Following my burger disaster in Ella, I carried on travelling north in Sri Lanka to the historical city of
Kandy. I arrived in Kandy late at night. It was raining, again, and I was hungry, again. During the eight hour train journey I’d been fantasising over all the dahl, fish curry, roti, and kottu I wanted to eat that night.
But it turns out there’s not much action on a Sunday night in Kandy. At 8pm all of the restaurants were closed and the only visible option was a KFC, which for me, wasn’t an option. I flagged down a tuk tuk driver and attempted to explain to the old guy that I wanted to go somewhere ‘local’ to eat. Off we sped, whizzing down the roads on three wheels at high speed, towards some unknown gourmet destination.
Of all the local cheap eats he would have known about. The tuk tuk driver pulled up, beaming smile and so proud of himself. We were parked outside of a fluorescent restaurant, seductively (for me) named “Burger Hut”. I’d barely seen any signs of burgers in Sri Lanka, let alone whole restaurants dedicated to them. This was a signal that I had to give burgers in Sri Lanka a second chance. Sod the curry, it’s my duty.
Again I went for the veggie burger. It arrived, looking decent enough, a tad on the small side with a sprinkling of fries on the side (a sprinkling means 10 fries). Unexpectedly, first inspection revealed a burger with all the necessary components to be onto a good thing. Bun – soft and lightly toasted on the inside of the top and bottom lid. Lettuce – not the shitty barely green lettuce, but the better tasting, slightly frilly dark lettuce. Patty – veggie, but with a light looking yet crisp breadcrumb coating, layered with two slices of cheese (processed, but I’m not expecting the finest cheddar in Sri Lanka). I also noted two sauces, one ketchup and one white sauce which I assumed was mayo.
Despite these details, I was certain the burger would be crap.
I cut the burger in half and took my first bite. My eyes bulged in shock. The burger was one of the tastiest, warmest little veggie parcels I have ever tried. The soft inside of the patty (pea, carrot, potato) contrasted with the super crunchy breadcrumb coating, ensuring several textures came through on each bite. Texture is key. The sauces were generously smeared on the veggie patty, but the winner here was the mayo – not plain mayo, but garlic mayo, oozing through the crunchy veggie patty and mixing with the slightly molten cheese. Oooh I’m glazing over just typing about it.
For a couple of minutes I considered ordering another one, but I’m really trying hard to get out of the habit of eating two burgers in one sitting. In hindsight I wish I had though, it’s unlikely I’ll ever get the chance to eat that burger again. That makes me sad.
Oh I forgot the best bit! This burger cost 170 Sri Lankan rupees. That’s about 75 pence – $1.30! There can’t possibly be a cheaper, better tasting burger out there?
Is Springsteen ever going to play in Sri Lanka? Well, it’s unlikely. But if fans are ever travelling there on holiday, I’d abandon the curry for one night only and head to the Burger Hut.
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