Agnii, Windsor

MELBOURNE | Prior to COVID lockdowns, Sri Lankan-born chef Gayan Pieris headed up the kitchen at Many Little in Red Hill, cooking Italian-leaning European bistro-style food. During lockdowns, he began preparing traditional Sri Lankan curries for takeaway. They were a success, and when lockdowns were lifted, Many Little shifted focus and became a contemporary Sri Lankan restaurant. The dream to take things to the next level remained with Gayan, and with the opening of Agnii, in Windsor, that dream has been realised.

Located in a bright space, accented by warm tones and natural materials, Agnii is easy to miss, hidden up a set of stairs, through an unassuming door on Chapel Street. Peering into the open kitchen, you’ll see two custom-built Brick Chef hearths. An open clay dara lipa and an enclosed poranuwa, which are used for grilling, smoking, drying, and roasting. They dominate the kitchen, and are a homage to Gayan’s mum’s home kitchen in Sri Lanka’s mountainous Kandy.

In Sri Lanka, traditional wood-fired cooking is typically the province of the home and family, not high end restaurants. At Agnii, it’s all about challenging preconceptions about Sri Lankan food, presenting traditional food and techniques, in a contemporary way. The menu is broadly divided between snacks, small plates, large plates, sides, and desserts. The generously portioned nine dish chef’s selection is what I opted for, and is the perfect way to get a taste of Gayan’s vision.

Traditional preserving, pickling, and fermentation techniques can be found throughout the menu, from house condiments and preserves to complete dishes. It’s apparent from the get-go, with single mouthful bites like a spiced compressed cucumber, karapincha kokis, and Malay achcharu, reimagined as a paper-thin crispy wrapped sphere of achcharu, smoked pineapple, and caramelised buffalo curd. A crispy, dehydrated chicken wafer, topped with tuna ambulthiyal, chives, and salmon roe, is another delight.

Unlike many restaurants at this level, the fun isn’t turned down as the dishes get larger. Raw kingfish is served with katta sambol, inside a bowl of diya bath. The latter is a cold soup, made from rice left overnight to ferment and then mixed with coconut milk, onion, garlic and raw chili. It’s an exciting, vibrant combination of flavours. Also great is the thunapaha roasted quail, served atop tangy-dressed polperro farm leaves, with kithul treacle.

Loddon valley lamb cutlet patties, akin to a pie, are served with charred beetroot chutney and okra. The richness of the lamb and the pastry, balances wonderfully with the chutney. It’s one of my favourite dishes of the night. For mains, there’s a choice of several curries. For me, it was a tossup between the chicken curry with kandyan spices, hoppers, parippu, and sambols; and the yaal virundhu-style goat curry with sambar, pittu, and condiments. I opted for the latter, and was impressed once more with the diversity and vibrancy of flavours and textures. The Jaffna-style dosai – thick, soft, and crispy on the edges, is the perfect vehicle to mix and match everything in front of you.

For dessert, a light pomegranate bibikkan (Sri Lankan coconut cake) with passionfruit pudding continues the theme of vibrancy, contrasting, and complimentary flavours.

To drink, it’s Sri Lankan-inspired cocktails, a Sri Lankan-style Red Rice lager brewed locally by Banks Brewing, and around 150 wines, predominantly local, light varietals that pair well with the food. I recommend the Curd + Treacle – a blend of arrack, pandan, passionfruit, and buffalo curd.