I tried the new Heritage House Sri Lankan cuisine in Newport

Walking into Heritage House on Upper Dock Street, I was struck by the aromas of spices in the air and a positive buzz in the store from families.

Word has travelled fast about the first Sri Lankan restaurant in Newport and people are eager to try it out.

Heritage House in Newport Market interior (Image: Heritage House)

The menu

Heritage House offers a selection of curries, appetisers, sides and desserts, with the addition of Heritage rice bowls and ‘koththu’ – a dish which combines roti (South Asian flatbread) with meats, seafood, egg, vegetables, and Sri Lankan spices.

Heritage House introductory menu (Image: Heritage House) Koththu, also spelled as 'kottu', is one of Sri Lanka's most renowned and most popular dishes.

The name originates from the Sri Lankan Tamil word for "to chop", which refers to how the dish is made, by chopping the ingredients together with the sauce on a griddle, blending the flavours and creating a hearty meal with all of the necessary components.

Read more: I tried Bina’s Fish and Chips

What did I try?

I tried a two-course meal at the restaurant. I opted to try their signature Koththu with chicken (halal), Tinkiri tea, and Watalappam for dessert.

The koththu was full of good-sized chunks of chicken, vegetables including carrots, onions and chillies, egg, and a sauce.

Chicken Koththu, with chicken inside and grilled chicken on top, for a contrast of flavours and textures. (Image: Newsquest) Sadly, Asanga (owner) informed me that they had run out of the Watalappam dessert due to the lunchtime rush, so I settled for the Caramel Pudding.

Caramel pudding (Image: Newsquest)The Tinkiri tea is essentially a desi cup of tea - every Asian household will make something comparative. It's sweet, but not overly sweet.

Tinkiri tea (Image: Newsquest) However the distinct taste of condensed milk was lacking - if you're going to write condensed milk, I'd want to taste it and here, I didn't.

How much?

Asanga and Dinesha De Silva, owners of Heritage House, said the menu will be updated in a matter of weeks.

Right now, they are offering an reduced price for the dishes to acquaint locals with the flavours, in a bid to reflect the price based on the dish's value in the future. 

Receipt for two-course meal with drink at Heritage House (Image: Newsquest) I paid £12 for one main, one drink and one dessert, which is very good value for money for a filling and healthy meal in Newport city centre.

Thoughts

The koththu was filling and had a decent kick of spice without it being overpowering. The onion and tomato side salad complemented the main well. It was good value for money at £8.

However I was disappointed with the "sauce" accompaniment to the koththu, which was a very light broth with not much flavour and it didn't add anything to the dish. Perhaps if it was thicker, the flavour would work better with the koththu, but I wouldn't look to pour this over the meal, as advised.

Chicken Koththu with sauce and salad (Image: Newsquest) The caramel pudding was essentially a crème caramel pudding. It was soft, light and had a good caramel flavour. Great value for £2.75.

The Tinkiri tea was lovely and warming on a cold day, but I didn't taste any condensed milk in this, just a slight sweetness as if milk powder was used. Still, for £1.25, it's a bargain and I would certainly be back.

On my next visit, I would ask for more chillies and a thicker sauce with my koththu, which the owners have said they would accommodate.

I would give the experience a 6.8 out of 10, there are some teething issues as it has recently opened but the food is good value for money.

Heritage House on Upper Dock Street (Image: Newsquest) Have you been to Heritage House? What did you think?

Address: Heritage House, Upper Dock Street next to Newport Market entrance opposite the bus station

The meal was purchased, not gifted, and all views are my own.