Advertisement 1

Hum: Ceylonta has the recipe for longevity and great Sri Lankan food in Ottawa

Canada’s oldest Tamil-owned restaurant continues to serve affordable, spice-infused dishes after 30 years.

Get the latest from Peter Hum straight to your inbox

Article content

Ceylonta

403 Somerset St. W., 613-237-7812, ceylonta.com

Bowls filled with yellow, green and red dishes surround a large bowl of rice
Thali dish from Ceylonta. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

Open: Monday noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday 4 to 9 p.m.

Prices: Sharable dishes up to $25

Access: Slope for wheelchairs to front door


Ceylonta, the long-time purveyor of South Indian and especially Sri Lankan food in Ottawa, deserves kudos simply for its longevity and singularity.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

Opened in 1994, the Centretown restaurant on the ground floor of a Somerset Street West apartment building is entering its fourth decade. I was told this week that it is also the oldest Tamil-owned restaurant in Canada.

My predecessor Anne DesBrisay repeatedly raved about Ceylonta in her reviews of 1999, 2004, and 2008, lauding its bold, distinctive flavours, affordability, and on-point service. While I haven’t reviewed Ceylonta since I began my stint on this beat in 2012, I have enjoyed off-duty meals at its two offshoots: a second Ceylonta on Carling Avenue and Kothu Rotti, a tiny, buffet-based eatery on Dalhousie Street. But those two locations have both closed.

A cast iron pan filled with roast beef
Roast Beef from Ceylonta. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

This month, I paid my first visit to Ceylonta in a long time. Why? In the last dozen years, I’ve seen more modest Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurants come and go in Ottawa. I wondered: What was the secret to Ceylonta’s staying power?

Inside, Ceylonta was a narrow, tranquil, extensively decorated space of about 60 seats that set the mood for affordable, flavourful dining. Its illustrated menus were a little worn, but otherwise the ambience was pleasant, relaxed, and welcoming.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

During my two visits, our server was owner Ranjan Thana, 60, who founded Ceylonta half his life ago after graduating from Carleton University. A Tamil who fled Sri Lanka as a refugee in the late 1980s, Thana was a fine and even gregarious ambassador for not only his business but also his homeland’s cuisine.

A plate of noodles with vegetables
Vegetable string hoppers at Ceylonta. Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

We told Thana that we wanted to plumb the Sri Lankan side of Ceylonta’s menu over its South Indian side. He gave us a run-through of Ceylonta’s dishes and cooking that left us feeling like we were in good hands. Girded by decades of customer feedback, his recommendations about what to order and how to compose our entire meal were unerring.

Sri Lankan cooking is renowned for its liberal and expert use of roasted and ground spices, as well as vibrant chili peppers, tamarind, garlic, and ginger. At Ceylonta, sidestepping the punchier flavours would essentially be missing out on the fun.

But Thana explained that his food, while robustly seasoned, is both more rounded and more saucy because that’s what Tamil palates like. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese majority prefers more pepper and heat in their food. That distinction explains the truly incendiary Sri Lankan fare that I’ve had elsewhere.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

Thana also said that over time, as Ceylonta’s customer base expanded from Sri Lankan expats to Canadians of every description, a few menu items have been tweaked or even sweetened. “But most are authentic,” he said.

A plate with small fried appetizers and two dips
Four appetizers at Ceylonta on Somerset Street West, including left to right, a fish croquette, a vegetarian roll, a spicy lentil patty and a lentil doughnut. Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

Following Thana’s suggestion, our first dinner at Ceylonta began with a simple side dish of coconut sambol ($7), a savoury condiment of finely grated coconut mixed with chilies and other spices that we ate with fluffy rotti flatbread (two for $6). If there’s a better, or even another, coconut sambol in Ottawa, I’ve yet to find it. Ceylonta manager Tony Bajua told us that the coconut is grated every three hours so that it’s optimally fresh.

We’ve also started meals with Ceylonta’s deep-fried snacks. Rolls that encased their mutton-based or vegetarian contents in thick wrappers (two for $6) and a fish croquette ($6) were substantial starters that took well to their deeply tangy chili sauce. A lentil-and-rice-based doughnut and a spicy lentil patty came with a superior coconut chutney.

From the spicier side of the ledger, we had Ceylonta’s roast beef ($23), which was, in fact, a compelling stir-fry of tender strips of beef and sweet caramelized onions that combined complex, mouth-warming flavours reminiscent of curries. Spicier still was the devilled shrimp ($25), a stir-fry that took its name from its markedly spicy, tomato-based chili sauce. Its shrimp were a touch tough, though. Perhaps we would have done better with devilled chicken, beef, or potato.

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

A plate of coconut sambol with roti flatbreads served on a wooden board
Coconut sambol with roti flatbreads at Ceylonta. Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

For something starchy, we had a plate of string hoppers ($17), which was a tangle of thin rice-flour noodles stir-fried with onions, vegetables and spices. This simple dish was disarmingly good, and more savoury and compelling than expected. Equally craveable, and more hefty, was a plate of kothu rotti — specifically mutton kothu rotti ($20), as Thana suggested — a pleasing mish-mash of chopped, softened ?at bread (rotti) stir-fried with curried mutton, onions, green chillies and spices.

To make up for our meal’s deficit of vegetables, we ordered a thali plate ($23) that ringed small, colourful bowls of curried vegetables — pumpkin, eggplant, green beans, chickpeas, potato and beets — around a central bowl of curried meat, in this case chicken. All of the vegetable dishes won us over, even if the green beans were sweeter than they would have been in Sri Lanka, Thana admitted. The dusky curry, which teemed with boneless chunks of chicken, was absolutely delicious.

Seven vegetable dishes surrounding a container of chicken curry.
This thali platter at Ceylonta consists of seven vegetable dishes surrounding a container of chicken curry. Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

For dessert, we enjoyed bowls of homey vattil appam ($8), a dense, custard-y pudding flavoured with earthy jaggery (can sugar), coconut and cardamom.

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content

While pork does figure in Sri Lankan cuisine, it’s absent from Ceylonta’s menu. The restaurant has been halal-certified since its early days, and one of its chefs is Muslim.

However, the restaurant is licensed, and it serves some imported beers, a few basic wines, and some mixed drinks. One of its cocktails was a surprisingly good mango-tinged mojito ($15). There are other interesting non-alcoholic beverages, including a vibrantly flavoured hibiscus-based drink that topped similar items I’ve had at Mexican restaurants. Not only are yogurt-based mango lassis served here, but also vegan mango lassis made with coconut milk.

A green drink and a dark red drink
Monsoon mojito and non-alcoholic hibiscus drink at Ceylonta. Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

Thana said he’s been tracking the proliferation in recent years of South Asian restaurants in Ottawa. Using the tallies that Uber Eats keeps, he says that South Asian restaurants have increased from several dozen before the pandemic to more than 160 today. According to the delivery service, there are 171 “Indian” eateries or kitchens in Ottawa.

But based on my enthusiasm for Thana’s food and hospitality, I’d say that what we need is more Tamil restaurants. Until then, we thankfully have Ceylonta.

phum@postmedia.com

Want to stay in the know about what’s happening in Ottawa??Sign up for the?Ottawa Citizen’s arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office?— our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, watching, playing, hanging, learning and living well in the capital.

Recommended from Editorial
  1. Joe Thottungal, chef and owner of Coconut Lagoon
    Ottawa chef Joe Thottungal wins national award for his My Thali cookbook
  2. Ottawa, ON - October 30, 2023  -	
Rang de Jashan Falooda (pink drink)
Papdi chaat (plate with pomegranate seeds)
Dahi puri
Inside the Spice Divine Grocery and Kitchen at 1541 Merivale Rd.
    The Desi-fication of Merivale Road

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    universo-virtual.com
    buytrendz.net
    thisforall.net
    benchpressgains.com
    qthzb.com
    mindhunter9.com
    dwjqp1.com
    secure-signup.net
    ahaayy.com
    soxtry.com
    tressesindia.com
    puresybian.com
    krpano-chs.com
    cre8workshop.com
    hdkino.org
    peixun021.com
    qz786.com
    utahperformingartscenter.org
    maw-pr.com
    zaaksen.com
    ypxsptbfd7.com
    worldqrmconference.com
    shangyuwh.com
    eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
    playminecraftfreeonline.com
    trekvietnamtour.com
    your-business-articles.com
    essaywritingservice10.com
    hindusamaaj.com
    joggingvideo.com
    wandercoups.com
    onlinenewsofindia.com
    worldgraphic-team.com
    bnsrz.com
    wormblaster.net
    tongchengchuyange0004.com
    internetknowing.com
    breachurch.com
    peachesnginburlesque.com
    dataarchitectoo.com
    clientfunnelformula.com
    30pps.com
    cherylroll.com
    ks2252.com
    webmanicura.com
    osostore.com
    softsmob.com
    sofietsshotel.com
    facetorch.com
    nylawyerreview.com
    apapromotions.com
    shareparelli.com
    goeaglepointe.com
    thegreenmanpubphuket.com
    karotorossian.com
    publicsensor.com
    taiwandefence.com
    epcsur.com
    odskc.com
    inzziln.info
    leaiiln.info
    cq-oa.com
    dqtianshun.com
    southstills.com
    tvtv98.com
    thewellington-hotel.com
    bccaipiao.com
    colectoresindustrialesgs.com
    shenanddcg.com
    capriartfilmfestival.com
    replicabreitlingsale.com
    thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
    gkmcww.com
    mbnkbj.com
    andrewbrennandesign.com
    cod54.com
    luobinzhang.com
    bartoysdirect.com
    taquerialoscompadresdc.com
    aaoodln.info
    amcckln.info
    drvrnln.info
    dwabmln.info
    fcsjoln.info
    hlonxln.info
    kcmeiln.info
    kplrrln.info
    fatcatoons.com
    91guoys.com
    signupforfreehosting.com
    faithfirst.net
    zjyc28.com
    tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
    nhuan6.com
    oldgardensflowers.com
    lightupthefloor.com
    bahamamamas-stjohns.com
    ly2818.com
    905onthebay.com
    fonemenu.com
    notanothermovie.com
    ukrainehighclassescort.com
    meincmagazine.com
    av-5858.com
    yallerdawg.com
    donkeythemovie.com
    corporatehospitalitygroup.com
    boboyy88.com
    miteinander-lernen.com
    dannayconsulting.com
    officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
    forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
    generictadalafil-canada.net
    guitarlessonseastlondon.com
    lesliesrestaurants.com
    mattyno9.com
    nri-homeloans.com
    rtgvisas-qatar.com
    salbutamolventolinonline.net
    sportsinjuries.info
    topsedu.xyz
    xmxm7.com
    x332.xyz
    sportstrainingblog.com
    autopartspares.com
    readguy.net
    soniasegreto.com
    bobbygdavis.com
    wedsna.com
    rgkntk.com
    bkkmarketplace.com
    zxqcwx.com
    breakupprogram.com
    boxcardc.com
    unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
    fabulousbookmark.com
    beat-the.com
    guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
    magie-marketing.com
    kingstonliteracy.com
    guitaraffinity.com
    eurelookinggoodapparel.com
    howtolosecheekfat.net
    marioncma.org
    oliviadavismusic.com
    shantelcampbellrealestate.com
    shopleborn13.com
    topindiafree.com
    v-visitors.net
    qazwsxedcokmijn.com
    parabis.net
    terriesandelin.com
    luxuryhomme.com
    studyexpanse.com
    ronoom.com
    djjky.com
    053hh.com
    originbluei.com
    baucishotel.com
    33kkn.com
    intrinsiqresearch.com
    mariaescort-kiev.com
    mymaguk.com
    sponsored4u.com
    crimsonclass.com
    bataillenavale.com
    searchtile.com
    ze-stribrnych-struh.com
    zenithalhype.com
    modalpkv.com
    bouisset-lafforgue.com
    useupload.com
    37r.net
    autoankauf-muenster.com
    bantinbongda.net
    bilgius.com
    brabustermagazine.com
    indigrow.org
    miicrosofts.net
    mysmiletravel.com
    selinasims.com
    spellcubesapp.com
    usa-faction.com
    snn01.com
    hope-kelley.com
    bancodeprofissionais.com
    zjccp99.com
    liturgycreator.com
    weedsmj.com
    majorelenco.com
    colcollect.com
    androidnews-jp.com
    hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
    dailyupdatez.com
    foodphotographyreviews.com
    cricutcom-setup.com
    chprowebdesign.com
    katyrealty-kanepa.com
    tasramar.com
    bilgipinari.org
    four-am.com
    indiarepublicday.com
    inquick-enbooks.com
    iracmpi.com
    kakaschoenen.com
    lsm99flash.com
    nana1255.com
    ngen-niagara.com
    technwzs.com
    virtualonlinecasino1345.com
    wallpapertop.net
    nova-click.com
    abeautifulcrazylife.com
    diggmobile.com
    denochemexicana.com
    eventhalfkg.com
    medcon-taiwan.com
    life-himawari.com
    myriamshomes.com
    nightmarevue.com
    allstarsru.com
    bestofthebuckeyestate.com
    bestofthefirststate.com
    bestwireless7.com
    declarationintermittent.com
    findhereall.com
    jingyou888.com
    lsm99deal.com
    lsm99galaxy.com
    moozatech.com
    nuagh.com
    patliyo.com
    philomenamagikz.net
    rckouba.net
    saturnunipessoallda.com
    tallahasseefrolics.com
    thematurehardcore.net
    totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
    velislavakaymakanova.com
    vermontenergetic.com
    sizam-design.com
    kakakpintar.com
    begorgeouslady.com
    1800birks4u.com
    2wheelstogo.com
    6strip4you.com
    bigdata-world.net
    emailandco.net
    gacapal.com
    jharpost.com
    krishnaastro.com
    lsm99credit.com
    mascalzonicampani.com
    sitemapxml.org
    thecityslums.net
    topagh.com
    flairnetwebdesign.com
    bangkaeair.com
    beneventocoupon.com
    noternet.org
    oqtive.com
    smilebrightrx.com
    decollage-etiquette.com
    1millionbestdownloads.com
    7658.info
    bidbass.com
    devlopworldtech.com
    digitalmarketingrajkot.com
    fluginfo.net
    naqlafshk.com
    passion-decouverte.com
    playsirius.com
    spacceleratorintl.com
    stikyballs.com
    top10way.com
    yokidsyogurt.com
    zszyhl.com
    16firthcrescent.com
    abogadolaboralistamd.com
    apk2wap.com
    aromacremeria.com
    banparacard.com
    bosmanraws.com
    businessproviderblog.com
    caltonosa.com
    calvaryrevivalchurch.org
    chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
    cheminotsgardcevennes.com
    cooksspot.com
    cqxzpt.com
    deesywig.com
    deltacartoonmaps.com
    despixelsetdeshommes.com
    duocoracaobrasileiro.com
    fareshopbd.com
    goodpainspills.com
    kobisitecdn.com
    makaigoods.com
    mgs1454.com
    piccadillyresidences.com
    radiolaondafresca.com
    rubendorf.com
    searchengineimprov.com
    sellmyhrvahome.com
    shugahouseessentials.com
    sonihullquad.com
    subtractkilos.com
    valeriekelmansky.com
    vipasdigitalmarketing.com
    voolivrerj.com
    zeelonggroup.com
    1015southrockhill.com
    10x10b.com
    111-online-casinos.com
    191cb.com
    3665arpentunitd.com
    aitesonics.com
    bag-shokunin.com
    brightotech.com
    communication-digitale-services.com
    covoakland.org
    dariaprimapack.com
    freefortniteaccountss.com
    gatebizglobal.com
    global1entertainmentnews.com
    greatytene.com
    hiroshiwakita.com
    iktodaypk.com
    jahatsakong.com
    meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
    newsbharati.net
    platinumstudiosdesign.com
    slotxogamesplay.com
    strikestaruk.com
    trucosdefortnite.com
    ufabetrune.com
    weddedtowhitmore.com
    12940brycecanyonunitb.com
    1311dietrichoaks.com
    2monarchtraceunit303.com
    601legendhill.com
    850elaine.com
    adieusolasomade.com
    andora-ke.com
    bestslotxogames.com
    cannagomcallen.com
    endlesslyhot.com
    iestpjva.com
    ouqprint.com
    pwmaplefest.com
    qtylmr.com
    rb88betting.com
    buscadogues.com
    1007macfm.com
    born-wild.com
    growthinvests.com
    promocode-casino.com
    proyectogalgoargentina.com
    wbthompson-art.com
    whitemountainwheels.com
    7thavehvl.com
    developmethis.com
    funkydogbowties.com
    travelodgegrandjunction.com
    gao-town.com
    globalmarketsuite.com
    blogshippo.com
    hdbka.com
    proboards67.com
    outletonline-michaelkors.com
    kalkis-research.com
    thuthuatit.net
    buckcash.com
    hollistercanada.com
    docterror.com
    asadart.com
    vmayke.org
    erwincomputers.com
    dirimart.org
    okkii.com
    loteriasdecehegin.com
    mountanalog.com
    healingtaobritain.com
    ttxmonitor.com
    bamthemes.com
    nwordpress.com
    11bolabonanza.com
    avgo.top