Moonstone gets featured in Whats Happening Magazine, which asks ‘is Brighton the Curry Capital of Britain?’. The following article is their review which can also be found here.

This October sees the return of National Curry Week and, with Brighton shortlisted for the title Curry Capital of Britain 2013, this year’s event looks set to be spicier than ever.

With the exception of London, Brighton & Hove is the only city to be nominated in the South of England and will be represented by four fantastic local restaurants: Indian Summer, Chilli Pickle, Moonstone and Chuala’s. Voting may now have closed but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to taste the very best of Brighton.

Situated at the end of Church Road, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, Moonstone certainly seems to be the most ‘local’, geographically at least, of Brighton and Hove’s four restaurants submitted for the Curry Capital of Britain award.

Following a career working at the illustrious Grand Hotel, the owner Dimuthu Mendis, after seeing a gap in the market for Sri Lankan cuisine in the local area, established Moonstone in 2008. His vision for the restaurant seems to be that of pure authenticity, the culinary emphasis (much like Sri Lankan culture) being on the variety of taste throughout the dishes on offer.

We are greeted and seated as we arrive by Dimuthu himself. Immediately it’s clear that real effort has been made to make an experience at Moonstone’s as authentic as possible. The interior walls are awash with various Sri Lankan paintings, ornaments and endemic cooking apparatus, whilst soothing vernacular song emanates from the speakers. The staff employed at the restaurant are all Sri Lankan born and Dimuthu tells us that all the spices used are grown, dried and roasted by his mother back home and then exclusively imported to Moonstone.

The menu is very reasonably priced. The starters are all around £5 with the mains ranging from £8 to £14. All dishes on offer can also be cooked to specification, depending on how adventurous you are with spice, as well as gluten and dairy free options. For starters we have the three tuna and potato balls with Sri Lankan pineapple chutney, and Vadai ( a lentil dumpling ) with yoghurt dressing. We also order a couple of Lion lagers, a local slightly citrusy tasting brew. I found the fish balls a little dry, though the delectable sweetness of the pineapple chutney certainly made up for it. The Vadai dumplings had a rich flavour, and I would certainly order them again.

For me the main courses are where Moonstone really shines. We went with a taster menu selection in order to sample as much variance as possible. The dishes presented were simple in appearance but far from in taste. The chicken curry was cooked perfectly with a real cinnamon zing to it. Both the Coconut Sambal and Cabbage Mallum were excellent, full in flavour yet still felt light on the palette. The Pièce de résistance however was the Devilish style lamb, a stir-fried dish, with leek, capsicum and tomatoes, cooked in a garlic and ginger sauce. The texture was unlike any other dish I have experienced at any curry restaurant, regardless of geographical origin. The sauce burst with flavour against the acceptably chewiness of the meat and I certainly could not recommend this dish any more highly.We finished off the meal by sharing a Wattalappan, a delicate traditional pudding made with egg, treacle, and coconut mixed with cardamon, as well as a small glass of Arrack each, a refreshingly smooth coconut liqueur. I enjoyed the latter so much I’ve purchased a bottle myself online for home enjoyment.All in all the dishes were light yet flavorsome and I would definitely recommend ordering a taster selection to really let loose on the potential flavour combinations available.
With a menu so rich in variety coupled with Dimithu’s strong emphasis on Sri Lankan authenticity, it’s clear why Moonstone was both awarded a Trip Advisor certificate of excellence this year as well as being nominated as part of Brighton and Hove’s bid for Curry Capital of Britain.