Helambula is a spot in the Hunupitiya Road, which used to be named Heladiwa as we gathered. It's an old-style, moderately big house, flipped to a homey, dine-in rice & curry resto amidst the busy city.
Food
They have white/ red rice, noodles and curries that change daily, along with fish, chicken, beef and pork as protein options.
Pork Rice & Curry (Rs. 300) came with with a heap of red rice which was well-cooked and decorated with four curries and of course, pork. The peppery and spiced up pork curry was delicious with had just enough heat and only had a few fatty bits. There was a bit of sweetness coming from the carrot curry alongside a hint of mustard and plenty of moisture as well as curry flavours from the parrippu.
The crunch was brought from the cucumber and tomato salad, which packed capsicum as well as onions, further adding to the texture and spiciness. We weren't the biggest fans of their amberella curry, as it was overly sour for our liking.
The Chicken Rice & Curry (Rs. 250) plate sported a huge piece of chicken, parrippu, cucumber salad, thalana batu (Thai eggplant) curry and ambarella curry. The chicken was marinated well, not too spicy and properly cooked. All the other curries did it part well in adding the flavours but, the thalana batu curry had an oily, musty vibe, which made us shy away from it. But all in all, this is a good serving of rice & curry.
Desserts
Their dessert options boiled down to Chocolate Biscuit Pudding (Rs. 150) and a bowl of Fruit Salad with Ice Cream (Rs. 150).
We felt the CBP could have done with more chocolate flavour as it was mostly Marie biscuits. And, it was a bit dry in texture too. However, the bits of cashew on top was a nice touch.
There were more than enough sliced up, pineapple, mango, banana and papaya in the fruit salad, with a couple of mango flavoured ice cream scoops sitting on top of it. It was a fresh mix of fruits with good ratios among them, which we appreciate.
Ambience & Service
At the time of our visit, the place was busy with office folks grabbing their meals and the place can hold more than 30 people as we think.
The chairs and tables were clean which laid out the seating set up well, while the rice and curries are presented in clay pots.
We had the pleasure of being served by the owner himself, who seemed like a polite and welcoming fellow. We got warm water to our table without having to ask and we didn’t have any issues with the service.
Conclusion
We feel that they do have room to improve here and there with the flavours, and especially regarding setting up the place to make proper use of the ambience. But, it is a good spot to grab a plate of rice & curry if you are in an area with a relaxed, homely dining vibe.
