First Look: The Havelock Place Brings a UK-Inspired Take on Sri Lankan Dining to Canterbury

“A lot of people [think] when it comes to curry, it belongs in a bain-marie,” says Panduka “Panda” Gunawardena. The finance broker and his wife, Bhagya Withana, recently opened The Havelock Place, a new Sri Lankan restaurant in the old post office – a local landmark, built in the early 1900s – at the intersection of Maling and Canterbury roads. “I want to break that stereotypical thinking and put something on a plate that looks nice and does justice to our food.”

The Havelock Place takes inspiration from restaurants such as Hoppers in the UK and Tiffin Dining Room at Raffles Hotel in Singapore, where South Asian cuisine gets the premium treatment Gunawardena feels it deserves. “The curry game in the UK is next level,” he says. “I dreamt of bringing something of that calibre here.”

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. Sous-vide lamb is finished over a hibachi and served with green sambol and curried kiwi, while bay lobster is prepared in the style of Singaporean chilli crab. There are also hoppers and beef pan rolls, a Sri Lankan street food dish that’s a little like crumbed spring rolls.

Sri Lankan influences carry through to the drinks list, too, which features arrack, Lion beer and spirits from Dutch Rules, a Melbourne distillery by the Sri Lankan-born Danny Perera.

The restaurant sits comfortably in the old colonnaded post office, with its lofty ceilings and original stained-glass windows. “We wanted it to look like an old Ceylon building,” says Withana, referring to Sri Lanka’s colonial architecture, characterised by white pillars, tiled roofs and verandahs. The restaurant also nods to Sri Lanka’s colonial heritage with its teak and rattan furniture.

For Gunawardena, opening The Havelock Place is the realisation of a childhood dream. “Everybody was surprised when they saw me start getting into hospitality, but nobody knew that this is kind of second nature to me,” he explains. Raised in Sri Lanka in a family of skilled home cooks, he took an interest in food from a young age. “[My family] would complain that I’m a picky eater, but I just naturally have a decent palate.”

The Havelock Place is a chance to tap into that aptitude and create the kind of Sri Lankan restaurant he felt was missing from Melbourne.

The Havelock Place
206 Canterbury Road, Canterbury
(03) 7302 0614

Hours:
Wed to Sun 5.30pm–10pm

thehavelockplace.com.au
@thehavelockplace