How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Situated on a second-floor walk-up among a row of flashy East Village restaurants, Sigiri is a welcome reprieve from the garish effects of its neighbor's explosive Christmas lights and loud music. The restaurant is small and narrow, housing about 20 tables.
The walls are orange with a peachy tint, sporting matching tablecloths and plates. Rice baskets are propped on the wall and ceiling, and homey-looking braided ropes are wound around the pipes — an eyesore in many old New York buildings — completely hiding the unbecoming metal. The vibrantly colored walls and wooden chairs, tables and floorboards contribute to the welcoming and warm atmosphere. The decor isn't glitzy or refined, but it is undoubtedly tasteful.
The restaurant is named after Sigiriya ("Lion's Rock"), a big tourist location in Sri Lanka. It was once the location of the king's palace, where he would oversee the whole land beneath the castle. A map of the rock fortress hangs on the wall, as restaurant owner Tanya DeSilva proudly points out. Sigiri is faithful in offering the native food "the way it's meant to be," as DeSilva said while pointing to the words printed on her shirt: "Dream Sri Lanka!!!" She and her staff are dedicated to producing not only traditional Sri Lankan dishes, but also weaving Indian, Dutch, Malay and Portuguese colonial influences into their menu.
The Chicken Lamprais ($13.50) is a dish that originated around the 1600s during the Dutch colonization. This is one of DeSilva's personal favorites. It is one of the most flavorfully complex dishes I have tasted in a while. Sticky rice is loosely bundled inside a banana leaf, packaged in a neat rectangle and held together with toothpicks. Once unwrapped, a plethora of ingredients shrouded in basmati rice is revealed. The ash plantains yield a sweetness along with their pasty texture. Nestled amongst the shredded eggplants — which were pickled with onions, mustard and ginger garlic — sits a boiled egg that was deep fried to amber-golden perfection and doused in spices.
Five minutes into eating the dish, I realized that I had been so busy indulging in this satisfying assortment to poke around for others. After a prod here and there with my fork, I uncovered the minced chicken and fish cutlets. I found the chicken a bit dry, but I soon discovered that it was perfect when eaten with the moist eggplants. According to DeSilva, the chicken was prepared with black roasted curry powder, tamarind paste and black, white and cayenne peppers. While the Indian spices are purchased from Indian markets, Sigiri makes its own curry powder and pastes.
Do not pass up the hoppers ($10) if you seek to engross yourself in a true Sri Lankan experience. Hoppers are thin and crispy bowl-shaped rice flour pancakes served with an over easy egg in the middle or with sambal, a chili-based sauce and pittu, a roasted and steamed rice flour roll containing shredded coconut. These come with a pitcher of fresh coconut milk.
At this point in the meal, I was already stuffed and sweating slightly from the spices. However, I was much better off than my friend whose glasses were sliding down her nose from perspiration. She had chosen the pork black curry ($10) in medium spice, which was overly ambitious to say the least. The curry was more akin to a stew, and the pork was tender. None of the curries come with rice, so make sure to order from the various rice accompaniments to complement your meal.
As the portions are large, don't be surprised if you end up with plenty of boxed leftovers.
Sigiri Sri Lanka Restaurant
Neighborhood: East Village
91 First Ave.
New York, N.Y. 10003
212.614.9333*
*no reservations
