Chinese Lanka is a grocery store at the Kollupitiya Market that caters to Chinese expats living in Colombo. The store has been up and running for 10 years now. If you're looking for ingredients to make a Chinese meal, you're likely to find a lot of them here. Or if you just want a gallon of soy sauce, this is the place.
Meat
There's plenty of pork available, from sausages to large chops of meat.
The meat seems to be marinaded in order to preserve it. We've never really worked with meat like this before, but we're probably going to experiment with it soon.
Noodles
Whether it's flat noodles or the usual, you'll find them all. The prices aren't too expensive either, ranging from Rs 500 to around Rs 1000.
They've also got vermicelli and plenty of seaweed and dried mushrooms.
Also, sauce. All kinds of sauces, from gallons of soy sauce to various chili sauces and the like.
Snacks, Tofu and Medicinal Stuff
We actually tried some Chinese biscuits back at the office. None of them were particularly good. Maybe there's a nostalgia appeal here for expats, but we weren't too enthusiastic.
They sell fresh tofu, daily.
And, of course, there's a bunch of medicinal items that you can get a hold of. Chinese medicine is famous for attributing supposed healing qualities to random ingredients, so this could be a fun experiment.
Conclusion
Whether you're a Chinese expat or just interested in Chinese cuisine, you'll find this spot to be a reliable resource. The prices aren't exorbitant and the service is polite. The lady who runs the place doesn't speak the best English, but she's not impossible to communicate with. While 'made in China' is generally frowned upon, this is one place where that actually means you're getting good stuff.
