dine out: CUISINE CINNAMON

there’s lots to love about Calgary’s burgeoning multi-culturalism, not least of which is the proliferation of new restaurants for the curious foodie to explore. To wit: Cuisine Cinnamon, a Sri Lankan restaurant tucked next to a Dollarama in a shopping plaza off International Avenue.

Open since November, Cuisine Cinnamon is one of only two Sri Lankan restaurants in Calgary. It’s a modest place, with booths along one wall and some wooden tables surrounded by comfortable pleather chairs in the centre of the room. There’s a small bar in the corner—Cuisine Cinnamon is licensed—and a few paintings on the walls. But don’t let the simple decor fool you; the menu is extensive and ambitious. In fact, there are actually two menus, one featuring Sri Lankan street food, the other a mix of Sri Lankan- and European-influenced dishes. These include linguine with pesto and pan-seared salmon in a creamy herb sauce, and reflect the fact that chefs Lasath Korala and Prageeth Kondasinghe have spent years working in the international hospitality industry.

Wanting to expand our horizons, we stuck to the Sri Lankan dishes. Our lovely server Prabavi was more than happy to explain things, even sharing a notebook containing pictures of dishes—string hoppers?—that we were not familiar with. Sri Lankan cuisine is often compared to that of Southern India, and while there are similarities, Sri Lankan food is hotter. From the “short eats” section of the menu, we tried the chicken rolls, 3 for $5, akin to a chicken croquette, and the fish cutlets, 75 cents each, of spicy tuna. Garnished with curry leaves, both had heat, though nothing like the rice-and-curries with chicken, $12, that followed. It comes with dahl, potato curry, a sweet and very hot pineapple curry, and coconut sambal, the condiment eaten with most meals. “This is sinus clearing,” my companion said. (Note that where there is a red pepper next to a menu item, take heed. That piece of green in the potatoes? It’s a chili, not a string bean.) A blackboard on the wall boasts that Cinnamon Cuisine is the “home of Calgary’s best kottu,” so we had to try that as well. Kottu, $12, which is said to be the perfect hangover food, is made of chopped pieces of roti, vegetables, egg, and spices. At Cinnamon, you can get it with chicken, mutton or as a vegetarian dish. Hangover or not, it’s perfect comfort food—it’s served with gravy—and the spice can be adjusted to one’s tolerance. Portions are generous here. The blackboard also advises diners to “leave room for the watalappan,” so we decided to take home leftovers and move on to dessert. Something like crème brûlée, watalappan, $7, is made with coconut milk, eggs, a few raisins and jaggery, an unrefined sugar made from sugar cane. Gladston De Livera, the pastry chef, heard our oohing and aahing (it really is sumptuous) and came out from the kitchen to say hello. I told Prabavi I’d once tried to bring some jaggery home from India and had it confiscated at customs; before we left she gave me a piece of paper on which she’d written the name of a local grocery store that sells it. Terrific food, great service, and shopping tips. There’s much to love at Cuisine Cinnamon. 1919 31st St. S.E., 403-454-8994, cuisinecinnamon.ca.