The Food Court at One Galle Face is one of its highlights and, apart from the Miniso and Keells, it takes up the entire Lower Ground floor. These aren't the only restaurant available at the mall, but the majority of them are situated here.
This food court is comprised of two sections. On one side, you'll spot Food Studio, featuring their collection of restaurants – Thalappakatti, Twister, China Express, Sumatran Spice, Jeewa's, The Mango Tree, Shiok, Cheese Heads, Tokyo Shokudo, Suksamran Thai, and ETC.
The rest of the space of the lower ground is occupied with a whole bunch of other restaurants – from franchises like Pizza Hut, WAFL, Manhattan Fish Market and KFC, to familiar faces like Mitsi's Delicacies, Whight & Co., BreadTalk, David's Dangerously Delicious Char Siu, and Delifrance. We also spotted the stalls by Rancrisp Cashews, Gourmet Lanka, and Miniso too.
Food & Drinks
Choosing which place to get your food from can be excruciating, especially when you're confronted with so many options. We opted for a few options from various different places, and truth be told, they were all close to flawless. You're in the mood for a dash of Chinese or Indian, or perhaps Japanese or some good ol' Sri Lankan hoppers, or maybe even yet, just a relishing dessert: they've got it all.
Mutton Biriyani – Thalapakatti
Thalapakatti has always retained its spot as one of the finest establishments to enjoy a biriyani at, and their outlet at the Food Studio was no different.
The texture of the Mutton Biriyani (Rs. 890) was perfect; each grain of rice had the perfect amount of spices and flavour infused into them. The portion also had a boiled egg and a generous helping of huge chunks of mutton mixed with the rice, and this was unexpectedly tender, almost melting in your mouth, and absolutely one of our favourites.
Roast Paan and Hoppers – Jeewa's
When it comes to pairing the roast paan with the most delicious curries, especially polos (young jackfruit), Jeewa's is perhaps second to none, and we were glad to find them at the Food Studio. Their Roast Paan with Pol Sambol and Chicken (Rs. 450) was one of our favourites.
The huge chunk of chicken and the gravy was wonderfully flavourful, while the pol sambol could slightly improve. Perhaps they were going for a slightly different, less spicy pol sambol, but we prefer the good old orthodox one.
One of the highlights from Jeewa's was their Polos Curry (Rs. 100). It was amazing; the polos, there was plentiful, and the infusion of the spices was in perfect harmony.
The Hoppers with the Seeni Sambol and Lunu Miris is a combination that is hard to trump. The hoppers, perfectly crispy in its outer rim, and the inner circle giving that distinct milky flavour as you bite through the softness, everything about this dish screamed perfection.
The lunu miris was spicy, and the seeni sambol seemed to have perfected that balance between being sweet and spicy at the same time.
Chicken and Steamed Rice – China Express
A bowl of Steamed Rice (Rs. 250) we tried from China Express was fluffy and well prepared and we paired it with a bowl of Stir-fried Chicken (Rs. 600). This dish would be a hit with anyone who loves some good Chinese food. The chicken, having that familiar taste of soy sauce, flakes of chilli and also, the nail in the coffin, peanuts, went well with the steamed rice.
Shaved Ice – be.k Desserts
Exquisite! For the first time in Sri Lanka, our first experience at Be.K did not disappoint. Their Rainbow Taro (Rs. 650) had a blueberry flavour, which, paired with the texture of the shaved ice, went perfectly. They also had a generous helping of fresh, sliced strawberries along with Fruity Loops (yay!) and a wafer, all combined to create the perfect, wholesome dessert.
Roast Pepper Beef Croissant – Delifrance
The Croissant itself, a smell of tasty butter wafting from its flaky, golden brown suit, looked amazing. What we did find disappointing was the filling, which did not taste in harmony in the least, and the price of the croissant: Rs. 1200. The meat was cold and slightly tough, and although the vegetables tasted fresh, they missed that factor that could bring all of their flavours together. The four slices of cheese didn't really contribute much either.
Chicken Mee Goreng – Sumatran Spice
Slightly oily and well flavoured, the Chicken Mee Goreng (Rs. 850) by Sumatran Spice is amongst the food that we thoroughly enjoyed. We were served a huge portion of this spicy, well-flavoured wheat noodles, that also had a tinge of sweetness, and plenty of chicken to go around. The Indonesian flavour it successfully brings out might not be for all, but its definitely a winner for us.
Fresh Juice – Fresh Intentions by Roots
*Pictured above – Grape Juice (left), Apple Juice (right)
Of course, no local mall is complete without a cup of juice from Roots. We opted for the Apple Juice (Rs. 350) and the Grapes (Rs. 500).
The decision to go with no sugar was brilliant, as we were able to actually enjoy the flavours that the juice brought up. The Apple juice, admittedly, had a very strange yet satisfying, greenleaf-ish taste to it that made us feel like we were living the "#healthylife *insert multiple 100 emojis*", and the texture was slightly thick, which made it even better.
The grape juice was also on a class of its own and had that sour and sweet taste in perfect harmony.
Service and Ambience
Despite the availability of so many outlets, the food court did not look cluttered or crowded. They'd arranged it in such a way that there was plenty of space to be seated and enjoy a meal, while also making sure that there was enough of breathing space. The seating arrangements also go according to the themes of the restaurant, which is quirky and yet creative.
All of the staff were extremely friendly and accommodating, and despite the crowd, the orders were never delayed and reached us within a period of 15-20 minutes.
Conclusion
This massive food court at One Galle Face seems to know exactly what to do and exactly what the customers would like and appreciate. As the food court of the largest mall in Sri Lanka, it definitely does not disappoint, and we will most certainly be coming back for the places we couldn't try the first time, so be on the watch out for some exciting reviews within the next few weeks.
