A few days ago I had missed lunch and was meeting someone nearby so decided to pop in and get a snack at a small "hotel". I've often wanted to try a few of these places, and to write about them here in Sudda Reviews, but haven't yet.... so this was my chance!
Address: 19 Galle Road, Wellawatta
Phone: 072 526 7350 / 072 944 0171
Directions: On Galle Road by Savoy Bus Stop, opposite the Savoy Cinema and Hameedia.
First Impression
As you walk in, there are counters to the left and right. On the left was a long row of roast chickens, then behind a glass case were several plates of meals, presumably pre-cooked and ready to be warmed up. There were also several rows of savoury bakes: a variety of roti, plain or crumbed samosas and Chinese rolls, with fish, chicken, mutton or vegetarian.
There was a hand written menu board but I wasn't able to read it so I just asked for a chicken roti and an egg pastry
The Food
Clockwise from top left: chicken roti and mutton samosa; egg samosa; mutton samosa inside and chicken roti inside.
I was certain that this was going to be quite spicy so I bit into the chicken roti with some trepidation, but I soon relaxed. It was very mild, in fact almost a little bland as I got as much taste of roti as I did of chicken. It was actually a little chewy, but not in a bad way, probably as it was very tightly wrapped. Overall, I quite enjoyed the roti. It would have been nice to have a bit more taste of chicken, as it was a little bland, but it was nice and very filling.
Next, I tried the egg samosa but with one bite I realised that they had actually given me a mutton one. But no problem, I carried on as it was actually very good. The crumbed outside was beautifully crunchy while inside it was packed with juicy minced mutton. There was no gristle or stringy bits, just good mince and there was enough spice to give it a tang without being too strong or overpowering. I enjoyed this.
Lastly, still wanting something with egg, I asked again for an egg pastry and they brought one. This was also a samosa style but with plain pastry. The pastry outside was fairly crisp while inside was half egg and half a vegetable curry. It too was just mildly spicy, again a bit bland but still pleasant.
After these three items, especially the roti, I was feeling quite full so I didn't try anything else.
Prices
I realised that I hadn't checked the prices when I ordered but there was no reason to worry, The chicken roti, minced lamb samosa and an egg samosa plus a bottle of water came to a total bill of Rs170.
Less than one US dollar for three decent pastries; actually, one good mutton samosa, a roti and a decent egg samosa and of course a water. Excellent value.
Service
Nothing noteworthy; they were welcoming and spoke enough English to deal with my requests. They brought my food very quickly and, when I asked again for the egg samosa, they brought it within a minute. All good.
Summary
Really good value for a simple meal. The place seemed clean enough, the food was fine - the mutton samosa more than fine - and it was all provided quickly and efficiently.
This has also reinforced my wish to try a few more of these hotels. Any recommendations?