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I’m standing with a Sri Lankan guy in a used car yard chatting about what’s good to eat nearby. Sure, I should be thinking about roadworthies and airbags but I’m a restaurant critic, so I’m always obsessing about my next meal.

My new salesman friend is happy to chat food, too, so he’s opened the Facebook page for Ceylonese by South Ceylon: every day they post the dishes they’ve cooked for the buffet so you know what you’re up for before you commit. He’s not keen. “Don’t go today, they don’t have the crab,” he cautions, disappointed, perhaps seeing Subway in his near future.

I go anyway. The pictorial menu looks good to me and trawling my way through an array of bain marie trays is more appealing than spending money on a motor vehicle.

“‘You can come back for more,’ I mutter, seduced by the aroma of curry leaves and coconut.”

Ceylonese by South Ceylon is in a minor suburban cluster of shops and feels tucked away, but it’s close to Casey Hospital, Federation Uni and Berwick Station, as well as the local crush of car stores, so it’s handy for lots of people and worth the trip for others.

The setup is simple but welcoming. Two rows of heavy wooden tables with throne-like padded chairs lead to a courtyard, in case you want to eat in the breeze. There’s a sink for washing hands – cutlery-free eating is encouraged, forks are fine, too.

Take a plate and serve yourself, trying to avoid the obvious peril of overload. “You can come back for more,” I mutter, seduced by the aroma of curry leaves and coconut.

There’s white rice with fried onion, soft cashews in turmeric gravy, waxy cassava in coconut curry with pandan, and green mango in tangy cinnamon-scented sauce.

That’s my first go-around: the food is hearty and the flavours are honest, sparked up by the sambols that offer such joy to condiment connoisseurs. There’s one with coconut and chilli and a jammy seeni sambol with caramelised onions.

I’m back for crisp river fish, creamy yellow dal, black pork curry, redolent of slow-braised spices, then I finish off with sweet milk tea.

I ate my weekday buffet with pappadums but I’ll return on a Friday or Saturday night when a special cooking station is set up for “live hoppers”, the bowl-shaped pancakes made with fermented rice and lentil batter. On those days, the all-you-can-eat price climbs from the Monday to Friday bargain of $17.95 to a not-exactly-princely $27.95.

In a time when many people are watching pennies, Sri Lankan buffets offer extraordinary value and great variety, and Ceylonese by South Ceylon is a fine example of the genre.

Did I buy a car? Not today. Did I eat delicious food in a friendly place and come home with change? Indeed I did. I may not have cracked open a crab but I definitely clawed my way to culinary joy.

Price: Buffet: $17.95-$27.95 per person; A la carte: $8-$33.95