Kara Monssen’s ‘most thrilling find’ in Melbourne’s outer south east
Pearl
7/134 Logis Blvd, Dandenong South
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I’ve eaten from food trucks and enjoyed meals wokked-up street-side, but lately my most thrilling find has been inside an industrial estate in Melbourne’s outer south east. Pearl is a family-run Sri Lankan restaurant that lives within the dense depot-land of Dandenong South. It brings kaleidoscopic colour and fire alarm spice in one almighty blow, with head chef Hasthika Edirisinghe sharing modern takes on generational recipes with the flick of the pan.
It’s owned by husband-and-wife team Dias Garusinghe and Priyanka Amarakoon, who have run catering company P&D Foods for the past 16 years. Together they opened the 85-seater last June, but the secret’s well and truly out. By 6pm on a Friday, on this particular visit, almost all tables were full with families and large groups. The power couple hail from a town called Embilipitiya, in the Ratnapura district, in southern Sri Lanka, with most of the cuisine inspired by this region.
You may start with the tuna cutlets: golden orbs of fish, potato and spice that are bulky and insane value for money. Costing $17 for four (that’s $4.25 each), it’s a steal considering some Melbourne restaurants would charge double-digits for this two-biter snack.
The Ceylon chilli calamari ($28) is throbbing in a house-made chilli paste, pineapple and lime, finished under a forest of capsicum and dill for a sweet and sour hit.
The lamb shank kotthu ($36; a popular street food dish served with strands of fried roti) is the mildest thing we ate. The meat is so tender it falls-from-the-bone, slumping in a robust, velvety gravy. Just watch out for the dried chilli, which brings the fire.
The crab and crust ($36), was fiddly and finicky, but delicious. Think crustacean folded through a turmeric and coconut milk sauce that wasn’t as rich or creamy as hoped. This dish is served with white garlic bread instead of roti, which is a smart move for the mop-up. Perhaps the best value for money is the appropriately named Sri Lankan special ($37). You get four small curries, two veg and meats, and sambol served on a banana leaf with rice and papadams. It’s easily shared between four, with each dish taking your tastebuds on a flavour-coaster: be it the restrained creamy, turmeric-laced cashew, heady beetroot with lip-quivering spice or snappy fried and salty anchovies.
The sambol, a blizzard of coconut and red chilli, brings even more warmth to the dish. A word of warning, those afraid of spice should make it known to their waiter as most dishes default to a particular level.
As for drinks, there is a mix of Aussie and French wine and Lion beer, as well as a raft of tropical and fruit-forward cocktails and mocktails. There’s even tea-spiked gin, arrack, palm wine and Sri Lankan tea and coffee.
Talk about a hidden gem.
Images: Supplied