New Asha Sri Lanka Restaurant
“In the evenings, try the String Hoppers (Light Wheat Crepes) with a side of Coconut Sambol, Milk Gravy and a side of Mutton Curry.”
“The food (fish ball appetizers, sample platter for entree, coconut water and "basil seed juice" to drink) was delicious.”
“The store front isn't very impressive and it looked (at least that evening before closing) like it was more of a take-out place.”
New Asha Sri Lanka Restaurant
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Have now had Dosa Garden across the street and eaten here, and this is the one you want to pick. Nothing fancy, straight buffet but the Rice with mutton which comes with fresh beets and an amazing chickpea cookie (as weird as it sounds, it works…no worries, nothing sugary about it) is something you gotta order.
Staten Island might suck, but this place doesn't. Also the surrounding Tompkinsville area is really diverse and worth walking around to check out. It's about a twenty minute walk from the Ferry terminal at St. George.
Affordable and delicious option.
Politics is food and food is politics. Hitching a ride on the invading hordes of armies and legions are the cuisines of the conquers, invariably mixing and changing the food of the lands they take over. So it is with Sri Lankan cuisine, where foods and preparations of Southern India collides with the tastes endemic to the island.
How perfect is it that the largest concentration of Sri Lankan cuisine in the New York area is concentrated on an oft-forgotten island to the south of a major population center? On the ferry ride and then eventual walk to the Sri Lankan restaurants, a group of friends pondered the island's standing in the world. The Tamil Tiger conflict, the massacre at Kalmunai, the pioneering suicide bombs on the streets of Columbo and movies like "Kannathil Muthamittal" were discussed on the road, for we wanted our food expierence to be apolitical as possible.
Our first destination, New Asha, was the only place where I'd been before. On that previous visit (Yelp is telling me this was almost four years ago, which seems hard to believe) I found solid cuisine but too much of the menu unavailable. I was also by myself, which limited what I would be able to sample off the menu anyway. This time I had several companions and was there on a busy Saturday, with take-out orders coming out of the kitchen every minute or two.
I largely deferred to the same middle-aged woman behind the counter who greeted me last time on what to order. We had several vegetarians and several meat eaters and were planning to stop by two more restaurants, so I had her choose what to give us based on those parameters.
"Who do you go to these other places?" she said in response, playing with us. "Why not just eat here?
She made an extra sour face when I mentioned that our next destination was across the street. Then she went back to the kitchen. She emerged with a variety of treats – vade (lentils in flour), some sort of pumpkin and then a meat patty. All of these had collieries in Indian cuisine, the spicing was generally richer and deeper, but clearly the fryer at some point came from across the narrow channel.
Then we moved on to a khorta, a mixture of rice and spicy vegetables. They brought two varieties, so there was a portion for both sides of the table to enjoy.
Things were much better than I remembered. Even if some menu items, like the cordiale I mentioned in my previous review and the black curry still aren't around, there's a wide variety of curry-fire spicy cuisine coming out of the kitchen.
As we got ready to head across the street and settle the check, our host addressed the table once more. "I think you are going to go to all of these places and say, 'New Asha is the best. The first place we went is the best.'"
Turns out she was right.
I took the ferry out to SI to try another hand at the Sri Lankan cuisine. This time I decided to go for ASHA. My yelp community seemed to approve so it passed the first screen.
The proprietor is a wonderfully generous woman. I told her I was veggie w some fish and my boyfreind eats meat. Didn't bother looking at the menu-she took care of everything. The food is as fresh as a pot of hot tea-the flavors divine. My bf who lived in SrI Lanka for 3 years declared, as he was loading his roti with heaps of braised jackfruit and curried chicken, I have not had food like this since I left Sri Lanka.
Get all the fish appetizers, get the veggie roti, definitely the biryani which unlike indianstyle is a medley of sauces atop rice, get the chili relish. Ask the proprietor for some sambar and tell her the pregnant lady told you to.
Enjoy!
YUM. The kothu roti was an incredible texture – a nice, chewy bite. I would have enjoyed a little more heat and maybe a bit more curry flavor, but still, this was great. The leek and potato curry (one of the veggie curries for the day) was very mild, but great. A little sweet, creamy, super satisfying.
love this place. the owner is very sweet. nothing fancy but yummy food.
What an amazing find in Staten Island. Had lunch here and was truly served by the owner of the restaurant. She asked us how hungry we were and then asked us to choose a meat so she could build us a platter. What a nice lady! She was so welcoming and gave us a good platter with mixed curries and veggies. My favorite was the veggie with the quinoa. Omogsh everything was so flavorful even the RAW onions were delicious. Chicken was cooked perfectly. The veggie roti was amazing as well with such a kick of spice. Will definitely come back here for more Sri Lankan food that warms the soul.
I love discovering hidden gems. They make me giddy inside especially when I find something so rewarding I can't wait to come back again. New Asha Sri Lanka Restaurant is one of these places. First off I have to say that Anthony Bourdain featured this restaurant in his "Outer Boroughs Travel Guide". He visited it with his friend David Johansen during one of his epicurean travel show. I actually saw that episode and even silently promised to someday make my way to one of the restaurants featured. Well the day finally came when I made it to one of those places. Having never tried Sri Lankan food before I was doubly excited at the prospect of finally tasting authentic dishes from Sri Lanka and seeing if Bourdain actually knows what he's talking about. Hahaha just kidding that guy is my hero so if he says it's delicious then I know it is. Bourdain doesn't mince words and neither do I.
The place is a humble establishment located on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island in the Tompkinsville section. The Little Sri Lanka neighborhood boasts some other amazing restaurants that I have yet to try, but based on what I got from New Asha I can't wait to go back and try them all. The restaurant is very small. It qualifies more as a take-out than a sit down but there are a few tables to try to squeeze yourself in if you really need some grub. And man you will not be disappointed with what comes out of the kitchen. I had a chance to sample the mutton curry, chicken biryani, and egg roti. The owner of the restaurant was so friendly and advised me that the dishes were spicy. I gave her a smile and said I love spicy food. May I say that she was right to give a warning to people who might not be as familiar with the dishes! Unlike some South Asian restaurants that "westernize" the flavor palette to make it more appetizing for Americans, New Asha packs all the flavor and spice it can. They are certainly not shy about their chili that much I can tell you.
The three dishes I ordered were enough to share between two people. The mutton curry consisted of the most tender goat I've had and a curry sauce that was so pronounced I actually tasted the turmeric, chili, and coriander leaves. This dish paired nicely with the chicken biryani that was served in generous portion. The rice was cooked to perfection and the chicken pieces mixed in were not tough or mushy, as what happens so often in other Asian restaurants. The cinnamon that they add gives the dish an aromatic profile about it that really stimulates the appetite. And as if these two weren't enough the side of egg roti provided the perfect vessel to sop up all that delicious curry sauce that is just too good to be wasted. A perfectly cooked egg roti melts my heart any day of the week and that's what happened at New Asha.
As a first timer to Sri Lankan cuisine I couldn't have been any happier to experience it at such a restaurant. New Asha does their culture proud and being such a small restaurant that they are the term hidden gem certainly qualifies in this instance.
Tastes like Mum's Cooking…Is there a better compliment I can give out?
I wish I lived closer..I would be here everyday…who needs to cook?
In the evenings, try the String Hoppers (Light Wheat Crepes) with a side of Coconut Sambol, Milk Gravy and a side of Mutton Curry. YUM !!!
Take a break from the usual Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala you get at every Indian Restaurant. Try Sri Lankan Food Ya'll !!!