Nuga Gama - brilliantly executed concept, excellent restaurant

When people told me about Nuga Gama I dismissed it as yet another Sri Lankan themed restaurant. When someone invited us over I was not especially enamoured. I could not have been more wrong.

Walking in along a path dimly lit by kerosene lamps I wondered why they did not have more light. The pathway was not lined with lamps, just the occasional one burning here and there. When one emerges into the clearing  it becomes apparent why: the lighting is what one would find in a village.

The concept has been executed with a deft hand, great care has been taken to reproduce the buildings and surroundings as faithfully as possible without degenerating into kitsch. The open space, trees and buildings work together to capture the atmosphere and spirit of the village.

When I discovered that the food was cooked in clay pots on a wood fire (for reasons explained here) I was ecstatic. It is some of the little details, such the urn from which one must wash ones hands with the aid of cut piece of Sunlight soap, reminiscent of a scene from the village well that puts it head and shoulders over every other restaurant.

Overall a great experience and a great restaurant.

Try the kurrakkan pittu with the mutton curry and coconut milk or the cuttlefish and prawn curry. Heavenly.