Kailasa The Street Food Café | Restaurant Review

Kailasa; simply the best flavours of India in one location! 

What first began as an idea for a simple tea booth is now known as Kailasa Cafe – a hawker centre with 15 separate stalls that serve up a variety of Indian street food, particularly spotlighting South Indian and North Indian flavours. Indian culture places a lot of emphasis on street food, and this cafe displays itself in a way that transports its customers to the streets of Mumbai.

Shall we skip to the good part? Read on to hear about the FOOD!

Appetisers 

• Street Flavours 

Chicken Nacho (5/5) – LKR 1,450

This crunchy delicacy is not your typical nacho; it is a deep-fried tortilla topped with a homemade devil chicken salad and liberally sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. Being a self-proclaimed spice enthusiast, I would say that the spice to cheese ratio is just right, and that this is an absolute must-have!

• Mr Prawn 

Crispy Prawn (3/5) – LKR 1,000

Tossed in biscuit powder and fried to perfection this plate of crispy prawns is served with two kinds of dips. Although it was really flavourful, I found it to be a bit too salty for my taste buds, but it was still a pretty good dish.

Mains

• Cake O’ Cook 

Fish Pollichathu (5/5) – LKR 1,500

This well-known Kerala dish, Fish Pollichathu, where pollichathu means “grilled or roasted”, is wrapped, cooked and served in a banana leaf which enhances the flavour of the dish as a whole. It consists of a whole mullet fish in a thick spicy gravy, made out of in-house spices, four pooris and a green chutney that comes together really well – no less than an explosion of flavour I’d say. The portion size is enough for two so you can expect major value for price. 

Tip: Squeeze the lemon on top of the fish to enhance its flavour.

• Bhai Kada Biryani 

Chicken Pot Biryani (4/5) – LKR 1,100

Pot-cooked biryani always tastes better. And that goes without saying for this dish, which is served with a fried egg and bits of chicken. The flavour and spice levels were exactly right—not too much nor too little—and ideal for both adults and children. The portion is shareable among two to have a hearty meal. 

• Ambistro 

Pepper Chicken Pizza (4/5) –  L  LKR 2,390, R – LKR 1,990, Slice- LKR 490

Fresh, homemade and thin-crusted. This pizza was juicy, topped with peppery chicken and sprinkled with a generous amount of cheese. Although they could have reduced the salt a notch, it was still delicious and had all the flavours that make up a satisfactory pizza.

• Dozza 

Prawn Kizhi Parotta (5/5) – LKR 1,300

This prawn-infused dish originates from Kerala – a place well recognised for its cuisine, and Kailasa’s rendition of it was as soft and tender as it could get. The parotta had three layers; one with egg and two with prawns which were soaked in “salna” (coconut gravy), wrapped, cooked and served in a banana leaf. This was probably my favourite dish of the evening.

• Yum Yum Moms Hut 

Devil Chicken Shawarma (5/5) – LKR 850 | Tandoori Chicken Shawarma (5/5) – LKR 800

Wrapped in a soft naan, and loaded with mayo and spices, these shawarmas completely satiate the Sri Lankan taste buds through its spiciness. The addition of capsicums gives this classic street meal its crunch, and both kinds are similar to one another apart from the way the chicken is prepared. One shawarma is enough to easily satisfy one person.

• Hip Hoppers Tamizha 

Quarter Golden Masala Spicy Chicken (5/5) – LKR 1,150 

This was a sizeable piece of crispy, succulent and flavourful chicken thigh that had a subtly tangy taste to it. Dipped in the right amount of masala, fried and served together with 2 chapatis, it made for a filling dish that we absolutely loved.

Desserts

• Sunset Kitchen 

Fried Ice Cream (5/5) – LKR 620

Have you ever tried fried ice cream? As crazy as it sounds, it’s exactly what you’d imagine it to be. This frozen treat was coated with a warm crispy surface that made it taste vastly different to your regular ice cream. To retain the flavour and texture, it needs to be consumed while it’s piping hot!

Drinks

• Naruto’s Cafe 

Full Jar Soda LKR 360 – Blackcurrant (5/5) | Raspberry (3/5) 

You might’ve seen people trying out this drink on your social media. It’s a terrific drink to try out with friends because of the fun experience it provides. This drink is served in two glasses; one large glass filled with soda and the other with your choice of one of their unique flavourings. When the flavouring mixture is put into the soda glass, it causes the entire drink to rapidly fizz. The game plan is to consume the entire drink while it fizzes. Among the two that we had, the blackcurrant-flavoured one was my favourite in particular. 

• Badam Doodh 

Madurai Special Jigarthanda (5/5) – LKR 600

This milk and honey drink, resembling a milkshake is native to Madurai. It is a treat that is served with almonds and a scoop of ice cream on top, which tastes absolutely delightful. 

• Smoking Mojito

Smoking Passion Mojito (4/5) – LKR 650

Like the last drink, this mojito is also an experience of its own because it emits smoke through the dry ice inside it. On the other hand, in terms of flavour, the drink was moderately satisfactory because it tasted more similar to sprite than passion fruit. 

• Chai o’ Chai 

Masala Chai (5/5) – LKR 180

It would be an understatement to say that I loved the chai because it was excellent. As a chai-enthusiast who has had many chais in their life, I would totally recommend this to anyone. It had the aroma, the spices and the unique flavour every masala chai should have, served in a small clay pot.

• Mr. Kulukki 

Grape Kulukki Sarbath (5/5) – LKR 400

This beverage – much like a mojito – stood out from the rest as it was served with a green chilli, which improves the flavour of the beverage. It was undeniably delicious, and the chilli it contained provided a touch of spiciness to the sweetness.

Ambience

Since we had the pleasure of trying this place out, our first impression was that Kailasa is an ideal spot for friends and families to come and enjoy a casual meal together. The experience is humble, fulfilling and presents unique flavours everywhere you turn. 

The cafe comes to life at night when the fairy lights are lit up and Tamil tunes are turned up. The interior of the place gives a very rustic vibe and definitely suits the ambience as a whole.

In addition, Kailasa acts as a venue for gatherings, featuring a stage where events including stand-up comedy shows and open mic nights can be held. The space is also available to the public for free use.

Overall, Kailasa is undoubtedly a location to come and experience authentic Indian street food the way it’s meant to be eaten.