On our drive back across Sri Lanka my son and I stopped at Keth Sisila Restaurant for lunch. It turned out to be a buffet, in a hut, with a great view of Rathmalgoda Raja Maha Viharaya Buddhist Temple. The owner Athula Siriwadhane greeted us and gave us the lowdown on the food, which included traditional Sri Lankan currys (Ambul Thiyai and Kukul Mas), rice , pickled fruits, vegetables, chutneys and sambols. My favorite was the Kadala Thel dala ( Stir-fired Chickpeas), the Hoppers and Roti (a kind of pancakes and flatbreads). Keth Sisila even had an assortment of cakes and pastries including Kokis, Puishnambu, Aluwa, and Bibikkan. Sri Lankan food has been influenced by the Dutch, Southern India and foreign spice traders. Local spices are the main ingredients in the food, that have made this teardrop shaped island so famous. The tea is so good! Even for me a coffee drinker. In Sinhala, one of three languages spoken here, they say "Vinodan kanna" which means Bon appetit, and we did. We dug in to all this great food with our hands, no silverware, but a sink near by to wash after eating.
