7 Siri – Taste of Sri Lanka

I wouldn’t rate this place for vegetarians.
It was a long hungry wait (somewhere around 35 – 40 minutes) for the food. Maybe the guy serving was trying to do all the cooking too? I unwrapped the banana leaf and there was a ton of rice and three small blobs of curry. So basically vegetarians get half the amount of curry but pay the same! My husband and I both left hungry.

Loved this little restaurant in the heart of Sandringham, great tasting food that had taken a while to arrive, mostly I suspect for the heavy trade of takeaway orders and our large table of 11.
If you have been here before you might be scratching your head to figure out how they fitted in 11 of us (the ground floor has about three tables of four at the most) but surprise there is an upstairs dinning room that could easily host our group and more.
I ordered the fish curry and tried a bit of the other dishes everything was tasty but I do prefer the dishes that come with a selection of veggies.
Try the sweet dessert egg cup. Go on you won’t be disappointed.

Food is not great but is ok. Seems one person show and cleanliness is mediocre. Not being a Srilankan can not rate taste?

It’s hard to objectively review this place. I’m biased toward liking it as I am Sri Lankan and prone to comparing everything made in this restaurant with home made fare. Overall, it’s a good taste of what Sri Lankan cuisine has to offer. From the lamprais with their banana leaf-​wrapped selection of goodies to the hoppers, string hoppers and the range of vegetarian and meat curries, nothing fails to please the palate. There are even some real
Sri Lankan soft drinks such as Necto available from time to time. My only gripe is the weird wording and kiwification of some of the meals. Lamprais (a Dutch word) are called Lump Rice (!), meat patties are flavoured differently and called curry puffs, and breadcrumb coated Chinese rolls are called curry rolls. I’m sure most modern Aucklanders could cope with the authentic terminology if given the chance. The only other downside of dining here is that there is no liquor license, so get your Necto on!

Love this place! I was introduced to Sri Lankan food by a Sri Lankan ex in NYC. The relationship didn’t work out (thank god), but my love of Sri Lankan food remained! It is somewhat like south indian cuisine, but has it’s own highlights. I was psyched to see that Auckland had a Sri Lankan spot in Sandringham, and I dream about the deliciousness between visits!
Now that I’m a veggie, I don’t get the same stuff I used to, but thankfully the folks here can make just about any of their stuff vegetarian, and are quite happy to do so.
I keep going back for the lump rice. The photo on the menu is deceiving as for some reason the photo makes it look like a tiny portion. Never fear, the portion is ample, and is plenty to stuff your face with. It comes out wrapped beautifully in a banana leaf, and inside is a selection of delicious curries, coconut, and rice. It is spicy and delicious!
I also go for an appa with egg. It is a thin crêpe like bowl with a runny egg cooked into the bottom of it. Just fabulous!
The spot it small, but has a big table in the front that could fit about 8 people. It’s pretty casual and has takeaway, but feels cosy and homey. The owners, a husband and wife team seem to always be there, and are friendly and happy to make suggestions for the newbies! Check it out!

Maybe the delay in us finding out about this place was due to word of mouth not getting around… this has nothing to do with the quality more that its hard to put into words how good this place is… It also could be due to the fact you need a couple of beers to cool your tongue after you order extra spicy
Really recommend this place, it’s lump rice and spicy coconut are to die for.
Have a few dishes to get a real flavour and don’t forget the kingfisher beers if you get too hot.
The décor adds to the charm but could do with repainting and cleaning the front door and maybe air con however that might have been the spice again.

Sandringham is the place to head to when you fancy a curry. The spices and heady aromas mingle on the suburban streets to entice the punters in. And 7 Siri is no exception.
One thing that does set this place apart though, is the origination of the curries. For 7 Siri serves Sri Lankan cuisine; a more complex, light & spice-​based style of eating in comparison to traditional Indian. The front window proudly displays large «Dairy Free» and «Gluten Free» signs, and you can eat a healthy, well-​balanced meal here with a good mix of meat & vegetable curries.
The interior could be described as «cosy»; with only 4 tables, you may end up sharing with your neighbours on a busy night. There are bamboo thatched areas, and creeping ivy all adding to a jungle feeling, but let’s face it, you don’t come here for the décor.
What you do come for is the food. Delicious curry rolls, curry puffs & spicy skewers for starters; the legendary lump rice, masala dosa & a mouth-​watering array of seafood curries such as prawn, crab or squid. Some of the more exotic dishes such as Appa, a crêpe/​roti hybrid formed into a crispy edible bowl to hold curries, eggs, or a delicious mix of vegetables & sliced roti are worth taking a chance on. There is even an icecream version!
The owner, Nandasiri Alwis, is more than happy to talk you through the colorful menu, answer any of your questions and tell you wonderful tales of Sri Lanka & his love for his adopted New Zealand. Easy on the pocket and healthy for the body & the soul; a great little neighborhood secret.

Rarely do I eat at a restaurant where everything I try I like. Sri Lankan is my new favorite type of food. So far I have tried the Lump Rice, Kottu Roti, Chipatti Roti and Sri Lankan Fried Rice and I hope to try everything else! The owners provide excellent service/​guidance if you need help choosing a dish.
Choice décor and hats!

Sri Lankan is one of those cuisines that is yet to permeate the yuppie lexicon. For that reason, my chance encounter with this place was a wonderfully personal experience. The missus and I were after something random and adventurous, so we drove out to Sandringham one night and walked around and settled on this rather unlikely looking place called 7 Siri. What a great choice it was! The restaurant is a converted house, so it’s pretty small — you basically walk through the kitchen on the way up the stairs to the seating which presumably occupies a bedroom. The owner himself is a wonderful man, so kind and personable and is at one with his cuisine. He knows many are discovering Sri Lankan, so he takes the trouble to tell you about each dish. Being a newbie I went for the Sri Lankan staple of Lump Rice which is basically rice, lots of curries and fried chicken wrapped in a banana leaf, and man it left me with all sorts of smiles on my dial — what a cool idea for a dish! Anyway, I go back every so often and it’s always a most enjoyable night — such smiley service. Highly recommended.

I discovered Sri Lankan food a few years back via a randomly-​placed takeaway on Balmoral Road. The familiarity of curry and spices combined with fresh, light and sometimes coconutty flavours was a revelation and the start of a love affair.
I was so happy to discover this little café in the Sandringham shopping centre and our recent visit was a beautiful thing. The couple that run this place are lovely and will answer any questions about the menu happily and seem genuinely pleased to aid in their customers’ discovery of this cuisine. I could rave on and on about how great this place is and it absolutely deserves its rapidly ascending reputation as the next big thing in unpretentious flavoursome local eats.
While the menu is a bit overly complex (each dish comes with several other sides and usually more than one curry), they are more than happy to accommodate all manner of dietary requirements, be it gluten-​free, vegan, no eggs please or just plain old vegetarian.
I can’t recommend 7 Siri — Taste of Sri Lanka enough (gotta love that name!), and one of my pet peeves about ethnic eateries is bad lighting — this place is adorned in fairy lights and is a very pleasant place for a simple but sensational dinner.