Eating at Forty Forty Foods, a low-key lunchtime rice and curry spot down a tiny alley opposite Unity Plaza on Galle Road, feels just like lunching at someone’s house; probably because it pretty much is somebody’s house, or attached to it anyway. And, while the food at Forty Forty (from here on 40-40) isn’t exactly a winner, this setting gives the restaurant it’s own run-down charm.
A couple of people had been raving on to me about this place before my visit, but to be honest, I wasn’t bowled over by the food. The chicken rice and curry I ordered came with a measly piece of chicken (honestly, scraps), parripu, fried carrots, dry potato curry, papadam, and fried kankun. Though it tasted pretty nice it wasn’t particularly exciting in terms of flavour. The meal wasn’t the warmest it could have been either, and, though most of it was warm enough, the rice was almost cold.
Price-wise the food here is pretty standard for lunch packets in this part of town, the chicken costs 120Rs, fish 110Rs, and veggie rice and curry is 90Rs. While I think that what I ordered was decent considering the price, there are better alternatives within the same price range in the area. I would choose to head up the road to Healthy Cafe for a rice and curry over 40-40 any day.
The saving grace for 40-40 really is the setting. While not exactly glamorous, it’s home-like-ness and the fact that it’s tucked away down a little side alley make it a bit of a haven from the mania of this stretch of Galle Road, and gives it a certain allure (perhaps too strong a word, but I’m gonna stick with it for now).
So, the verdict: don’t go out of your way, but if you are in the area then do pop in for a lunchtime bite as Forty Forty Foods is a decent alternative to a lot of the other, more hectic, restaurants in this part of town.
