Yet another Chinese restaurant, except this one is in Kandy. Which means, in very stark contrast to Colombo where Chinese / Chinese inspired restaurants are super abundant, it’s rather a unique phenomenon. A sit down, air conditioned restaurant, with an extensive menu, independent of any hotel, in the Hill Capital. It’s owned by those old masters of Sri Lankan Chinese, or Sino-Ceylonese cuisine - the Gyis of Flower Drum.
For as long I can remember this modestly sized, second floor dining room has been the pinnacle of Kandy’s dining scene. While the Hill Capital might be the nation’s second city in terms of population, smattering of government departments and overall cultural weight where eating out is concerned it barely makes the island top 10. I’d say Galle is the culinary second city, followed by Negombo. Frankly I’d rather dine in Trincomalee, Nuwareliya or Jaffna than Kandy.
In Kandy would be diners must make the uninspiring choice between various mediocre and over priced hotel menus (Queens, Hotel Suisse, Earls Regency etc.), Devon’s serviceable but unexciting offerings, or one of the numerous, but never-particularly outstanding, little eateries that are scattered throughout the city.
It’s really pretty dire- the city is one of the few places on earth where KFC, or Pizza hut must count among the better dining options. In this sea of uninspiring offerings, Flower Song has always stood out. Decent Chinese food, beer, acceptable prices- its hard to believe you’re in Kandy. It benefits from a super central location – near some of the city’s most substantial modern buildings so you even get a little dash of urban buzz. There’s something almost grittily urban about walking up the flight of stairs to the low-lit upstairs dining room. Though inside it’s cheerfully appointed, if a little faded, with red lanterns, fish tanks, Chinese characters for luck etc. The staff are always super attentive and friendly- in contrast to say the waiters at Colombo’s Flower Drum. And while there’s nothing revolutionary about the food- hot butter cuttle fish, kung pao chicken, chop suey etc. a sit down restaurant, open after 9, with a printed menu is a revolution in Kandy, and the food is tasty enough. I enjoy the classic beef in oyster sauce and sweet sour fish. The chop suey for that retro American-Chinese feel- you’ll never find this in China.
Prices are more or less the same as their Colombo outlets main dishes from Rs 600-1000 (will serve 3 or about Rs 1000 a head) which is expensive by Kandy standards but I suppose worth it given your options are so few.
If you’re passing through or spending some time in the second city and looking for a place to eat that isn’t Devon or the Muslim Hotel- try this.
This post was enabled by the Hutch 3G dongle, uploading from the Kandy-Colombo intercity bus (somewhere near Warakapola)
TIP
Dont expect stellar food but given the dearth of options in the city this is a good choice.
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Ashi
Thanks a lot Savan for posting this review about one of "THE" places in Kandy.Your extremely correct about the dining scenes in Kandy,I m from Kandy but as i now live in Colombo i feel the drastic difference in the 2 cities,dining and social scene wise,whenever we used to go out and even now,it is always Flower Song,and things havent changed there at all over the years,yes it may not br upto the colombo chinese standards but it definitely is something for those who lived in Kandy :) cos as u said Devon and Muslim Hotel are nothing much in comparison.:) Now there is a new Place called White House - You should check it out too cos its a breath of fresh air in kandy :) also the pub,but should warn you,dont compare it with Colombo pub grub :)
Thanks so much for this and it brought back nostalgic memories of countless lunches and dinners here.
rangana
Whit house not really "breath of fresh air " … It few years since they opened .i have never visited the restaurant but the bakery products are no way near good as the cozy interior
Ashi
@ Rangana - I meant a breath of fresh air as in a new concept to the humdrum dining scene in kandy,bakery products i guess taste differs :) but they are certainly trying to do sumthn new,u shud try the fine dining upstairs…quite good :)
Amila
I have very good memories of all my meals at Flower Song which go way back to when they first opened. I too always considered it to be the best place to have eat in Kandy.
If you're doomed to visit Kandy, be sure to eat at Flower Song.
SLSjayaweera
yeah there arent enough places to dine in kandy(and theres no nightlife)…I'd call kandy the bakers town,because every street has a bakery(devon,p&s,rathnayaka bakers,benthota bakers,delight bakers,bake house)…I feel kandy people eat a lot of bread…The town is filled with bakery … visit kandy eat bread or pastrys
S
I LOVE KANDY!!!
Daria G
Hi,
Just to clarify this article is outdated, last year Flower Song moved to No. 281 D.S Senanayake Veediya which is a 10 minute walk. A much better place which is spacious and totally worth a visit when in kandy, the food and service is as good as it was… TheYamu team should check it out!
RoJay
I just moved here last year and being from Colombo and used to a hectic, busy & social life I can understand one's boredom and non existent life here in Kandy. Having said that, there are some great places to eat here. I'm not talking about the hotels or the bakeries … I'm talking about places you have to go and try out for yourself. I also believe the food here in Kandy is waaaaay better and tastier than in Colombo. Next time try out Slightly Chilled/The Pub/Aroma Cafè/Royal Bar & Hotel … to name a few :)
Johnmchugh7@aol.com
The food was ok, they sure give you a lot of it. The buttered cuttlefish was nice. The noodle dishes were to dry . It is a nice place and has working air conditioning. The service was very attentive. I believe the address listed here is wrong, so call first. I would go back. Another option in the area is the buffet at the Chayaa Citadel, it was tasty. Not sure what other food options there are in Kandy. We went to the botanical garden again. My wife loves it. This time we had a bad experiences with large groups of teenage schoolboys. It was a very uncomfortable experience being surrounded by a dozen boys staring at my wife's boobs and saying rude remarks. I bit my tongue but I was so turned off. It creeps me out and I am a guy. I wonder what their mothers would think. Oh well.