Ottawa Foodies

This used to be one my favourite restaurants when the original on the ground floor of Somerset Towers opened over a decade ago. There was a time when you could get double the current portions at half the price. The string hoppers and idlis tasted freshly made, the thalli (non-vegetarian for me) was generous and varied, and the coconut and Maldive fish sambar on the side provided just the right touch of authenticity and fireworks in the mouth. I even liked the hypnotic classical Tamil music in the background.

With the passage of time, and the accumulation of several positive reviews, the prices went up and the portions went down. Can't say I was that surprised since I had already overheard patronizing fellow diners of a certain demographic, shall we say, tell the waiting staff how they work way too hard, are serving way too much food for the prices they charge, etc...

Suffice it to say that the restaurant quickly gentrified, and the proportion of the Sri Lankan clientele went from somewhere around 50% down to about 10%. I know, it's not politically correct to even mention something like this, because we are all supposed to be colorblind in this harmonious society that we live in, but I digress...

Anyhow, even the opening of the methodone clinic next door, while adding a unique ambiance to the whole Ceylonta experience, didn't manage to recapture its opening glory days.

Went for supper Saturday night. We did not have a reservation and showed up around 7:30. We were seated right away.

Service was prompt and the food was REALLY GOOD. I had the vegetable thali, there were 8 curries. The squash was so creamy, the grean beans were unusual and wonderful, there were fresh tasting beets, and a really nice spinach dish. Nothing was overcooked or over-spiced, and each dish was unique. A great experience. The naan bread was good, but slightly dense.

I will return again, and soon!

Been several times for dinner on weekend nights, both times making reservations only a couple hours beforehand. That being said, both times I showed up to wait at the door for quite a while. The rest of the service was in the same fashion, quite quite slow. The service was nice, however, and the servers would not hesitate to recommend their choices, which worked out well. I would recommend the thali, a great sampler, as well as the shrimp curry, which has a delicious sauce.
Overall, nice, unique food and a simple atmosphere, but slow service.

To ring in again on service, it has been consistently slow, but really friendly.

If you are in a rush this is probably not a great choice for dinner. I've never been there for lunch, but I expect the buffet would be a bit simpler and faster.

The food is outstanding and worth a bit of honest disorganization.

Be prepared for lots of suggestions on your combination of dishes and feel free to ask questions about ingredients. Ceylonta does seem to be exceptionally accommodating.

For the vegan-esque it is an excellent restaurant and great for taking out your non-vegan friends for dinner. The meat thali only has one dish of meat so still lots of veg to share and you can generally sneak in the veg options of the String Hoppers Kothu and Dosa (the crepe itself is vegan).

Price is also quite reasonable. We always feel like we got more than enough food and the bill total is always reasonable.

The Sri Lankan beer is a stout, the Sinha Stout. This is bold beer and tasty for people that like dark beers. It is comparable to some Imperial Stouts or the Royal Extra Stout from Trinidad. They carry both at the LCBO. It is also 8% alcohol so be careful.

So food and price is good, but service speed is lacking. Two out of three ain't bad.

Those looking for a bit of adventure should go for the fried sprats. It's like a plate of salted anchovies fried in chili and onion and spices. Great texture.

We ordered it for the first time this week and the fellow who served us (we got take-out) said that it's definitely not for everyone.

I'll order it again, for sure.

Ceylonta's still good but maybe a tad unreliable. A big pile of take-away from here recently left me drooling and fantasizing about going back for weeks. I went back, and...nothing bad, but I wasn't wanting to move into the basement like I had before. Different chefs? Or was it the lousy service we got in person?

When they do it right, it's lovely stuff...

I was super-excited to try Ceylonta (Somerset location) and was looking forward to having lunch here for a couple of weeks, having heard good things about the food. Maybe I was a bit too excited. I went there today for the lunch buffet and it was good, but not mind-blowing.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my food. The pappadoms were above average. There was very tasty green, spicy creamy stuff (sorry - don't know the name, but it was displayed next to the yogourt.) I also enjoyed the beef curry which was spicy-hot, although the beef itself was a bit tough.

For dessert there was rice pudding and tapioca custard. Yummy. I especially liked the tapioca custard - real comfort food!

The service was fine - water glasses were always full - but when it came time to get our bill we, well, didn't. After asking and waiting, we had to take matters into our own hands and line up at the cash. Maybe that's how it works there?

I plan to go back again for dinner sometime. I've heard good things about the roti and don't want to miss out!

Just a small note about the artwork on the walls - all the pictures seemed to be of comely Indian women batting their eyelashes or carrying water jugs. My friend and I were sitting under a pair of pictures that made me wonder if it's cold in Sri Lanka. Not a big deal, but it made me feel like we were eating in some East Indian version of a gentleman's club. Wacky.

We ate at Ceylonta last Friday night. The restaurant had maybe a dozen patrons at about 7 o'clock. We ordered a chicken rotti, beef stringhoppers, basmati rice, a roasted eggplant dish and an appetizer. The food was fabulous!

We found the service to be a bit off. Maybe they were shortstaffed? Cultural differences? I don't know what was going on but the service was really rushed and in some cases non-existant. Hopefully this was just a one-time thing... it wasn't terrible, but it put a bit of a damper on what was otherwise a wonderful meal.

It’s my first time been to their new location. Food remains good!!
Veggie Thali is still my fav. ! Love the curried eggplant!!
My boyfriend ordered Mutton Kothu Rotti, which is curried mutton stir fried with chopped rotti bread, onions, and other spices, not so crazy about this.
We also ordered Devilled beef, it’s cooked in a tomato based sauce, sour and sweet taste, not bad.

Overall, food tasted great, service was quick and attentive. There is only one thing …. I found their food is not delivered hot…maybe it has something to do with the pre-cooked meat, all their meat is pre-roasted, not fresh cooked.

Did a take-away from the new Carling location last night, and am happy that Ceylonta (and its new location) remains on my fav. list. Had the veg Thali and another veg main, Vegetarian Kothu Rotti.

The Thali provides an excellent way to sample 5-6 different curries / dishes, prepared in the "drier" S. Indian / Sri Lankan style (a little less gravy and a bit more use of coconut and other spices).

Not quite as keen for the Kothu Rotti, but it definitely sticks to the ribs.

One thing you notice w/ take-away is the amount of oil used (visible b/c of the residue left on paper bags, etc.). Maybe they could reduce the amount a bit, but hey, it was good tasting oil.

I love the expression on my girlfriends face when she gets the "rogue chili" coughs, haks and tears come from her eyes but can't remember which "thali" was hot. I love the veg at this place!

I would reccomend this to anyone going to this resturant as a solid choice, as the seafood here is cooked for far too long. Ive had this 5 times and its great everytime!

I didn't try everything that came with this, and I don't know the names of what I tried, but it was good! There is enough variety in this dish that it's good for sharing and every part will be liked by someone.

Pros:
- Lots of yummy condiments.
- Delicious rice pudding.
- Many vegetarian options. Sweet potato in coconut sauce was a standout.
- Excellent pappadam.
- Cheap & plentiful.

Cons:
- Little deep-fried nugget things that were hyped up to me were way overcooked and thus unenjoyable.
- Nan was sub-par. Store-bought?
- Egg in curry sauce tasted as though it had been sitting for a long while.

Overall, pretty good value. I would like to go back and try the dinner menu.

i went just for the dosa and now i quickly understand the comments from schtickyrice (nov 6).

first off, i don't want to say it was a bad meal; everything was fine and tasty, but it stops there. nothing special... considering so many delicious options at that price range (12.95$ sunday brunch), there's other places to go to.

the "unlimited dosa" was quickly disappointing as it was quite soft (not so fresh), and the filling didn't excite enough to make up for the deficiencies.

saffron rice - looks the part, but doesn't quite taste or smell so much
naan - a bit dry; sitting out too long.
curried green beans - blackened?
curry chicken - tomato-based? REALLY tender

everything else is on their website and is good, but enough to write about.

i'm just disappointed because my stomach is only so big, so going for Indian food is a commitment!

i'm definitely aware that buffet food is a grade lower than ordering from the menu, but i reckon basic items like rice and naan could be cared for better, since the saucy curries can sit around with no real detriments.

in the end, the food was good, but the value wasn't there. for a 13$ to fill you up all day, does that equate good value?

(does anyone have recent comments about dosa during dinner hours?)

Went for the lunch buffet and was underwhelmed. I've been for dinner and enjoyed the food, but didn't find the lunch particularly appealing.

My wife and I went out to lunch here today at the Bayshore location, as we do just about every year on our anniversary. Wow, I don't know how these guys can offer such incredible food at these prices - 23 bucks out the door for 2 people, before tip! The food was extremely good as always, and I tried darned near everything. Here it is supper time and I'm still stuffed - not even thinking of food

Ceylonta has my favourite South Asian buffet in Ottawa. Highlights:

*excellent tandoori chicken
*regular rice, and rice with saffron
*sweet potato in delicate saffron-tinged coconut sauce (stand-out)
*curried chicken with cumin
*curried boiled egg
*unusual, exceptional green beans in a very dark, thick, and slightly sweet sauce
*great spinach
*rice pudding with cinnamon dusting and very good tapioca.

At approx. $13, it's a few dollars more than your average Centretown/business district Indian lunch buffet but worth every cent.

Went on a Sat. Excellent buffet until 2pm. Love their fried buttered chilis. We ordered mutton rolls for the table. You really must get the mutton rolls. Deep fried with breadcrumbs. Comes with a tangy red sauce. Delish!

Their naan is average. Tandoori chicken average. But you don't really go to Ceylonta for that. Try ALL the other dishes. Everything's very good to excellent. The curried chicken used to be excellent but they've toned down the spice level a few years ago and it seems like something's missing.

You can opt for the dosa option too. They'll bring you a huge dosa (fried rice flour crepe filled with spicy potato stuffing) with sambar. It's worth the extra price.

String Hoppers is one of my favourite traditional foods from Sri Lanka. It is delicious with curry chicken or mutton. My husband and the two sons love it too. I am a good cook, but I could not get the proper consistency when I make string hoppers myself, but, hey, I have no trouble getting my supply when I need it, I call CEYLONTA RESTAURANT, it is just a phone call away. I am loving it. Noeline, Ottawa.

Frozen 'mixed vegetables'...! Peas, corn, diced carrot, a couple of green beans.

I'm not so snobby as to write off everything made with once-frozen veg, but it's always a letdown when it's that ubiquitous, blah blend where the carrots are invariably mush, the corn dry, the peas shrivelled and the beans blah.

Okay if you ignored the veg, but...

[This review is for Vegetable String Hoppers Kothu]
This was a very great dish. There was no sauce but the flavours were great and it soaked up sauce from other dishes and complimented everything.

Their lunch-time buffet usually has excelletn tandoori chicken.

had the pleasure of being introduced to the chef one night when i was there w/ a bunch of friends (inc. people fr. other restaurants) -- they also ordered and thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

The manager (great guy) brought Chef out to introduce us and to swap restaurant stories (no other customers left). The man is past official retirement age, but on that question, his response is that he'd rather stay busy working in his kitchen than retire. Very modest, but friendly and energetic ... sort of a walking / breathing endorsement for the benefits of Sri Lankan / S. Indian food.

This dish is great! I asked the chef to make how he would have it for himself.. Then make it twice that hot! Sooo good. So many chilis it rocked my world. The chef at the carling location is really great and has picked it up alot since last winter.

This dish was just ok. It wasn't bad but it didn't "wow" me either. The chicken was extremely lean which I really admire.

Ive had this on three different occasions and the shrimp is absolutely hammered every time! Sauce is really good though, too bad. :(

This was outstanding. The flavours were rich yet not overpowering and the shrimp was perfectly cooked.

Oh, adding the (Goat) to the end is a great idea.

And, yes, the red sauce is amazing. Sauces like that are why you have to order naan or dosai or whatever bread-thing you can imagine.

I don't think it's *too* too spicy, but I may be losing my sense of taste.

Thanks guys. You're right of course! I added a "(Goat)" to the title for clarity...

Now I'm intrigued... and that angry sauce sounds most appealing!

I can confirm that the mutton at Ceylonta is goat :-). I think that Momomoto is right... it's common for South Asians to call goat "mutton". My favourite Sri Lankan restaurant here in Toronto, at least, does the same thing!

Because of this, for the longest time, I didn't know that mutton was sheep.

:) It's definitely confusing, particularly for people who come here *from* India, ask for mutton, and get old sheep instead of goat!

Tough thing to standardize, for sure.

Weird! Maybe they should call it chevron instead of mutton then. ;-) (In case you don't know french: mouton == sheep and chevre == goat. The word "mutton" comes from mouton.)

Based on how it tasted and the shape of the pieces I'm pretty sure that it was goat. It's common in south Asia to call goat mutton, and the description they have for their mutton roll appetizer says that it's goat.

I pity the poor sheep that has to live so close to the equator! More sensible for it to have no woolen coat ;)

Mutton is sheep not goat! The angry red curry sounds great, but can you please let me know whether it is mutton OR goat so I can correct it? Thanks :)

I just picked up an order of this for takeout in order to stretch the rice and dal that I've been eating recently.

This type of curry sauce takes really well to the intense flavour, and slightly rough texture, of goat. It's got a dark, nutty, almost coffee-like flavour from the roasting of all the spices, as well as having that spicy kick that comes in after the fact, to clear your sinuses and remind you that life is good.

I'd definitely order this one again, particularly if I were having a sit-down meal.

i love the masala dosa (or dosai?) from Ceylonta. When i go there, i make sure to also get Shrimp curry, because the shrimp curry sauce goes perfectly with the Masala dosa.

This was OK. It seemed that it was store-bought and heated. It wasn't the best I've ever had, but not the worst eiher.