The Havelock Place

This old post office is a local landmark, built in the early 1900s at the intersection of Maling and Canterbury roads. Inside it these days is The Havelock Place, a restaurant serving UK-inspired takes on Sri Lankan cuisine. It’s by Panduka “Panda” Gunawardena and his wife, Bhagya Withana.

Six curries are on offer, including three vegetarian options and the black pork, a Sri Lankan signature that gets its dark hue from roasted curry powder, tamarind and black pepper. But the menu extends well beyond curry. It follows a structure more commonly associated with European restaurants – built around proteins and sides – while Sri Lankan flavours and ingredients provide the through line.

The restaurant sits comfortably in the old colonnaded post office with its lofty ceilings and original stained-glass windows. Details also riff on Sri Lanka’s colonial architecture, characterised by white pillars, tiled roofs and verandahs. Teak and rattan furniture pulls the old post office closer to this motif.