Sri-Lankan Bar & Restaurant group, The Coconut Tree, announces re-opening plans for both Bristol sites

Award-winning Sri Lankan bar & restaurant group The Coconut Tree has announced it will reopen both of its Bristol restaurants on 17 May 2021, and will extend its offer of 50% off for all eat-in customers (Monday to Wednesday) until the end of January 2022.

Table bookings are now open for both the Gloucester Road and Bristol Triangle restaurants; until then, takeaway is still available for delivery or collection from www.thecoconut-tree.com/bristol-glos-rd. 

The street food pioneers said that they were originally inspired to offer their own discount scheme after experiencing success with ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ last year; and now, they want to use the reopening of indoor dining as an opportunity to put Sri Lankan cuisine firmly on the map.

Brand Director Anna Garrod said, “We’ve been inundated with requests to book tables so we are thrilled to share our reopening news and can’t wait to bring in our Sri Lankan hospitality back to table service once more.”

As a result of the government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ offer last year, we saw a real surge in bookings; it gave us a new audience who saw it as an opportunity to try new things. So with indoor dining back on the cards, we want to introduce even more people to our unique dishes and laid back, island vibe, so will again offer 50% off for eat-in Monday - Wednesday. 

Sri Lankan food hasn’t yet been taken to the heart of British culture in the same way Indian food has, and we really want to be the ones to change that, we want to hear people say – ‘let’s go for a Sri Lankan tonight!’ 

During lockdown, two delicious new dishes have been developed for The Coconut Tree’s menu in time for their reopening:

Mango Curry

Fresh young mangos are sliced and marinated in a rub of deep, warm Sri Lankan spices with garlic, cinnamon, ginger padan leaves, and a splash of  coconut vinegar. This is then slow cooked in rich coconut milk, giving a delicious, sweet & sour island vibe.

String Hoppers or ‘Idiyappam’

A traditional Sri Lankan specialty. Rice flour pancakes are popped into a press to form noodles; a perfect partner for all  dishes, and eaten ‘back home’ from dawn ‘til dusk. An alternative to the original Egg Hoppers (see below). 

Five of The Coconut Tree’s restaurants (in Bournemouth, Oxford, Cheltenham and Bristol x 2) will reopen for indoor dining on 17th May, in line with the UK government’s easing of restrictions. Another, brand new site in Bath is still under refurbishment and will open later in Spring.

To view the up-to-date opening dates, times and to book a table at each location, please visit: https://www.thecoconut-tree.com/.

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In recent years, Sri Lankan food has been having a moment, with The Times identifying it as a new food trend, and BBC Food attributing its popularity to “most of the food world looking towards healthy living, meat free options and exciting new cuisines”.

The Coconut Tree’s take on the cuisine is made up of smaller tapas-style dishes cooked fresh to order - embracing plants, fish and meat, it’s a menu that naturally offers something for everyone.

Whilst curry dishes are featured, The Coconut Tree’s curries never use masala, lemongrass or other more typical Asian flavours, instead promising plates of flavourful food infused with authentic Sri Lankan spices. 

Popular dishes include ‘Hot Battered Spicy Cuttlefish’; green peas and ‘Cashew Nuts’ soaked and cooked in coconut cream; and ‘Cheesy Colombo’ – cheese cubes fried and mixed Colombo style. ‘Jaffna Goat Curry with potato’ is also a firm favourite, as is the ‘Black Pork’ which consists of diced pork belly cooked in 30 roasted spices. Finally, ‘Kotthu’ is a fine example of a street food served all over the country - made with finely chopped rotti and cooked with egg, vegetables and / or meat. 

In 2019, eminent food critic Jay Rayner visited the Cheltenham restaurant, citing a “raucous, rough-edged enthusiasm to the food” which manages “that rare trick of being totally laid-back and completely on point at the same time.”