Kotuwa – Sri Lankan cuisine with vegetarian options at New Bahru

As a foodie, I am always interested to try cuisines from different parts of the world. Kotuwa is a restaurant that has moved to the newly spruced up New Bahru enclave in Singapore. Kotuwa showcases Sri Lankan cuisine with vegetarian options in all its glory, characterized by rice specialties, spices, herbs and fruits.

Set up by the celebrated chef Rishi Naleendra, Kotuwa embodies an understanding of heritage mixed with an unique gastronomy experience. The restaurant has a casual vibe coupled with a contemporary decor, vaguely reminding you of the streets of Sri Lanka. The huge horse statue as you enter the restaurant is hard to miss!

Though Sri Lankan cuisine has parallels to South Indian food, it distinctly retains its own form and hence the menu at Kotuwa is refreshingly different. It has vegetarian options across all the courses, from small bites to the mains.

Lychee Achcharu – The word Achcharu means pickle and is a staple of Sri Lankan cuisine with its flavours acting as a palate cleanser during the meal. I was intrigued by how well the lychee paired with a spice blend containing mustard, apple cider and chilli – and this is highly recommended.

Banana Blossoms – Call them croquettes, patties or cutlets, this snack disappeared from the plate within seconds. Banana flowers are blossoms from the banana tree and can be spiced up to make a filling and then fried. The sauce on the side was very good.

Devilled Cashews – A delicious snack prepared with creamy Jumbo Sri Lankan cashew nuts, curry leaves and chili salt, just keep munching!

For the vegetarian mains, they have a separate section which mainly constitute of curries. These can pair well with both the hoppers and rice.

Kaju Curry – This is a cashew curry with green peas cooked in a coconut gravy. The soaked cashews help absorb the flavorful ingredients from the curry and makes it nice for smothering over the rice.

Amba Curry – In Sri Lankan cuisine, it is quite common to use fruits in curries. This dish is made with green mangoes cooked in turmeric and coconut gravy. This dish is sweet, sour and spicy with a great depth of flavour.

The hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes with crisp edges. They are made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. They are also available with an egg in the centre, if you prefer the egg hopper version. The hoppers pair nicely with the gravies.

Polos is a Sri Lankan dish made with young green jackfruit, otherwise known as baby jackfruit. Kottu Roti is chopped up Roti (flat bread) mixed with vegetables, eggs, and gravy and is one of Sri Lanka’s famous street foods. For vegetarians, the Polos Kottu can be made with or without eggs and hence it’s a must-try if you visit Kotuwa. Please note that this is a very heavy dish and can be shared by 2 pax (and imagine that this is a half Kottu)! The customer service manager kindly advised us on the portion sizes before ordering and that was quite helpful.

The first bite of Watalappam Tart reminded me of a decadent creme caramel. At Kotuwa, this is made with velvety coconut custard, rich jaggery, crisp pistachios, candied orange, and a medley of exquisite spices. It is not overly sweet but the complex flavours definitely shine through.

A visit to Kotuwa will definitely open your eyes to the myriad vegetarian varieties in Sri Lankan cuisine. The restaurant is suited for special occasions and for a catch-up with close friends. They also have interesting cocktails, including arrack which is one of the oldest distilled spirits in the world.

For excellent customer service, its modern interpretation to bring Sri Lankan cuisine to the forefront in Singapore, the warm-lit and chilled ambiance, for delicious and flavorful food, Kotuwa is definitely worth visiting.