Hulftsdorp food street is tucked away in the suburbs of Colombo 12. We set out on an unusual Friday night adventure to the heart of the street food culture of Sri Lanka. Set behind the Supreme court, this street is a crowded bazaar of a variety of food for those who dare.
The vibe of the street is only for those who crave adventure. It is packed with vendors, tuk-tuks that squeeze into traffic, the odd car or two, trying to escape the mayhem, and the eager for the delicious kebab, biriyani or even a club sandwich scurrying across the streets looking for the best spot to have dinner.
Once you blend into the street, you start noticing the myriad of carts and small joints with grills, rotisseries out with smoking meats. Then, you have the naan, roti, wadey and a lot more varieties of food. The street has the aroma of meat and is crowded with the sounds of men and the sizzling of pans.
Our first stop was at a large cart that served sandwiches, submarines and other junk food. We tried their beef and chicken sandwiches. Priced at just Rs.210, the sandwiches come with a generous serving of meat-grilled to perfection, a handful of veges, an egg, and bread with cheese melted into it. They also served a range of beverages. We tried their iced milo, chocolate milkshake and almond milk. The drinks were very sweet (a little too so) but the spiciness of the sandwich balanced it out.
Right after the sandwich cart was a naan and shawarma stall which had seafood, beef, chicken, mutton, grilled fish...the list goes on, really. They had vegetables and a long line of sauces to mix and match. It is Subway, but with a lot more options! Pay attention to how they prepare your food because that itself, is a work of art. Our shawarmas took less than 10 minutes to be served!
We also tried butter naan and mutton curry a few stalls down the streets. The curries were the perfect blend of spices and they had it down to a science. The potion was priced around Rs.300 which is a win because it was a very generous serving.
As you walk down the streets, you find smaller shops tucked between larger ones and even small, insignificant streets between stalls. The dark alleys give the place a sense of mystery that makes the street a little hub of the Colombo culture. The one we don’t shed light on.
The other end of the street had a big cart of wadey with neat piles of isso wadey, pyramids of the small round wadey and more shapes and sizes than I have seen before. Opposite this cart is a small alley that has a big stall with sawans of biriyani flying over the heads of those who are eating in their plastic chairs and round tables. They had a flaming grill with chicken and fish and you are guaranteed to leave with something from this stall.
Hulftsdorp is a haven for those who love street food and it is a place of culture. The food, the good vibes, and the crowded streets make up to one amazing experience!
Have Hulftsdorp food street in your post-COVID bucket list to go on a mindblowing gastronomical adventure while helping our local vendors out during these difficult times.
