Kolamba, London: ‘a lovely dinner in a calming space’ – restaurant review

Sri Lankan food in Soho soothes, restores and somehow evokes the essence of the city

Kolamba, 21 Kingly Street, London W1B 5QA (020 3815 4201). Small plates £4.20-£7.50, large plates £6.10-£13.70, desserts £3.80- £5.50, wines from £26

For those of us who live in cities, one of the most dislocating things about the lockdown was the way it forced us to live in villages. Londoners often talk about the way the capital forms into small neighbourhoods, each akin to a village. We say these things to dispel the notion that it’s a cruel, disorientating sprawl where nobody knows your name. And it’s true. I can tell you a lot about the community that lives in the south London streets I’ve called home these past three decades.

Aunty Mo’s ‘chatti’ roast, a dry meat curry on a fat tangle of string hoppers, makes me want Mo to be my aunty, too

Black pepper prawn fry is a mess of powerfully sauced seafood. Ask for extra napkins