Restaurants / Reviews
Sambol, East Street: ‘I will go back again and again for more than just their sambol’ – restaurant review
Freshly foraged curry leaves piling up in baskets, bowls of rice and chutneys being shared by friends and family, heaps of dried fish in a Sri Lankan market, and freshly prepared batches of spice pastes: these are some of the vivid stories conveyed through photo frames hanging inside Sambol on East Street.
The newly opened Sri Lankan restaurant is a venture from the team behind Ceylon and Beyond, who have been trading across markets and festivals in the South West for several years.
At their new abode, the warm and friendly demeanour of co-owner Harsha Rajarathne is one of the first signs of the restaurant’s hospitality to greet me when stepping inside for a late lunch on a Friday afternoon.
The chunky, soft, crispy and outrageously tasty mutton rolls will live in my head rent free
A hectic day of morning errands and no food meant my stomach was growling and throat parched – both now expecting a speedy and hopefully, delightful South Asian rescue.
Once my co-diner had arrived and we had chit-chatted a bit, we glanced at the menu – a single sheet of paper filled with a plethora of delicious-sounding options.
As someone who has dearly missed having good goat meat dishes here in the UK, my eyes darted straight to the mutton rolls (£6.50) in the selection of meat and fish small plates.
Two chunky rolls – crispy and crumbed on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside – were placed on a small plate with a small ramekin filled with the house devil’s sauce to its side.
I don’t know if the sauce had traces of association with any devil, but it surely played a part in upscaling the dish from great to heavenly.
My hands unconsciously and repeatedly dipped the rolls into the sauce until they were completely soaked and dripping from the sides. The spiced potato and mutton chunks from the rolls playfully danced around my mouth, as the heat from the sauce smoothly glided in for a duet, leaving my palate to experience a sensational performance of flavours.
The lunch deal of two curries, rice, poppadams, pickle and salad for £15 is a real steal deal
Soon after our mains arrived: the lunch deal of two curries, rice, poppadams, house salad and pickle (£15) for my co-diner and a free-range chicken curry (£9), two plain hoppers (£4 each), and coconut ‘pol’ sambol (£4) for me.
My favourite Sri Lankan meal before this was absurdly in Herne Bay. The quaint landscape of the beach town had hidden away near its coast a small Sri Lankan diner, called The Pier Ceylon. I remember going back for two consecutive mornings only to stuff my face with their crispy hoppers and chicken curry, and slurp on refreshing coconut water. Months later, this new gem in Bristol has brought back fond memories and familiar feelings of my love for Sri Lankan food.
As I dunked pieces of the crispy hoppers into the homely, fragrant curry, a small curve leapt onto my lips. The smile was a depiction of the satisfaction: from the warm hint of spice, the softly cooked chicken pieces and the sweet surprise from biting into the shallots floating in the curry.
I alternated between dipping hoppers into the curry or using them to scoop coconut sambol and my co-diner’s pickle. No matter which of the three I chose, I was left reeling in joy.
Undoubtedly, I will go back to Sambol again and again for more than just their sambol.
I can still vividly recall the joy I felt, from tasting these dishes for the first time at Sambol
On the other side of the table, my co-diner seemed perplexed as to how £15 could buy such decent quantities of deliciousness.
Her two curries of choice – the smoked goat and baby jackfruit – arrived in metal bowls that proved deceptively deep.
The jackfruit curry was warming with a slight heat and a consistency similar to pulled pork, while its mutton companion was rich and full of the taste of umami. The generous portions were served with aubergine pickle, a small salad and poppadoms, plus fluffy rice to soak up the full-bodied savoury flavours.
Our meal ended with two conclusions: one, we’re coming back; two, we’re coming back fast.
While we were too full to try any desserts, the menu offers two promising choices. A sweet kithul pancake with vanilla ice cream and coconut arrack flambée and caramel pineapple carpaccio with toffee sauce and ice cream – both priced at £6.
Sambol, named after a condiment from Southeast Asia called sambal, is a flavour bomb in all its glory. The team loves food, and their undeniably hospitable service is a testament that they want to share this love with the rest of Bristol.
If you’re looking for a comforting meal that is an escape from the piercing November cold, walk into Sambol, and you’ll not be disappointed.
Sambol lives up to its promise of being home to authentic Sri Lankan flavours
Sambol, 61 East St, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4HB
All photos: Karen Johnson
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