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Kurumba

Friday: 5:30 – 11:00 PM
555 Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Phone
(02) 9331 5737
Website
kurumbasyd.com.au
Instagram
@kurumba.syd

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 26 Feb 2024

By
Alexandra Carlton

The cocktails at this Sri Lankan restaurant are as layered and fragrant as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean itself, making fine partners to the beautifully spiced dishes.

Kurumba, Sri Lankan restaurant in Sydney
Why you goWhen Dulwich Hill’s beloved Sri Lankan eatery The Fold, well, folded in mid-2023, the folk of Sydney’s inner west grieved. The curry! The hoppers! The cakes! The floor full of family members we’d come to love! Thankfully, we didn’t have long to mope in our mourning garb because the De Hoedt family had a second coming in the works in the form of Kurumba in Surry Hills. More buzzy and urban than its predecessor, Kurumba centres itself around a live hopper bar where brothers Travin and Jason De Hoedt swirl the classic fermented flour and coconut batter around pans in your line of vision, then pop the resulting thin pancakes onto your plate, ready to be torn and stuffed with sambols and curries. Upstairs, the seating is more formal – book there if you’re up for a larger and more sedate meal – but the downstairs bar is where it’s at, especially if you centre your attention on the tropical spice of the cocktail list and keep the hoppers coming fresh and hot. 
What drink to orderThe cocktails here are as layered and fragrant as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean itself, and the family has made a deliberate choice to showcase Sri Lankan spirits. Ceylon Arrack, which is distilled from coconut flowers, is the house liquor, while the house gin comes from the Colombo 07 district, aka Cinnamon Gardens, known for its spicy aromatics including curry leaf, ginger and Sri Lankan cinnamon. The arrack does its best work in the sexily astringent Rumba Kurumba, which involves a juice mix of pandan, coconut, apricot and lemon aspen, and is served in a grass-green ceramic coconut. The house beer is a partnership with Newcastle beer folk Bread and Brewery, and gets its slick richness from Sri Lankan treacle. The wines come from far and wide but are priced approachably – standouts include the Man O’ War Sauvignon Blanc from Waiheke Island off the coast of Auckland, and the Swinging Bridge Orange Riesling Blend from Orange in New South Wales.
Ceylon Arrack coconut drink
Drinks and food served at Kurumba
What to pair it withThe appa-appa hopper combo was the absolute non-negotiable back at The Fold, and thankfully it has migrated across to Kurumba. It consists of two plain hoppers, an egg hopper and a trio of sambols: the fresh onion lunu miris, the coconut pol sambol and the caramelised-onion seeni. They’re a hearty snack on their own, but you could also order a saucy curry for them to splash around in. The free-range chicken curry is another Fold staple and the green-mango curry is a blast from the De Hoedt kids’ childhood. You could also grab the soft-shell crab or a round of the nuggety brisket pan rolls with sweet and sour pineapple. There are plans to offer more curry-hopper combo deals to make bar-ordering even more straightforward so you can put your thinking energy into the drinks.
Why we love itA restaurant run entirely by family isn’t something you see every day and it’s quite a lovely thing. Patriarch Augustus is executive chef, while his wife Dilki is the venue manager. Son Travin is the general manager while Travin’s wife, Saaya, and brother Jason – both pastry chefs – are also part of the team. A lot of restaurants and bars boast that they offer an experience that’s like “stepping inside someone’s home”. Team Kurumba walks the talk.
Don’t leave withoutOrder the rose-scented faluda soft-serve to round out the evening. The pastry chefs of the family – which is almost all of them – took two months to perfect it and it tastes like the musk-stick lollies of your childhood, only delicate and refreshing rather than sickly and cloying. It’s speckled with candied pistachio nuts, burnt cashews, maraschino cherries and the thinnest milk meringue, and it’s as pretty as a posy. 
Who to take The elbow-to-elbow bar seating means groups aren’t the easiest fit here, although there’s a small smattering of outdoor seating on the pavement and, of course, the upstairs dining room if you want to do a large meal with a crew. The sweet spot for the hopper bar is two or three people armed with good appetites and attitudes.
people enjoying at Kurumba
image credits: Yusuke Obe
Authour image
Alexandra CarltonAlexandra Carlton is a freelance writer who contributes to Australia’s leading food, wine and travel publications.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryMeal and a bevCasual catch-upNon-alc OptionsFamily affairDate nightSydneyVego Food OptionsSydney – Inner CityOutdoor areaRestaurantKiller cocktailsAfter work drinksBar
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