Sorry for the delay in blogging, January finances etc., here's something to keep it ticking over...

I went to Sekara, quite literally, just before Christmas and over the festive season didn't write it up. This review is therefore a little bit more from memory than I would like, and as a consequence, a little bit short. But, I didn't want to not blog the place as I was fairly impressed.

Its just round the corner from Victoria station, which is why I went there when waiting for a coach home. It was very empty when I went there, but it was Christmas Eve and earlyish so that is unlikely to be a true reflection. Sekara specialises in Sri Lankan cuisine, which is sufficiently different from standard Indian fare to make it an interesting change.

The décor is less than impressive, consisting of bad paintings of Sri Lanka in a very ordinary 'local_indian' style dining room. The service was impeccable and friendly from what I imagine were the proprietors. The few other people who came in when I was there were all treated well, from regulars who were known by name to a large family of Sri Lankans, who I gathered were ordering “off-menu” and being a little difficult.

I had started with fish rolls, these were deep fried and had some pretty heavy spicing. The spices were really warming/sweet rather than hot and they would have worked quite well, but the fish tasted a little artificial or perhaps less than fresh. Unlike the Timeout reviewer, I have no doubt they were homemade from the different attitude to spices, but I probably wouldn't order them again as the off flavours from the fish were overpowering. I also had Vadai, lentil cakes which were spiced with cumin and heavy on the onion. These had a good flavour but were a little on the dry side.

Whilst not truly poor, there had been nothing to excite at this point, but the main course marked a big improvement. I ordered a Mutton Lamprais which was a essentially a type of biryani served in a banaa leaf. It was very good though, the rice full of flavour from being cooked in stock and also from the spices, which were again of the warming variety. The dish did pack some heat but in a slow burn kind of way and I really enjoyed it. There was plenty of meat but the dish was a bit of a mountain, not really a complaint but just a bit too much rice for one person, and not enough to be a sharing dish.

This had come with two small side dishes: an aubergine curry and seeni sambola. I'm afraid that I can't remember a lot about the aubergine curry, but am sure it was pretty decent. The seeni sambola looked like a pickle, but was actually incredibly sweet and tender caramelised onions. This really went well with the rice and was a truly good dish.

Based on the Timeout recommendation I had the dhal as well, it really wasn't necessary with the amount of food but I am glad I did. It was a very different flavour profile from a North Indian dhal, containing red lentils, lemongrass and finished with coconut. It was fragrant rather than spicy, perhaps a little watery but another delicious part of the meal.

This restaurant is licensed, so unfortunately no BYO. The wine list is not inspiring but could be worse and there are things on there you might want to drink at fair prices. Personally I stuck to a Sri Lankan lager. This looked expensive but was actually a 660ml bottle and had a good amount of flavour, much better than so many bland lagers I have endured in a misguided quest to be authentic/try new things.

I know I have used the word sweet a lot in the above review and I think it conveys the wrong impression. The spicing was sweet as in cinnamon etc. rather than actively having residual sugar. The only dish that was sweet in the true sense was the caramelised onions and they were superb. The flavours here were interesting and worked well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Whilst most of the dessert list sounded bought in, there were two Sri Lankan desserts I would have liked to have tried. However, by this point I was absolutely stuffed and had to leave them for another time. At first, I had thought the place a little expensive for this type of food, good as it is. I think my meal was close to £30 including service. But then, I reminded myself that this is actually a convenient location and its just that we're used to eating interesting food in parts of London were the rents are a fair bit lower. Added to that, I had the most expensive main course and the quantity of food might well have been enough for two with another side dish and I think this place is actually very good value.

There's enough of interest on the main menu (as well as those desserts) to make me want to go back. Its a bit depressing to see that having updated my list of places I want to eat, not withstanding a number of closures of places I didn't even get to, the additions mean the overall number has gone up not down. That said, I've pretty much ran out of affordable to-dos in the centre so I'm sure I will be back in Sekara, long before I have the cash to go to Ramsey's or the time to get to Southall.