By Panchali Illankoon

Pictures Courtesy – Fox Resorts 

One of my most memorable experiences during my stay at Fox Jaffna back in 2022 was, without a doubt, all the phenomenal food I ate over the course of my vacation.  In fact, if anyone told me they were travelling to Jaffna, I’ve been heard to advise that they should surely stop at Fox Jaffna for a meal – the food was that good. 

Naturally, I was thrilled to hear that a little piece of that Jaffna-style cooking that I loved so much was making its way to Colombo with the opening of Northern Virunthu by Fox Resorts. Located at Braybrooke Street, Colombo 02, Northern Virunthu is the newest takeaway and delivery spot for those craving authentic flavours of Jaffna food in Colombo. 

Operated under the Capital Maharaja Group, Northern Virunthu is helmed by Chef Reggie Rajeswaram, a seasoned culinary professional with over 20 years of expertise in Jaffna cookery. Originally from Jaffna, Chef Reggie’s family recipes that have been passed down generations earned him rave reviews while he was at Fox Jaffna. Now in Colombo, Chef Reggie brings the rich, earthy flavours of northern cuisine to the west at Northern Virunthu.  “Virunthu” meaning ‘feast’ in Tamil, the outlet aims to be a celebration of tradition with dishes made using time-honoured recipes and spices sourced from the north. Currently, the restaurant is takeaway only. 

On the Takeaway Menu

Northern Virunthu is open for Lunch, Dinner and Teatime snacks. 

Lunch (available from 12pm to 2.30pm) is a simple affair – Jaffna Style Rice & Curry served with red or white Jaffna rice, 4 vegetable curries, curd, papadam and pickle together with your choice of protein: chicken, fish, prawn crab, cuttlefish, mutton or vegetarian.  I opted for the prawn and chicken, and my curries included dhal, beetroot curry, ladies finger red curry, and murunga white curry. The prawns were cooked in gingelly oil, which is a common cooking oil in the North, that gave the curry a nutty, distinct flavour that paired well with the rice and curry. 

For a teatime snack (available from 3-6pm), I got myself a portion of Ulunthu Vade and Eraal Vade (prawn). Each portion has 4 and comes with a generous side of spicy coconut sambol. The Ulunthu Vade was hot and crunchy on the outside but soft and pillowy on the inside, so it soaked up the spicy sambol in no time. Deep-fried to perfection, the prawn vade was my favourite of the lot. Other snacks available include Karam Sundal (tempered chickpeas), vegetable and mutton samosas and rolls. 

The Dinner menu (available from 6pm – 9pm) offers appetisers such as a variety of proteins cooked in the Jaffna style varuval, which is a dry dish highlighting the spice and nuances of the Jaffna spices and soups such as the famously hot Jaffna Odiyal Khool for the brave and everyone’s favourite Rasam. 

For mains, you can order Jaffna Style pittu, thosai or string hoppers and Jaffna style curries. I got their Pittu where one portion has three pieces and comes with a dhal curry, coconut sothi, sambol, brinjal and potato fry and venthaya kulambu (fenugreek curry).  I also got a Jaffna Style Crab Curry to complement the meal.  

The pittu was soft and held together well without being dry. I usually eat pittu with just a plain coconut curry so it was an experience to try the various sharp flavours and combinations that came with the fry, sambol and curry.  Even though the Jaffna-style crab curry is only supposed to serve one, it was a generous portion with a thick gravy made with Jaffna spices and moringa leaves. 

The highlight of the dinner meal for me was the thosai, which includes 4 pieces and comes with sambar and coconut chutney.  While the thosai was delicious just on its own, infused with the vibrant colour of turmeric and subtle notes of spices like curry leaves and fenugreek, I paired it with a Jaffna Style Mutton Curry, which was so tender and flavour-packed, it was easily a dish I would order again. 

All the items on the menu are single servings, which holds true for lunch, but dinner varieties offer a generous portion.  As an exclusively takeaway spot, pre-orders are recommended at least 2 hours in advance. 

OVERALL 

All in all, Northern Virunthu has a good thing going, and it’s great that you can get Jaffna-style cooking in the heart of Colombo.  The single servings are great for individual orders, and we hope that with time, Northern Virunthu will also offer family-style portions on the menu.  

Open daily 11 AM to 9PM (Lunch & Dinner) | Takeaway only | Delivery options via Uber Eats and PickMe Foods

Pickup: 77 Braybrooke Street, Colombo 2
Call to Order: +94 766 205 205 / +94 766 290 290