By Hiruni Herath
Service and Ambience
The head chef at Hot Chook was very helpful in assisting us to decide on what we should order from the variety of food that was available, especially when it came to the Chicken. You can check some insight into his skill if you visit their instagram linked below. They offer glimpses into the cooking process that will definitely encourage you to check them out, if this article doesn’t.
The ambience of the Food Studio at Colombo City Center where Hot Chook is located is both intimate and communal. Being a frequently visited food court, the Food Studio sees many people come and go and that’s what makes the location of Hot Chooks interesting. While you indulge in a good meal, you can people watch or engage in a private conversation. You can sit outside and enjoy the view and a bit of calmness or take a seat inside and observe the hustle and bustle of the Food Studio.
Appetizers
While Hot Chook has 3 options for appetizers including Herb Potato Wedges, we decided to take the unconventional route and have the Chicken Wings, Popcorn Chicken and Mashed Potato as our appetizers.
Hot Chook offers naked, tossed and dipped wings with a choice of their own unique sauces. We got the Wings with Honey Soy Wasabi Sauce and the Popcorn Chicken with Orient Orange Sauce. The Wings were juicy and fully coated in the sauce, making it a mouthwatering side dish. One of us found it a bit too sweet since usually we are used to eating hot wings instead of sweet and spicy but the Honey Soy Wasabi Sauce was on point for me. The Popcorn Chicken was complemented by the Orient Orange Sauce that was spicy but sweet as the flavor exploded on our palate. The sauce had hints of other spices that we couldn’t exactly pin down which made it even more flavorful.
If you’re looking for a normal and bland Mashed Potato, the side dish at Hot Chooks is not for you since it was also packed with flavor and the meat sauce on top made sure that it wasn’t too dry. We had a mix of foods, but I think the buttery Mashed Potato would have paired well together with the Mac n’ Cheese Dawg that they offer. It’s definitely not for the fitness or health enthusiasts.
3 pcs Chicken Wings with Honey Soy Wasabi Sauce – LKR 960
Popcorn Chicken – LKR 1100
Orient Orange Sauce – LKR 320
Mashed Potato – LKR 450
Main Dishes
Hot Chooks has newly introduced their Nai Miris Rice and three different burgers. So we opted for the rice and their Dirty Dozen Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. The rice was a bit on the dry side but there was a generous serving of Kochchi Bechamel Sauce that pulled it together. With the Nai Miris in the rice and the Kochchi in the sauce, one of us found it too spicy but I thought it was a perfect balance when mixed all together. Just make sure to steer away from the Nai Miris Rice if you have a low spice tolerance. You can’t forget the chicken either because it was also tender and delicious, especially paired with the Kochchi Bechamel Sauce.
The Dirty Dozen burger which has a char grilled beef patty, caramelized onions, pickle, a grilled egg with garlic Mayo and Chook’s BBQ sauce was both big and juicy. The patty was perfectly cooked and the caramelized onions and the pickle added tartness to the sweetness of the BBQ sauce. The generous serving of Sweet Potato Fries paired well with the Burger and was super filling, making the Burger well worth its price.
Nai Miris Rice – LKR 1300
Dirty Dozen Burger with Fries – 1870 LKR
Conclusion
Even if you want to get the Wings and the Popcorn Chicken separately without making it a whole meal, you won’t be disappointed. Just make sure you choose the sauce you want wisely because they have a wide variety that are all equally as good as the next one but have different flavor profiles. And if you want any drinks or a dessert, you have many options you can choose from since Hot Chooks is located in the Food Studio which offers various options from coke to fresh orange juice and ice cream as well as cake.
Chicken is the undoubted hero at Hot Chook, tender, juicy and full of flavor, especially complemented by the variety of sauces on offer. So make sure you try at least one of the Chicken options when you visit Hot Chook at CCC. The service, the ambience of the Food Studio, the generous servings and the great flavor of the food, makes Hot Chook a restaurant you should definitely check out.
*The prices included in the article are as of June 2022.
Opening hours – 11 AM to 11 PM
You can visit their instagram page @hotchook and their facebook page @hotchooklk to check out their fresh deals and great food combos.
