As a frequent traveller to and from Kandy and Colombo, I miss those days when the roadside would be brightened up by the corn vendors. With their warm, steaming pots, a heap of husks that gradually grow throughout the day, this sight has now been diminished to perhaps just a couple of vendors along the 120km+ drive.
Which is why we were really excited when we heard of Corn Cart. Of course, it isn't the same, but when was the last time you had some roadside corn?
A range of flavours up for grabs, Corn Cart isn't your usual bada irigu spot.
The Food
They have a range of sweet and savoury flavours alike, and we opted to go with two sweet ones and two savoury ones. Unfortunately, they didn't have takeaway boxes available for the corn cob (except for one which they managed to salvage), so we went for the attractive little paper cups.
We ended up going for the Cheesy Blast (Rs. 220), the Chicken Blast (Rs. 240), Choco Fun (Rs. 220) and the Kiri Pani (Rs. 220) along with an Original flavoured cob (Rs. 180). There is next to no difference between the prices for the Cobs and the paper cups, so you can go for whichever you feel like having.
Let's start with the Original.
A little burnt tinge to it on one side, butter and a tinge of salt slathered on it, the Original was simply heavenly. The buttery aroma that wafted from it made it even better, and each kernel of corn was equally flavoured. This one certainly caters to any sort of palette and is the ideal go-to snack that will quench your craving.
The Cheesy Blast was basically creamy cheese mixed with a steaming hot portion of corn kernels. These kernels maintain the perfect balance between being soft and firm and mixed with a healthy portion of cheese, it's an absolute steal.
The Chicken Blast undoubtedly has to be one of our favourites; where else can you get actual pieces of chicken infused into a portion of corn. Not only was this a pleasant surprise, the extra spice on this one totally set the stage in becoming an instant hit.
The Choco Fun had a very strong chocolate flavour to it instead of something mild, as we expected. We know chocolatey things are always, always superb, but this particular one did not hit the spot for me. Perhaps it didn't cater to my palate specifically, but Mubarak at the office also thought it didn't necessarily give off the chocolatey flavour.
The Kiri Pani was basically a concoction of yoghurt and treacle, combined with the portion of corn kernels. We would've loved to see how it would've gone down with actual curd, or just the treacle, but although it wasn't as great as the savoury flavours, it's worth trying out for the experience.
Service and Ambience
The spot is basically a stall set up in front of another grocery store sort of place, and hygiene wise, they've done everything possible to keep it as clean as can be. There isn't any place where you can stay and eat unless you're alright with standing beside the spot and wolfing it down, because that way, you can devour it in its freshest form.
The staff, which basically consists of a single individual, is extremely friendly and quite efficient and manages to dish out multiple orders within a short space of time, leaving all the customers satisfied.
Conclusion
Each item is priced at a very affordable range, and the exciting range of flavours are definitely worth trying. We would recommend going for the corn on the cob because that guarantees more freshness and also, not many places in Colombo offer it that way. Totally coming back here whenever the craving hits!
