A taste of Sri Lanka at the Thisha Curry House in Rhyl

Most of us will be familiar with Indian, Chinese, Thai, Greek, Turkish, Italian, French and Spanish food.

This year I have also been introduced to German and Malaysian cuisine.

But, until recently, I have never tried food from Sri Lanka.

And now that I have - I definitely will be indulging again.

Myself and two friends were waiting for the An Evening with Royalty show, hosted by North Wales drag star The Royal Serenity, at Rhyl Town Hall.

We had some time and decided to get a bite to eat.

Directly opposite the town hall in Wellington Road we saw Thisha Curry House, offering the tantalising tastes of Indo-Lanka cuisine.

Our minds were made up pretty quickly.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

Thisha is a takeaway but also offers seating for those who want to dine in.

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It seems that take aways are Thisha's main business as several delivery drivers popped in and out to pick up orders.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

One of them sang the praises of Thisha, telling us that it was traditional homemade Sri Lankan food.

We were advised that the kitchen was busy so there might be a wait for food, but we opted to stay and were very glad that we did.

We saw that the menu had fiery emojis by most items, so asked if the level of heat could be dialled down for us as we we virgins to this particular cuisine.

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They were happy to oblige, so we each ordered a main course, as well as dosa pancakes along with a samosa, dhal vada, and urad vada each to try.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

Along with a drink each, the total came to less than £40 for three of us which makes it one of the cheaper options.

Within 20 minutes or so food began arriving at our table, not much of a wait at all.

But does it taste good?

Yes. Yes, it does.

I had the 4 Parotta with Lamb Curry deal.

Parotta are a round bread, flaky and rich, making them irresistible.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

They are the perfect companion to the curry, which was delicious. Although I'd asked for a milder version, there was still a regular blast of heat that added to the experience rather than being overwhelming.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

The dosa dish was fabulous. Three large traditional, savoury pancakes served with three dips of differing tastes and textures. One of the dips was coconut chutney, which was a revelation. Why hadn't I heard of it before? Why isn't it served with every meal?

One of the dips was like rocket fuel, great for those who like it spicy, but I favoured the other two.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

The three vegetarian snacks, that we ordered as starters, were fabulous. And they came with more coconut chutney!

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

The urad vada was the star of the show, a sort of savoury donut that had a decadent, chewy texture.

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My friends has paneer curry and chicken noodles. Both dishes delivered on flavour, a perfect balance of spices, with just enough heat.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

We agreed that we would definitely return. There are several other options on the menu, including biriyani and kotha, that are calling out to be tasted.

Thisha Curry House, Rhyl.

It is clear that this is a family business offering a truly authentic taste of home-cooking from Sri Lanka.

It is already popular and I can see that growing as more and more people try a taste of something different and then come back for more.

A fantastic and welcome addition to Rhyl's culinary landscape.