The Little Sri Lankan

Supper club? Super club, more like. A super club to eat Sinhalese supper at. Yes, The Little Sri Lankan is one of Manchester’s most enjoyable pop-up dining events and has been for a few years now. 

It’s run by Michael and Malanie, two expert chefs with decades of cooking experience between them, from fine dining to market stall, and everything in between. Their joint project began as a food delivery service during Covid, and rapidly grew into an in-demand guerilla restaurant, flitting about some of the city’s most respected venues, such as Isca, The Carlton Club and The Goods In. 

Oh, and they recently won gold at the prestigious Salon Culinaire awards in the International Street Food section. In short, they’re very good at what they do. 

And these supper clubs are a fine example of the form. Don’t expect a buttoned-down restaurant where you sit quietly at your own little table. This is a place to make new chums while trying out new dishes with a bit of interaction with the hosts. 

Malanie is, quite literally, the little Sri Lankan –  like she says, she’s little and she’s Sri Lankan. Which makes Michael the big Bournemouthian, but I guess that doesn’t scan as well. 

The whole evening is pleasingly loose and free-form, based around socialising. A cocktail here, a bit of back story from Malanie there, all anchored by four or five food courses. Sri Lankan cuisine is made up of a medley of cultural influences, both East and West, making for an exciting variety of flavours.  

Rumour has it there’ll be a permanent base in the non-too-distant, but for now, these supper clubs are the best way to enjoy a Manchester-style take on Sri Lankan dishes. Unless you’re a dab hand in the kitchen, in which case, buy some of their chutneys and go nuts.