O Tama Carey has us convinced. Sri Lankan food is one of the most complex, multi-faceted cuisines in the world. Layered with spice, the elusive Maldive fish flakes, coconut and endless colourful sambols, Carey shows us the secrets of her heritage through thoughtful dishes that all at once feel comforting and familiar, yet completely new.

Hoppers, the curious looking lacey pancake made from coconut milk and rice flour, are essential, our waiter advises. “Don’t eat it like a burrito, tear it into pieces and choose your sambol.” A mixed sambol plate is like an artist’s palette: Seeni sambol, a sweet and sour pile of dark onions caramelised with jaggery and tamarind; green lime pickle; a red-flecked combo of chilli, coconut flakes and lime, and a refreshing crunchy pile of pickled green chillies. It’s a vibrant, tingling selection of flavours to get the tastebuds going.

It’s hard to choose between curries, but eventually we settle on a potato curry with turmeric, green chilli and Lankan mustard, and the daily changing black spiced curry, today made with pork, alongside a creamy side of eggplant, deep-fried and then drenched in a sweet and sour sauce of spiced tomato and tangy tamarind. It’s the type of food you could eat at every hour of the day – and fortunately Lankan does a killer brunch, too. Toasties are taken to the next level, with the aforementioned pork curry stuffed into a toasted jaffle. Buttery roti stuffed with buffalo mozzarella, chilli and curry leaf alongside a tamarind iced tea is an inspired combo. Then once a month, crab curry Sundays are held. Run, don’t walk!