Rambutan
Cynthia Shanmugalingam went from Treasury economist to writing a Sri Lankan cookbook on a six-month research trip, then opened this Borough Market room in March 2023 to cook Tamil food that London mostly sells as takeaway.
Why go
The kitchen is open, the seasoning is regional, and the shopping is local: Dorset crab in a Jaffna-style curry, Cornish mussels, Dingley Dell pork, with the rest of the larder bought in Sri Lanka and around the market outside. Kalupol, the roasted-coconut spice blend that goes black in the pan, seasons the grilled chicken. The sticky chicken pongal rice is the dish Time Out kept eating, "majestically creamy, humming with a decadent blend of saffron, coconut milk, poppy seeds and cinnamon." The Good Food Guide's 2026 review rates the restaurant Very Good and says the cooking "crackles with inventiveness."
Order this / avoid
- Order: gundu dosas to start, then sticky chicken pongal and whole Dorset crab in Jaffna curry, mango soft-serve to finish.1
- Avoid: the coconut and lemongrass dal, which Time Out found smooth but underpowered, and treating the red prawn curry as a main course at its price.2
What locals & experts say
- The Good Food Guide (2026):
There's a lot of love for Rambutan, and it's repaid with interest from the moment you walk through the door,
rated Very Good.1 - Time Out (Leonie Cooper, Apr 2023): four stars and
a truly welcome addition to the neighbourhood,
with the paper describing Shanmugalingam as the first Tamil woman to open a restaurant in the city.2 - Borough Market: lists Rambutan as a trader,
chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam's debut restaurant of the same name highlights Sri Lankan cooking and her Tamil roots.
3
Good to know
- Timing: open daily from noon, to 10.15pm Monday through Saturday and 9pm on Sunday per the market's listing.
- Booking: book for dinner. Lunch on a market day is the better walk-in bet.
- Dietary: no published statement from the restaurant could be read, so treat gluten and dairy questions as an ask-at-the-table.
- Getting there: 10 Stoney Street, inside Borough Market, five minutes from London Bridge station.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: New places from infatuation
Verdict
should-visit — Tamil Sri Lankan cooking at restaurant standard is rare in London, and this kitchen builds it from British produce, whole Dorset crab in a Jaffna curry, Dingley Dell pork, mussels from Cornwall. The Good Food Guide rates it Very Good and says the cooking crackles with inventiveness, which matches a menu that reads like a specific place rather than a survey of curries. Worth crossing the river for, without the pilgrimage claim.