Pavlov's Duck

Sri Lankan cooking done with love and heat at 401 Smith Street. Pavlov's Duck is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that earns fierce loyalty — hoppers (fermented rice and coconut milk bowl-shaped crepes) served savoury with seeni sambal and dhal, or sweet with butter and sugar; curries dialled to authentic heat levels if you ask; and curd with kithul treacle to end. Work-friendly during the day, lively at dinner. The Sri Lankan diaspora of Melbourne knows this place well.