The Fairway Colombo Street Food Festival 2018 took place on Sunday 26 August 2018, at Hospital Street from 6.30 -11.30 pm. Needless to say, the place was packed with food enthusiasts, both young and old, who weren’t just locals. The food stalls, the lights and the music undoubtedly added to the overall ambience of the space which spread nothing but welcoming and positive sentiments.
The food
We were impressed by the wide range of cuisines that was amassed in one place; this paired with the warm and welcoming atmosphere made us want to pay a visit to almost every stall present at the venue. Interestingly, there was a variety of food stalls that had barbequed and grilled food items in store for its customers.
Arabian Knights, as the name suggests, had a variety of grilled Arabic delicacies in store for its guests. Not only did it offer savoury dishes, but also desserts for those who had a sweet tooth, in their one of a kind food truck, Desserted. Their savoury fare consisted of two varieties of sandwiches, the Chicken Tikka, and Orfali Beef Sandwiches, alongside two choices of mouth-watering kebabs, namely the Mixed Grill and Tikka Kebab. Additionally, Desserted attracted a substantial amount of attention for it offered renowned fan favourites such as Crème Brulee alongside waffles topped with strawberries and bananas.
Fuel and Wild Grill are two other stalls that had a range of grilled meats. Wild Grill paired its grilled delicacies with a choice of grilled corn or bread. Fuel, on the other hand, had an assortment of mouth-watering and flavourful meats in store for its customers, ranging from chicken to an assortment of steaks. Speaking to its Founder who revealed to us that they’ve consistently taken part in such food festivals, we were told that they had to actively stay on the grill in order to cater to the masses that appeared before them during the festival.
He also observed that festivals of such nature facilitated the promotion and expansion of businesses operating at a niche level. He added, “My basic idea is to promote my business, and this is a great opportunity for all micro investors.”
From mouth-watering wraps from Ankara to Lankan favourites such as hoppers complemented with either katta sambol or seeni sambol from Green Cabin, grilled meat skewers from Botanik, alongside regulars such as hot dogs, beef burgers and Buffalo wings that were served by The Dutch Pub, the choice of food on offer was well above average.
The verdict?
Whilst some food items were slanted towards being pricy, e.g. The Smoked Beef Burger which we thought was priced a tad bit higher than your regular beef burger, we also came across a variety of others that were decently priced, such as the Tikka Kebab from Arabian Knights which was only LKR 250.
The location was for anyone who wished to grab a drink, walk around and experience the difference in cultures and flavours all in one place.
All in all, the Fairway Colombo Street Food Festival was undoubtedly a great experience and a must try for all those food enthusiasts; or anyone really – old or young – who’d wish to just take a stroll down Hospital Street, whilst having a good time with family and friends.
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Review by Chenelle Fernando
Pics by Saman Abeysiriwardena