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MELBOURNE | Citrus is a Sri Lankan restaurant in Fitzroy North that’s been slowly building a buzz amongst locals for its home style Sri Lankan (Kandy province to be precise) food. The family run restaurant was originally called Citrus Gate, and featured your typical Melbourne cafe fare with a few Sri Lankan dishes. It wasn’t long before it became apparent to owners Shiyamalee and Keerthi Somaweera that it was the Sri Lankan dishes that people were coming back for, and the concept changed to what it is now.
Shiyamalee and Keerthi do the cooking, while their children Ravindu and Mansala take care of front of house. The menu features a small number of al la carte dishes, but what sees lines forming out the door every night is the buffet. Available during lunch and dinner, the buffet at Citrus features a selection of around 17 dishes, all Shiyamalee’s home recipes. Spices are all imported from Sri Lanka, and the flavours are just like you’d find over there.
Exactly what’s on offer varies by the day but generally it’s two different types of rice, a few curries, some meat dishes, vegetable dishes, and condiments. All of the vegetarian dishes are vegan and everything is gluten free. $15.00 ($19.90 on Saturday), gets you a plate that you can fill up as many times as you like.
It’s all delicious, with particular highlights being the yellow-lentil curry, spiced potatoes, and sweet and sour devilled chicken. The food is mild as it stands, but on the condiments table you’ll find all you need to spice things up. Grab some yoghurt and pappadums, along with some spicy coconut sambol, chilli paste, and pineapple chutney. You might be full after your first plate, but it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be heading back up for seconds.
Citrus
252 St Georges Road
Fitzroy North
Victoria 3068
Australia
Telephone: (03) 7012 7601
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Tue – Sun: 10:30am to 3:00pm; 5:30pm to 9:00pm