While the food offered by Kotuwa was good, the overall service left me feeling a little unsatisfied; it wasn’t really what I expected.
For my second and last dinner in Singapore, and after enjoying Chili Crab the night before, I was tempted by this restaurant, which had been awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin. I had no experience of Sri Lankan food, and this was the perfect opportunity to discover it.
Concept
Run by a Sri Lankan chef (always worth mentioning), Kotuwa aims to share with you the atmosphere and vibrancy of the streets and markets of his country.
The setting
There is an outdoor terrace, and inside, it is all wood, quite colorful and lively.
The menu
It naturally features Sri Lankan specialties and offers a tasting menu. You can also find the famous chili crab, Singapore’s national street food dish.
The dinner and the service
When I arrived, I was greeted very warmly, seated immediately at my table, and given the menu.
Their Chili Crab apparently has a very good reputation in town, but I had already eaten it the day before, and it is only served for two.
Since we were there, we decided to try the tasting menu, but unfortunately it was only available for two people too! That my our first disappointment. I asked the waitress for advice on what to choose.
For starters, on her recommendation, I had the lamb rolls and banana blossoms.
It does look very much like street food.
For a fried dish, the rolls are not greasy at all. They melt in your mouth and taste great, with spices that gradually become more intense.
It’s also good with banana, the texture is quite light. Nice, but not as good as the sheep.
However, the sauce is unnecessary because the dish is already well seasoned and it masks the flavor of the food.
For my main course, I also followed the waitress’s recommendation and opted for the braised lamb shank with Sri Lankan red curry.
For those wondering, Sri Lankan curries are generally spicier, with generous use of chili peppers and more intensely roasted spices.
The lamb shank is indeed well seasoned and very tender, a real treat. The rice itself was very flavorful and smelled delicious.
No dessert will find favor in my eyes, and dinner will end there.
Really good food, but a little disappointing nonetheless, maybe because the menu was only available for two, because I would have liked to try other dishes, or maybe because I was expecting something more surprising.
The service
The waitress was really friendly and gave great advice, but here the important thing is to serve lots of tables quickly, not spend too much time at each one.
The atmosphere
Lively and noisy, not really the place to linger.
Bottom line
Really good food, but I was left feeling like something was missing. I was expecting something extra. Disappointing for a Bib Gourmand.
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