A Gourmet Experience
Chef Nav is self-taught and passionate about food and serving what he calls modern Sri Lankan inspired fusion cuisine, using fresh local seasonal ingredients. Having spent his early childhood on the island, his culinary influences are a combination of local flavours, produce and modern Australian cuisine. His aspiration to introduce a different approach to food, whilst sticking to a level of authenticity is what gave birth to Spice Lane. Located in Kabalana, it is a food nook aimed at providing a Sri Lankan gourmet experience for the everyday traveller.
In conversation…
Growing up in Sydney
“I was born in Sydney but spent my early childhood in Sri Lanka and always felt a connection to the island” said Nav.
Having graduating university where he studied Economics and Finance, Nav worked in the insurance industry for some years before considering a different alternative as he wasn’t completely satisfied with his career.
As far as coming to know of his cooking abilities, he picked it up about a decade ago as a hobby initially. “I was watching a tv show where the chef made cooking look fun and easy, so I decided to give it go. The more I cooked the more my interest in food grew, and as I tried out various recipes, the more I enjoyed and got better at it.”
“Friends and family suggested I take it up on a more serious note and that I should open a restaurant but at the time I didn’t think it was possible. However, cooking went from being a hobby to my passion, and I realised that I wanted to do more with it. I considered going to chef school and getting trained - that didn’t pan out and so I taught myself by watching YouTube videos, cooking shows, reading books and practicing new techniques in my home kitchen,” he added.
Auditioning for Masterchef Australia
In mid 2017 Nav received an email from the producers of Masterchef Australia, asking if he was interested in auditioning for the show. “I started on the application but only sent it out on the last day because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it,” he admitted. He flew to Sri Lanka on vacation the next day and knew it would take a while to hear back, or not hear back at all - but an email response came in two days; his application had been accepted and he was invited to audition for the show.
He wasn’t able to make the auditions in Sydney, and so had to fly to Melbourne to do so. On the first day of auditions, along with 14 others, Nav was given an hour to prepare a dish with the ingredients the judges had provided. He created a roast chicken dish with sweet potato mash and a curry sauce. This dish is now on the menu at Spice Lane.
“All 15 were asked to wait until each dish was tried by the judges and then we were told that only three had made it to the second round of auditions. I was one of the three chosen to go through. The next challenge was to make a personal dish in one hour. I had decided to make a dish using a fillet of fish and we were told that if we were cooking fish, we needed to fillet an entire fish in front of them. I had just one day to go to the market, buy a whole fish, come back to my hotel room and store it in the mini fridge” laughed Nav.
He created a stringhopper dish with grilled barramundi, pol sambol and kiri hodi. “I didn’t make it on to the show but the feedback was quite positive on my dish - the judges enjoyed the flavour and presentation. Overall, cooking in that kind of high pressure environment while being filmed was a good experience that I learned from.”
Spice Lane
Nav was looking to expand his home-grown business and start his own restaurant when the offer to work in Sri Lanka came up through a friend.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make as I had to leave my life in Sydney and move to Sri Lanka, but I love coming back every year on vacation and I’ve always felt a deeper connection to the country somehow - which is why I decided to take up the challenge,” he admitted.
The meals served at the restaurant have been created with an emphasis on the many spices found in Sri Lanka. From homemade pasta to in-house baked brioche buns, freshness and the best in quality is what Spice Lane prides itself upon. Each dish has been carefully crafted, ensuring flavours fuse together to create a mouthwatering experience with each bite.
The menu includes dishes such as pumpkin and feta ravioli in the kiri hodhi sauce, jaggery chicken wings, and his take on a taco - pol roti tacos with prawn, lunu miris and a homemade curry mayo. The seafood is currently sourced directly from the Mirissa harbour, where Nav says he’s found the freshest fish in the south and the fruits and vegetables from the Galle market area.
“Eventually, we’d like to be able to grow our own produce and that’s currently underway at our farm in Bandaragama. The idea is to be self-sustainable using organic produce we grow ourselves” he added.
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Rapid 5
What’s your ‘last supper meal’?
My five cheese pasta, with a nice bottle of red wine and ice cream for dessert.
If you weren’t a chef, what do you think you’d do?
I used to DJ when I was young and play drums in a band, so something in line with music which is my other passion.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Mess. I dislike clutter and disorder, even in the kitchen.
What do you do in your spare time?
As a chef, I work long hours so in my spare time, it’s all about unwinding and relaxing. I also listen to a lot of music and enjoy trying out new restaurants and spending time with my family and friends.
What’s your opinion of the food industry?
I love that the industry is constantly changing and growing throughout the world. Nothing truly ever stays the same - whether its a new technique in cooking or what’s in rave and trendy as a dish, the art of preparing food is ever-evolving. I feel like the food industry in Sri Lanka still has a way to go, but there is a lot of opportunity here and that is one reason why I decided to come here.