Meals also usually include malum, a salad of chopped leafy greens and coconut, crispy poppadoms (a large circular piece of thin, spiced bread), dal (a type of lentil stew), coconut sambal (a spicy condiment), home-made chutney and of course, fragrant steamed rice.

BBC: Foodie paradise in Sri Lanka's hill country

The thick, creamy soup was served in espresso cups topped with tiny cubes of bread that had been sauteed with sage leaves that turn crispy as they impart their sharp flavor to the butter and tiny croutons.

CNN: Word of mouth