Sri Lankan favourites return to new Kotuwa restaurant at New Bahru

NEW RESTAURANT (RELOCATION)

Kotuwa #01-03 New Bahru 46 Kim Yam Road Singapore 239351 Tel: 6518-4278 Open for dinner only Mon to Thurs: 6 pm to 11 pm. Lunch and dinner Fri to Sun: 12 pm to 11 pm. 

FOUR years on and plenty of hopper-making practice later, Kotuwa has evolved from Rishi Naleendra’s foray into Sri Lankan cooking into a confident go-to every time the craving for spice with a hipster vibe strikes.

Channelling his inner Geoffrey Bawa and a there’s-no-Jaffna-curry-we-can’t-culturally-appropriate can-do spirit, Naleendra has perfected his winning formula: Tried-and-tested dishes that don’t require actual Sri Lankans to cook it, stylised exotic decor, and a clientele that can’t tell a sambol from a kottu anyway. 

And since the latter describes most of us, Kotuwa is our sole gateway to Sri Lanka, even if it’s the Disney version. And now that it’s moved from the Colombo-esque chaos of Little India to the gentrified realm of New Bahru, it’s a lot easier to get to. 

Any chaos now is construction-related as trucks and dumpsters are currently more prevalent than the indie lifestyle brands that have yet to move in. And Kotuwa itself is tucked into an obscure corner overshadowed by the prominent signage of its neighbour Artichoke. 

But the new space is also a lot bigger, with an outdoor patio-style bar where you can nibble on snacks and cocktails while trying not to swelter in the muggy heat. But we go straight through the main doors into the semi-dark coolness of a sprawling dining room, tastefully done up in a mix of striking colours, ethnic artworks and the same wicker furniture from the old Kotuwa.

Even though it’s bigger with decent elbow room between tables, it feels strangely cramped – maybe because the restaurant fills up fast, the music plays loud (which makes people talk louder), and you feel hemmed in like you would at a hotel with a two-for-one buffet offer.

The servers – there aren’t enough of them, and even fewer who know what goes into the food they put in front of you – also play hard to get simply because they’re trying to keep up. It’s best to go early so that you can grab one and order everything you plan to eat at one go, otherwise good luck trying to flag someone down mid-meal.

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The menu is largely unchanged from before – a series of snacks, stir-fries, curries, sambols and rice or hoppers. It’s hearty, spicy and thoroughly enjoyable so long as you don’t have any relatives in Colombo to complain to. 

Don’t miss the old-faithfuls crab croquettes (S$16) and mutton rolls (S$16) with their varying levels of heat. The crab balls are pocket rockets of spice, its deep-fried crust breaking open to release an intense whiff of crabmeat mixed into a creamy brandade with curry spices and chilli that show no mercy. 

Mutton rolls are more even-tempered but still pack a blend of heat and gaminess in its curried filling stuffed within its crumbed coating. 

Devilled cashews (S$8) as always are oversized, snackable golden brown nuts dusted in evil chilli powder and curry leaves. 

There is a good value S$68 set menu that pulls together quite a good mix of dishes for the undecided, but if you prefer the independence of choice, go for it. Prices are not eye-watering, hovering in the S$20s to S$30s range up to S$42 for lamb shank curry. But bets are off if you pick the market price Sri Lankan crab.

We could never understand kottu or stir-fried chopped up roti prata so we go the hopper route, namely the sunny side egg version (S$7) with its runny yolk centre. Granted, we do prefer the lightly lactic version at the vegetarian-only (hence no egg) Kunthaville, but Kotuwa’s crispy bowl-shaped rice flour pancake is still perfect for dipping into the addictive dahl (S$12). The lentils have a mellow sweetness from the coconut milk they’re simmered in, with still some bite instead of a creamy mush.

It’s also good with the dark brown gravy from Jaffna duck curry (S$32) with the distinctive hint of smoky bitterness that sets it apart from its Indian cousins. What looks like whole, crisp-fried duck leg confit sits in the gravy instead of simmered meat. It leans towards dry, so the confit idea is a question mark.

You can also get the wattaka kalu pol (S$18) or butternut squash in a lighter, sweetish gravy but it’s not so exciting. What stands out is dallo baduma (S$24), which sounds more like a fancy name for overpriced coffee than luscious deep-fried calamari given a good toss in chilli butter with green onion stems and pale green chilies. 

It’s a long wait for coconut sundae (S$16) which pushes sweetness levels to near illegal levels with its old-school combo of coconut ice cream, toasted coconut and sticky toffee sauce. Jackfruit fritters (S$16) are more memorable for the contrast of skinny fruit “fries” surrounding vanilla ice cream, tangy lime curd and drizzles of caramel that taste like golden melted sugar.

This isn’t Kotuwa’s first rodeo so it’s very much plug-and-play at New Bahru. Focused on mass appeal rather than elevating the cuisine, what you see is what you get – a noisy, buzzy, casual hangout for dependable cooking that you can eat anytime. It may be same-same but it’s still win-win. 

Rating: 6.5