I first visited Copper Ceylon in 2023 after the restaurant won Best Restaurant London Suburbs at the British Curry Awards 2022, and this month I revisited just as they launched their brand-new menu celebrating 5 years in business.
The restaurant celebrates the rich flavours of Sri Lankan food and offers a very broad range of dishes that cater to different dietary needs, including a broad section of plant-based dishes.
The new menu pays tribute to some of Sri Lanka’s culinary traditions created by well-known chef Marcus Wareing, and includes dishes like a fiery Jaffna Mutton Curry and Vegan Lemon Pudding.
We started off with some cocktails, where alongside traditional options like a classic Espresso Martini and Whisky Sour they also have a selection of signature cocktails inspired by Sri Lanka, along with a brand-new range created in collaboration with Grey Goose Gin.
Among some of the ones we tried were the Island Elixir with coconut syrup and Tequila, the Mistress Lavinia with vodka, passion fruit puree and lime juice.
If you visit between 5pm and 7pm they also offer Happy Hour, where you can get two cocktails for the price of one if you’re looking to try a few.
My favourite out of all the ones I tried had to be Ravanna, made with White Rum, coconut syrup, Crème de Mur and blackberry syrup, which gave it a distinctive purple colour and was a really nice mix of flavours with the blackberry and coconut.
We began with a medley of starters which mainly showcased their plant-based dishes, including the Jackfruit Patties and the Vadas served with green chutney.
We also tried the Mutton Rolls, which were a spiced potatoes and lamb dish wrapped in spring rolls, and all of them were good but a personal favourite was hands down the Jackfruit Patties which are a staple in Sri Lanka.
For curries we were treated to a host of different options, which consisted of the Aubergine Red Curry, Beetroot Curry, Beef and Potato Curry and the Green Prawn Curry.
For me, the winning curry had to be the Beetroot Curry, which had a nice amount of body with the shredded beetroot, and the beetroot absorbed all the richness of the herbs.
But another favourite was the Aubergine Red Curry, which had a real meatiness to it and was marinated in a Jaffna red curry sauce.
We also tried some of their hoppers, which is another popular dish in Sri Lanka, and is essentially a savoury pancake served with sambol.
Their dessert menu also has a mix of plant-based and non-plant-based options, I opted for the Coconut and Treacle Pan Cake which had a really warming mix of spices.
If there’s one thing I can attest to after having this meal, is that it really did showcase how vibrant Sri Lankan plant-based food can be and made me eager to explore it even more.
