Sambol Sri Lankan Kitchen

I’ve been wanting to try Sambol Sri Lankan Kitchen since they first opened up shop. I probably say that a lot but seriously guys, there are so many good places to eat on 34 Ave! Tons of Korean, Indian and Northern Chinese (Noodle Feast — probably one of my favourite places to eat in town). Well, my buddy E was in town from Van so we obviously had to try something new. None of us have ever had Sri Lankan food before so we decided to check them out.
We came on a Thursday evening around 7pm and the place was pretty empty save for one other table that came in simultaneously as us. Hope they’re busier on the weekends. Interesting that they’re closed Monday and Tuesday (same as Noodle Feast). The interior is simply decorated but clean, well lit and feels quite spacious. I really liked the set up, especially the cushions along the walls was a nice touch.
There are lots of options on the menu but the waitress talked us through the menu. It’s split into a few categories — bowls, bowls for sharing, small bites/​short eats, sambols/​salads, roti/​rice/​hoppers and desserts.
We had a bit of trouble figuring out the best way to order but I’d recommend ordering a bowl or two and supplement with a couple of Sri Lanken side specialties.
— ‘Saffron’ rice bowl ($ 12.00) — black pepper chicken, eggplant moju, devilled potato, and papadum served on delicious yellow rice. Our first dish to come out and it smelled like heaven. Wow. The black pepper chicken was cooked perfectly and was incredibly tender. You don’t normally get that with chicken but this was top notch. The eggplant was also great (I knew I should have ordered a full dish of eggplant on it’s own. Next time). Everything was fresh and bursting with flavour. Our favourite dish of the night.
— Kotthu bowl with mutton ($ 15.00) — street food made to perfection. Sautéed vegetables with delicious doughy roti and a splash of curry. I was loving all of the vegetables. The side of curry sauce is very similar to what you get when you order roti at a Malaysian restaurant. Yum.
— String hoppers ($ 4.00) — 5 string hoppers served with a side of coconut gravy and sambol. The sambol gave a nice little kick to the string hoppers, which look like vermicelli noodles shaped into circles. Add a bit of the symbol and top it with the coconut to get the best of both worlds. Really interesting dish and for $ 4, you can’t go wrong.
— Black pepper beef ($ 11.00) — there are three options to choose from (curry, black pepper, or devilled). We went with black pepper — the spice is prominent but not in an intrusive way. You can clearly tell that its black pepper, that’s all I’m saying. Good stuff again. Freshly ground spices makes a world of difference.
— Godamba roti and paratha ($ 2.00 each) — these were great for sopping up with the various sauces. I couldn’t tell much difference between the two besides the roti being much thinner than the paratha.
— Hoppers ($ 8.00) — 4 hoppers served with a side of sambol. The hoppers came out last and I thought it was a perfect way to end our meal. Made from rice flour and coconut milk, these were light, fragrant, airy goodies. The texture reminded me of a crêpe and the slight sweetness from the coconut was like eating a light dessert. Served with a side of seen sambol (caramelized onions), it was the perfect accompaniment.
We were stuffed so we passed on dessert. Super stoked that Sambol lived up to expectations. My buddy J couldn’t stop saying how «faboulous» everything was. Seriously, it was like he was on that multiple times throughout our meal. Did I also mention how cheap our meal was??? About $ 20/​person with all of the food we ordered. Such a gooooooood deal.
Both the owners and chef came to see us a few times during our meal to ask how everything was, which was a nice touch. Very genuine and friendly people. Everything was fresh, flavourful and fantastic. I will definitely be back to try more of their dishes. GO GO GO.

Amongst the mix of East Indian and Korean restaurants and boutiques along 34^th Avenue in Edmonton, Sambol is one of few restaurants offering Sri Lankan dishes. While most multicultural restaurants feature décor representative of their culture, Sambol keeps it simple with simple design in a brightly lit space. Some girlfriends and I stopped by for dinner on a Thursday evening and we were greeted warmly by owner Champa Pathirana.
Our evening started with an order of Fried fish Rolls ($ ⁵⁄₃), where a mixture of tuna, potato and spices are deep fried and served with a side of hot sauce. They make look boring, but the thin, crispy exterior breaks into the smooth blend of ingredients, giving contrast in each bite. I probably would have eaten all three if I could!
Next up came our order of Chicken Patties ($ ⁵⁄₄), where seasoned chicken is wrapped up in homemade puff pastry and fried. The flaky pastry breaks away and the filling is similar in flavour to the seasoning of the mixture in the fish rolls. The dish is great for sharing, and is delicious thanks to the great spices used in the fish.
Hoppers, a popular dish in Sri Lankan cuisine, are based on a slightly fermented batter made with rice flour and coconut milk. They are similar to that of a crêpe, and can be sweet or savoury based on the condiments they are served with. We ordered traditional hoppers ($ ⁸⁄₄) and they were served with a side of fragrant seeni sambol (caramelized onions). The paper thin edges had a beautiful crisp, and the centre had a steamed cake-​like consistency that was slightly sweet from the coconut milk. Paired with the caramelized onions, the play between sweet and savoury was delicious.
Hoppers can also take on a string form, where the dough is pressed out into thin noodle strings and formed into a little «cake» and steamed. The String Hoppers ($ ⁴⁄₅) are served with a side of coconut gravy and topped with pol sambol, a condiment made with fresh grated coconut, chilies, salt and onions. I’ve always enjoyed the traditional savoury sambal made with chilis, garlic, fish sauce, shrimp paste and other ingredients, so this coconut version was very unique in both flavour and texture. The string hoppers reminded me of vermicelli, and by themselves didn’t have any flavour, so the heat from the curry and sweetness from the pol sambol made this dish shine.
For larger fare we opted to try their bowls to share, and started with the Kotthu Bowl with Chicken ($ 12). Kotthu means ‘chopped’, so this popular street food dish at Sambol is made with chopped up roti sauteed with vegetables, egg, chicken, and spices. Curry is served on the side to be drizzled on top of this dish, but it is flavourful even on its own. I lov