We experienced authentic Lankan cuisine at this limited-time pop-up in central Bengaluru

The spirit of the island nation of Sri Lanka is channelling right in the centre of Bengaluru this week. Lankan Spice Trail , an exciting on going pop-up by Chef Amara stays true to roots while being indulgent to its authentic flavours.

Chef Amra's Lankan Spice Trail is worth exploring

Set up in The Bengaluru Brasserie, this food pop-up buffet was a mix of a myriad dishes. We first tried the mix of small plates among the vegeterian and non-vegeterian offerings.

First, the Veg Roti tantalised our taste buds alongside the Seeni Sambal Buns. While the first, with its soft, chewy texture, packed a piquant yet flavourful filling, the latter was more diverse in its flavours. Sweet and tangy yet spicy with warm spices and caramalised onions, the contrsting flavours of the fillings rested within a fluffy brioche-style bread.

Before moving on the the main course offerings in the spread, we tried out the non-veg offerings in the small plate section. The Fish Thiyal was an amazing addition to this food trail. With the sour flavour profile reigning largely, this dish packed more. Prepared as a dry curry, this went brilliant with the puttu from the live counter at the restaurant. The rich and enjoyble tartness was only elevated with the tangy, slightly acidic addition of the Malabar tamarind. It was also smoky, which, again seemed like a great addition that complented to the over-all flavour profile.

The live-counter is also offering a a variety of the Kotthu-parotta variants. Prepared fresh, the warm flavours of black pepper, and the warm spices mixed with sauteed onions really brought this pop-up's theme home for us.

But as we dug into the main course, we realised we had much more to explore. We ordered the Egg Hoppers that were generously garnished with coconut sambal. Paired with the crab curry, we were motivated to induge further. The Chicken Curry, too, with its warm spiced pared oh-so-well with the Yellow Rice. All this we relised while washing it down with a brilliantly textured Wood Apple Juice. We also ended this culinary journey with a piece of the Layred Jelly pudding.

Meal for two: INR 4,400 onwards. On till today. At Hyatt Centric MG Road Bangalore.