Dish

"A little bit of everything" - that's my favourite way to enjoy food, second only to a lovely, long, decadent degustation. And if those little bits of everything are already portioned out and assembled upon my plate? Even better. 

Located on Glebe Point Road, Dish is a Sri Lankan eatery that offers just the kind of one-board-many-components-wonders I so enjoy. 

Special Lunch Set Menu, $24.90

Look at that spread.  Let's take a closer look at each component, shall we?

Ah, egg hopper. I am a huge fan of the hopper - airy, chewy, and when combined with an egg, even better. It is the perfect vessel for the range of sambal and curries served along side it.

Speaking of vessels, the roti at Dish is, to be perfectly honest, disappointing. It was a little hard and floury, and for a person of my appetite (which is average and by no means small, despite what my stature may otherwise indicate) it is just a waste of stomach space.  What was even more disappointing was the fact that the lunch set menu was supposed to come with string hoppers, which looked very interesting indeed - but because the restaurant ran out, we had to settle for roti instead. Pass.

The fried spring roll is also a pass for me - it is simply too heavy and oily.

Now we're getting to the good stuff - the fried rice is lovely. It has a perfectly balanced yet complex flavour, each part of the fried rice is cooked to perfection, and it is not overly-salted. You could enjoy it on its own or mix it with some of the other, saltier components.

When ordering, you have a choice of meats for the curry - I have chosen chicken. It is satisfying, fragrant, and the chicken pieces tender and fall-off-the-bone delicious.

Wonderfully buttery and comforting, the daal is another dish that can be enjoyed on its own or with another component. The lentils are cooked until they melt in the mouth - delightful.

The onion and tomato jams were my favourite part of the entire affair - even though they are technically accompaniments. The fulsome flavours really brighten anything else with which you enjoy them - just a smidgen on the hopper or mixed in with the fried rice, for example, makes a wonderfully flavoursome bite.

Coconut sambal is more notable for the texture than for the taste, which is quite mild. Smear a bit onto the hopper along with the chicken curry, is how I'd do it.

A fragrant dipping sauce for the spring roll - I preferred to add it to the hopper.

Overall, I found dish to be a great-value casual eatery that has options to allow you to explore a very interesting cuisine. Also, they cater for events, should you be thusly inclined. I am keen to return on another day to try the string hopper - and perhaps, without the roti, the score might improve.

I also note for my newer readers that my scoring system is quite strict - 3 means "good" as opposed to "average". This is because I don't believe in wasting calories on bad food - so before I go anywhere, I make sure I do my research and only bring you restaurants that are actually worth going to.

Score: 3/5
Cost: $30pp including a drink. Cheap eats territory, for sure.
Address: 381 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe NSW
Website: http://restaurant.dishevents.com.au/