WINNIPEG SQUARE - TASTE OF SRI LANKA & VINH LONG

I'll admit that reviewing places in a food court is a bit of a stretch.  However, somewhere within the cavernous Winnipeg Square food court, amongst the droves of business people guiltily eating greasy pizza or candy coated Chinese, there are two of the best and most affordable lunch options in this area of downtown.   

Taste of Sri Lanka has the distinction of being the only place that serves Sri Lankan cuisine in Winnipeg (besides it's sister location at The Forks).  Their options are similar to those of many local Indian restaurants (butter chicken, chickpea curry).  But their vegetable dishes and huge rotis are where they really shine.  On this last visit I had eggplant curry and chickpea curry over rice ($8.50).  This may just be the best eggplant dish in the city.  Tamarind and chiles give it a nice combination of sweetness and mild spiciness and it is cooked to the point of caramelization, taking on meltingly soft texture.  The chickpea curry is quite subtle in comparison but adds meatiness and helps to cut the richness of the eggplant.  Served over rice with a pappadum, it makes for a very filling lunch.

Unlike Taste of Sri Lanka, Vinh Long serves a cuisine that is becoming more commonplace in certain parts of this city than Chinese restaurants.  They serve a small menu of Vietnamese standards (pho, salad rolls, vermicelli bowls, several vegetable dishes) but I almost always stick to the deluxe vermicelli bowl  ($7).  There's no variation from the standard vermicelli bowl that you'll get most anywhere. It contains vermicelli noodles, shredded carrots, lettuce, cucumber, pork hash, charbroiled pork, two pork spring rolls, peanuts, and a side of nuoc cham sauce.  The spring rolls retain their crispiness and the pork usually has nice char on, though it can sometimes come in a large clump that is a little too fatty for my liking.  Compared to some other vermicelli bowls I've had in Winnipeg it's pretty average, but that may be an unfair comparison considering the high quality of Vietnamese restaurants in this city. Regardless, it's well priced and refreshing lunch option, especially considering the options down here.

360 Main Street
Lunch hours during the week