We started with a colorful but ultimately extraneous salad that combined sliced tomatoes, fresh chopped peppers, cucumber and pineapple, then transitioned to a surprisingly delicate fried starter.

Priyani formed a well-spiced tuna, potato and onion mix to fill crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside rolls, cutlets (croquettes) and flaky patties (baked Sri Lankan empanadas). The appetizers would have been good on their own, and a peppery tomato-based sauce took every bite was taken to new heights.

Priyani found a creative use for the thin-sliced flatbread called roti, stir-frying strips to a pad see iew-like consistency with gamy mutton, carrots, onions, peppers and egg.

The showstopper was lampreis, a banana leaf-wrapped rice mound topped with distinct heaps of paprika, well-seasoned onion-rich chicken and intensely-flavored caramelized eggplant. Flavors were uniquely delicious, and combined to create culinary fireworks.

The only relatively mild dish was biryani, a spice-soaked fried rice dish studded with cashews and chicken and partnered with more concentrated eggplant.

A plateful of fluffy rice came with dishes of earthy yellow dal, a third eggplant serving and chile-flecked shredded coconut sambal.

The four of us were nearly catatonic after consuming so many rich stews, but couldn’t resist ordering two squares of watalapam, a molasses-like jaggery pudding studded with peanuts and caramelized at the base.