World Spice.

At first glance, there is nothing too worldly about World Spice. At second glace, there is nothing too worldly about World Spice.

World Spice is as standard looking as any food court can get. It’s really clean, it’s got that going for it. It's also really well organized. You are handed a plastic card as you enter, and you have to swipe it to get past a little gate. Then you are confronted by a large menu, stretching across the wall.

The Place

The place is not easy to find. It's located in the topmost floor of the Kandy City Center, and getting there from the main entrance isn't easy. For an establishment that’s supposed to be hot and new, there is very little signage directing you to it. We had to ask at least three people how to get to the top.

The Ambiance

World Spice functions a bit like a machine. It has cuisine from four countries to choose from. India, China, Thailand and Italy. I wonder what influenced the selection of these particular countries out of so many other possibilities. The system is very easy, you pick what you like from the big menu, and proceed to the clearly visible stall belonging to each of these countries.

It's a large space, and stalls are all located with wide and clear paths between them. There are also two separate categories, dessert and drinks, which also sneakily serve a collection of other items like sandwiches, burgers and French fries.

Order what you want from each place, they will swipe your card and hand it back. You eat and pay at the exit, and pass out through another gate, dropping your card into a slot as you leave.

The décor isn’t too great. Bright orange clashes with midnight black ceilings glittering with strange triangular lights, which reflect all over the shiny surfaces. At the far end the color scheme switches to the same black, now paired with a glaring white. The only soothing thing is the view of the lake and the trees surrounding it you get from the far windows.

The Food

We picked two countries. China and Thailand. There were good things. Like the Tom Kha Kai (Rs. 350), a Thai starter. A coconut flavored soup with lemongrass. Chunks of chicken and mushrooms added texture.

But the Kai Satay (Rs. 400) felt like it was made yesterday. The chicken was dry and the peanut sauce, of which there was very little, was bland.

The Vegetable and Bean Sprout Spring Rolls (Rs. 350), the Chinese starter, was crispy on the outside but full of dough on the inside, with a few unhappy vegetables in the middle.

The Special Spicy Rice Noodles (Rs. 700) however, were just right.

Desserts were rather disappointing. The Lemon Tart (Rs. 300) was dry and crumbly, even though it still had some flavor. The Passion Fruit Crème Brulée (Rs. 320) had potential, but the passion fruit clashed too strongly with the crème brulée. It was also rather hard, and definitely did not seem freshly made.

The portions are generous and give you just about value for money in terms of quantity, if you can ignore the highly erratic quality.

The Beet, Ginger and Carrot Detox smoothie (Rs. 350) was really well balanced.

The Service

The staff is really nice. Open and friendly, and very helpful. Five stars. The service was pretty quick. But might become slower on a more crowded day.