In the F&B world, restaurants come and go with the regularity of the ebb and flow of the tide. In many instances, the dust has barely settled on the opening of a new restaurant before diners are treated to the alarming sight of shuttered doors or worse yet – a new eatery in its stead.

This makes Aliyaa Island Bar and Restaurant something of an albatross, that rare, seemingly endangered eatery that has made it past the 10-year mark. In fact, in direct contrast to conventional wisdom, the popular Sri Lankan restaurant is now celebrating its 12-year anniversary and remains as vaunted as ever.