Hannah Millbank and her family enjoy a treat of Sri Lankan tapas for a meal out in Bristol
A word of warning. Tempted as you might be to ignore their advice, when the waiting team suggest three dishes per person, they’re right. We ordered more. And suffice to say we left The Coconut Tree feeling what can only be described as ‘stuffed’!
Just to be clear – this is, in no way, a complaint. The food is described as Sri Lankan tapas. And in true tapas style, it’s hard not to want to try a bit of everything. In fact, while we did our best to eat our way through the full menu, we may well be heading back there to tick off the remaining options. And, if the food wasn’t incentive enough, kids eat free until the end of March too.
While we waited for our (many) small plates to arrive, the boys were entertained designing their own traditional Sri Lankan Raksha Masks, taking inspiration from the examples hung on the wall. Our little artists paused, of course, to watch the fireworks when our Sriki-Tiki cocktails arrived, complete with a flaming sugar cube and sparks when the waitress sprinkled cinnamon over the top of the coconut rum and pineapple flavoured drink.
We played it a little safe when selecting for our children’s somewhat non-adventurous tastes, ordering Roti Pizza from their menu. And here comes my next warning: don’t play it safe. The mini pizzas were tasty, but as soon as they spotted the cheese hopper (a coconut milk pancake) and our colourful selection of exotic food, they merrily tucked in – while slurping their coconut chocolate milkshake and strawberry crush drinks.
Kaju Maluwa (cashew nuts and peas), Cheesy Colombo (fried cheese cubes in sticky sauce) and stir-fried chickpeas: the veggie options we tried were delicious. Though we all agreed that the Kotthu was a highlight, a street food dish served across Sri Lanka – we opted for the vegan option but there’s curried chicken and beef brisket to choose from too.
We also tried the sticky and spicy Devilled Chicken Wings, Hot Butter Calamari and Lamb Cutlet balls served with pineapple ketchup (told you we over-ordered!). You’ll have to take the word of our eight-year-old on the Prawn Curry, as he didn’t let us get our hands on it until he’d quietly polished off all the prawns! Rice and roti were used to mop up the flavour-packed sauces.
We were too full for dessert, though the boys happily munched through bowls of vanilla ice-cream before leaving and heading back up the bustling Gloucester Road towards home.
Of course, going out for dinner isn’t just about the food – especially when kids are involved. The team at The Coconut Tree were super friendly, taking their time to explain the unfamiliar menu and recommending we try something new (like the Moringa, a strange finger-like plant apparently packed with health benefits – I wasn’t entirely won over, but amazingly our six-year-old enjoyed them!). One final piece of advice: maybe take a doggy bag – I was craving those leftovers that we hadn’t quite managed to finish at lunchtime the next day.
Opening its first restaurant in Cheltenham in 2016, The Coconut Tree now has branches in Bath, Oxford, Reading, Bournemouth, Birmingham, Cardiff and two in Bristol (Gloucester Road and Clifton Triangle). www.thecoconut-tree.com