Arts
Kandy’s trendy food setters on a blazing trail
Signature ‘Kalu’ burgers
What started off with a 10×10 tent, a table, a grill and a few chairs, now has the distinction of being rated the No. 1 restaurant in Kandy by TripAdvisor for three consecutive years. ‘Licensed to Grill’ who celebrated their sixth anniversary yesterday has indeed come a long way from being one of the first street food stalls in Kandy.
“Our story starts on January 16, 2015 on top of Torrington Square right in front of the Clock Tower, smack in the middle of Kandy town. Our daily routine was that we would set up by 4.30 p.m. and serve customers until everything was sold out which was usually before 10 p.m.,” says Ramli Raban who makes up one-third of the group that began Licensed to Grill.
It was his partners Navoda Wijesekera and Dinesh Pathirana who initially brainstormed the idea of creating a food outlet that could provide the people of Kandy affordable good quality food instead of having to resort to dining at high-end hotels in the area. Although Navoda is no longer in the country and actively involved with the restaurant anymore, Ramil says that his input is always valued.
“Navoda and I were A-level math students at Dharmaraja College and he met Ramli at Ceylon Hotel School in Kandy after completing his business degree,” Dinesh says adding that he chose to follow CIMA instead. With their shared expertise and will to become young entrepreneurs, their dream took over a year to come into fruition and it is now their sole focus.
Licensed to Grill known as the ‘trendsetters of food’ in Kandy initially served just four simple grilled wraps at their stall. Now it has moved to a semi-permanent space (until the Kandy Municipal Council finishes their renovations in Torrington Square)which they have made their own with an expansive menu ranging from all kinds of meat, burgers and specials.
Their restaurant located in Anniewatte right in the middle of Primrose Garden, is a vibrant homely space decorated with handmade trinkets and adorned with a fresco-like mural by Ramli detailing the journey of how they came to be… From the OMI card game that planted the idea in Navoda’s head, their venture into the capital of Colombo, the ups and downs of Licensed to Grill; everything has been immortalised to being a story written in the walls.
There is a slight incline of steps to reach us, admits Ramli however the workout just prepares patrons for the filling meal that awaits them.
The food served is largely Asian fusion meaning that it is mostly items that foreigners are comfortable with but with Sri Lankan flavours infused. Popular with tourists, the restaurant was featured in a Danish travel guide as one of the few must-visit places in Kandy as well!
Restaurant: A big hit in Kandy
Living by the slogan ‘from foodies for foodies’, the restaurant is known for their meat dishes – their signature dish but their burgers and wraps are a favourite among locals and tourists alike for their sizeable portions packed with tons of flavour.
“Our prices are not what they were when we started, however we hope we can go back to Torrington Square to our stall one day and sell food the way we want to with maybe a few additions,” says Ramli.
Asked what is in the pipeline for Licensed to Grill, Dinesh says “We hope to start a proper branch in Colombo so they may experience L2G and find what they are missing out on and there are plans for the distant future to take us to Maldives one day as well!”
The pandemic had affected their workforce as it had many others but Ramli and Dinesh have taken it in their stride as they had always been very hands-on with Ramli taking joy in running the kitchens and Dinesh handling the front of house. Adhering strictly to health guidelines, they assure that all precautions and safety measures are followed.
“Throughout the years we have also had our own challenges, so it feels like COVID-19 is nothing new for us. The April attacks in 2019, then other instances where there was unrest in Digana, it has been quite hard as the challenges seem to just get tougher but the only thing that can surprise us now would be an alien invasion,” shares Ramli.
Ramli, Navoda and Dinesh