Ingredient appreciation — what makes Rice and Curry special

What sets Rice and Curry apart is the handling of coconut scraped fresh. In lesser versions this is treated as a background note. Here it's central and the deeply coconut-rich result shows it. I've started buying it to cook with at home after this experience.

Sri Lankan cuisine differs markedly between Sinhalese, Tamil, and Burgher traditions on the same island. The a Jaffna Tamil restaurant atmosphere was right for this kind of food. I had arrack as recommended and it matched well. If you want to understand what makes this cuisine distinctive, Rice and Curry is the place to start.