memory of my grandmother. If she was visiting, I would run dwelling from college to see what number of she’d made, and what number of I may demolish in a single sitting.
“Quick eats have been influenced by [invaders and former colonial rulers], the Dutch, Portuguese and British. They’d begin a meal or afternoon tea with one thing mildly spiced, usually encased in breadcrumbs or pastry. However Sri Lankans took it to the subsequent stage including, say, devilled beef or spiced tuna. At present, quick eats are in every single place, at dinner events, offered at roadside shacks, on trains. Sri Lanka’s snack recreation is powerful.
“After quick eats and homework, I would assist prep the ‘rice and curry’ for dinner or lay the desk. When Sri Lankans discuss consuming rice and curry, the time period ‘curry’ applies to about 5 gadgets in your plate. You will have rice; a fish or meat dish; a dhal; easy stir-fried greens like inexperienced beans or okra; a white vegetable curry and, on the facet, a pickle like mango chutney or a logo. Sambols are quite a lot of completely different condiments that embody pol image, a contemporary mixture of grated coconut, chill and lime juice.
“We nonetheless have deep roots in Sri Lanka. Mum spends six months of the 12 months there and, pre-pandemic, I used to be there each few months. Household connections enable us to ship elements from Sri Lanka, resembling tea (a distant uncle owns the tea firm, Dilmah) or ginger and chillies. By way of household, we liaise with famers, going on to the supply.”
5 key Sri Lankan elements
Curry leaves
“A staple in Sri Lanka. Curry leaf timber are in every single place in peoples gardens. The leaves launch a robust aroma when cooked in scorching oil and sauces. We use curry leaves as a crispy garnish too.”
Umbalakada
“Fishing is an enormous trade in Sri Lanka and this delicacy, umbalakada or ‘Maldive fish’, is cured, sun-dried and flaked tuna – much like Japanese bonito [katsuobushi]. A small sprinkling provides punch to numerous dishes, such a cashew nut curry and vegetable curries to present them salty umami flavours.”
Goraka
“Also called gardenia cambogia or black tamarind, that is an under-utilised ingredient within the West. We use it to marinate fish and meat. It tenderises protein, provides bitter acidity and likewise fruitiness to a dish.”
Cinnamon
“Grown in abundance throughout Sri Lanka. It requires hours of delicate work to peel and it is costly, nevertheless it tastes superb – fragrant and barely earthy. It is utilized in candy and savoury dishes, something from dhal to coconut desserts.”
Rampe
“Also called pandan throughout south-east Asia, these leaves add a nutty, botanical perfume to curries and might be added to candy gadgets, resembling doughnut fillings.”
