By Anjalika Abeykoon
Recently, we decided to follow an Instagram advertisement that appeared on our newsfeed, which led us to discover Cos P; and in no time, we found ourselves in Pannipitiya.
Milinda, one of the partners who joined in the conversation, explained that their motivation behind initiating Cos P was that, at present, many people who eat out consume food from fast food outlets and resort to unhealthy eating patterns.
They decided to name the restaurant Cos P as the menu is mainly based on items which include kos and polos, but Milinda also mentioned that there are items which do not.
Cos P is designed in such a way that it looks like a fast food corner but in truth, it is not.
The main purpose of Cos P – founded by Milinda Dassanayake and his partners – was to introduce a healthy fast food concept for their consumers, serving up food incorporating kos (jackfruit) and polos to their consumers. Kos was once known as the “deweni batha” in Sri Lanka, which means a substitute for rice; this is what led the partners to make excessive use of kos and polos, freely available around the country.
The restaurant comprises a children’s play area and has many board games to occupy adults. There is also a downstairs area where meetings and parties could be held, with which the management is more than happy to assist.
Even though fast food made out of kos and polos sounded a bit foreign to us, we were eager to try out items in their menu.
Cos P chips
We had our doubts about the fries because we love our potato fries – the way fries should be – however, the kos fries exceeded our expectations, and we liked it very much.
The fries were thinner than fast food French fries and were much more flavourful and wholesome; we attributed this to the fact that jackfruit is very high in carbohydrates and fibre.
The fries were less oily and tasted free of preservatives, so kudos to the founding members for the dish
Nuggets @ Cos P
As much as we love polos, we did not know what to expect with the nuggets.
The dish did not look much like chicken nuggets, but we were not discouraged and popped one each in our mouths.
The texture was different from chicken nuggets – of course, as these were made of polos – as the dough was well spiced with local spices and an ample amount of chilli flakes.
Polos cheese kottu
We then tried the polos cheese kottu – regular-sized once again because the wrap had already filled us up.
The kottu came with a side of kiri hodi, which again was very well flavoured.
We first tried the kottu without the kiri hodi. The half-melted cheese was sprinkled over the kottu and was not mixed in.
The kottu rotti pieces were finely cut, a bit different to typical kottu we get in the saiwar kades.
The kottu had a good kottu to polos ration of about 2:1. At first, we thought the kiri hodi would not complement the cheese kottu, but boy were we wrong.
The cheese, kottu, polos, and kiri hodi made one amazing combination, and we loved every bite of it!
- A person can afford a hearty and filling meal with Rs. 1,000 in hand.
- Quality and the quantity of the food, service by the staff, and the atmosphere of the restaurant justifies the price.
- Washroom facilities and parking space available.
- Cos P is currently using their own delivery service and you can get their goodies delivered to your doorstep by calling the hotline and placing an order.
- The management at Cos P have done an amazing job so far, although they are still figuring out their way. Our heartiest wishes go out to the team to keep up their good work!
Cheers to a good meal!
Photos Eshan Dasanayaka