A look inside Marine Drive’s Food Trucks
When you think of street food, habitually your mind wanders to a spicy Kottu, a scrumptious Isso Wade or a Sri Lankan take on a Chinese fried rice. But as of late Colombo has been stepping up its street food game through a variety of food trucks that offer innovative dishes and mouthwatering flavour combinations at reasonable prices.
Doner Kebab food truck gets ready for customers
It was quite by chance that we stumbled upon these trucks which are located along the Marine Drive, Bambalapitiya, just opposite OZO Colombo. Conveniently parked on the sea side, it’s a popular stop for joggers and others passing by.
Wondering where to start, we are told that ‘Street Burger’ was the first pop up in the vicinity, so we made our way.
The smell of a freshly fried juicy beef patty was unmistakable on our arrival, as the chefs went about their work onboard the truck. The key to cooking in a limited space, like that of the truck is being organised and this was just the process onboard.
While the cook carefully managed the patties on the grill, his helper went about cutting the buns. They were also laid out on the grill for a few seconds to bring out that charred, crunchy texture. As the buns come off a slice of cheese is placed on the patty. This packs in that gooey layer which is definitely the best part of the burger, aside from the fresh patty of course.
Founded by Tharique Mohamed Shibly and Samoon Mohamed Masoon, ‘Street Burger’ boasts healthy, freshly made gourmet burgers as opposed to what you may find at a local fast food chain.
Tharique tells us the weekends are usually their busiest days. Aside from that though, one would also find an enthusiastic crowd on a week day evening too. This is probably owing to the reasonably priced burgers which are all between the ranges of Rs. 500 to Rs. 800.
Tharique Mohamed
Mohammed Zimran
Mohamed Zimran, who is also part of the team, explains the goal is to start a different trend with burgers and eliminate the processed meat concept. He adds that they also cater to a health market. On this note, the menu also contains the healthy ‘ripple strips’ which is seasoned chicken tenderloins. This is a favourite amongst the joggers because of the high protein content in the meat and the lack of carbs. ‘Street Burger’ a definite go to burger joint, if you’ve got a big appetite and are in the mood for a healthy, juicy burger. But say perhaps you’re looking for something spicy. In that setting, you’d probably find yourself being drawn towards ‘Flavour Fusion’, which brings together a Mexican cuisine with a Sri Lankan twist.
The food truck is run by Faraz Razeen whose passion towards food, led him to experiment with Mexican dishes. We catch him preparing a Mexican ‘Burrito’, which he describes as the authentic burrito. Faraz had actually gotten the recipe off a Mexican lady. But he also had to enhance the flavour by adding condiments to the salsa sauce, to suit the Sri Lankan palette.
Priced at Rs. 400 (chicken) and 450 (beef), the burrito comes packed with a flavor fusion and it’s secret ingredient which is loved. Carefully, Faraz lays out the tortilla. In go the Mexican red rice, the guacamole, the meat, sour cream and the salsa which packs in that much needed spicy hit. Aside from the ‘Mexican Burrito’, Flavour Fusion also offers the ‘Fajita Burrito’ and the ‘California Burrito’ which are all priced at Rs. 500 (chicken) and Rs. 550 (beef). ‘Flavour Fusion’ also goes that extra mile and offers its customers Lime (Rs. 150) and Pineapple (Rs.200) Mojitos, which are just perfect to wash down that spicy hit.
Leaving Mexico, our culinary adventure also treated us to the Arabic cuisine at ‘Doner Kebab.’ Despite being located at the very end of the food truck line, the smell of the kebab cooked on the shawarma machine is enough to attract hungry customers.
We find eighteen year old Indisham Naleen, manning the truck with a few other helpers. Seemingly enjoying the process of preparing the dishes, he tells us a ‘doner’ is essentially made out of pita bread and comprises either beef or chicken, packed with a range of Middle Eastern spices. The truck also offers authentic Arabic styled wraps that are priced at Rs. 370 (Chicken) and Rs. 390 (beef).
‘Doner Kebab’ was started off a few months ago by its founder Ikram Salam. Since then it has gradually become a local favourite because of its fresh meat and unique flavor combinations. “The important thing is the meat, because if the meat is not that good the meal won’t be great,” Indishan explains. Aside from the delicious flavours they offer, the reasonably priced dishes also makes ‘Doner Kebab’ the ideal stopover if you’re on a budget.
As our culinary journey comes to an end, we realise these beautiful dishes and authentic flavour combinations aren’t the only reasons as to why these food trucks are a fast growing hit. Rather it stems from the love of food, which is certainly prevalent in the owners of all these trucks.
One could try out these trucks throughout the week from 5.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m.
A ‘Street Burger’ offering
A ‘Doner Kebab’ offering Pix by M.A Pushpakumara
Street Burger team member looks out from their parked food truck on Marine Drive
Flavour Fusion food truck on Marine Drive