Spicy Leaves, Los Altos’ newest take on cooking from the Indian subcontinent, brings a special distinction to the city. The Village Court restaurant is one of the few Peninsula spots where one can enjoy Sri Lankan food, although here it is tempered with an eye for fusion and pleasing a diverse crowd unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the seldom-found cuisine.

Visit the lunchtime buffet and you’ll spot a broad, heavy-bottomed pan bubbling dramatically over a flame, piled high with sautéed vegetables. This is Chef Rajesh Selvarathnam’s fusion interpretation of the tawa sabji, a spicy vegetable dish he reimages with an Italian-influenced dressing that combines the fennel, onion seed, turmeric and chili of the Indian dish with the milder, bright flavors of Europe.

Selvarathnam and owner Haran Thananayagam are both Tamil Sri Linkans. While they are intent on creating an accessible menu with something for everybody – and many of their dishes are the familiar staples of American-Indian cuisine – a few hard-to-find Southern Indian and Sri-Lankan-influenced dishes stand out on the menu.