I tried new Sri Lankan street food restaurant that's opened in charming Scottish location

It’s always lovely to see a much-loved street food vendor opening their first restaurant, and Glasgow is no stranger to this. From Julie Lin’s Scottish Malaysian dishes to Nick Watkins, amazing burgers at El Perro Negro, there are plenty of successful businesses that have moved from small vans to larger restaurants, and to see their cooking and offering flourish is a joy.

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The latest of these is Kochchi, which started as a street food van in 2020. Pronounced “kochee” and named after a chilli pepper, Scotland’s first Sri Lankan street food business is owned by Glasgow-based Suki Jayaratne and Shehan Fernando who won the Scottish Street Food Awards in 2022 before setting up at Bonnie & Wild in Edinburgh.

Kochchi Glasgow is now open | Greg JW Chalmers

Now the team has opened on the site of the former Hanoi Bike Shop on Ruthven Lane in the city’s west end. The half a million-pound investment into the charming destination aims to build on that success with an expanded menu and dedicated bar.

With a dining capacity of 80 covers spanning over two floors plus an external heated balcony area, Kochchi also has a bar area with a curated drinks list, featuring Sri Lankan-inspired cocktails, craft beers, and tropical soft drinks.

Having tried their wares at the Big Feed in Glasgow, I was looking forward to seeing how the new restaurant was going to present their food, and now drinks, to a different audience.

I wasn’t the only one, as we arrived to a bustling crowd, on Tuesday night ahead of its official opening on 29 January. We began our meal with spiced cashew nuts and a pandan cocktail before tucking into starters of Sri Lankan mutton rolls (which I am told were very moreish); spicy devilled prawns and parippu - a gently spiced creamy red lentil curry with coconut served on soft white bread.

After this our mains of roast chicken kotthu and black pork kotthu - layered flatbread hand-chopped and seared on a hot griddle with fresh leeks, carrots, and onions, tossed with curry - were served and were warming plates of deeply spiced meat and vegetables. Dessert was coconut pancakes and gelato.

As with some new restaurants getting ready to open, there were some teething problems with orders and wait times due to a system error but the staff were pleasant and the drinks kept coming.

Kochchi is a warm, welcoming addition to this historic lane in Glasgow and it’s brilliant to see friends Shehan Fernando and Suki Jayaratne embark on their next chapter.

Co-founder Suki Jayaratne said of the opening and influence: “Shehan’s childhood was spent among his family’s hotels in Nuwara Eliya before discovering Colombo’s kitchens and streets, where food was rhythm and theatre.

“I grew up in Kandy’s gardens and coastal markets but found in Colombo the energy of a city where every influence collided — from black pork curry and seafood fried rice to lunch boxes filled with dosas, sambols, and biryani.”

Both commented on how the whitewashed building in which the restaurant sits reminded them of Galle in Sri Lanka and the interior of the eatery (unrecognisable from its Hanoi Bike Shop days) reflects the Colombo they remember with wood, cane, and brass of old hotels.

It may be a cold January night that we stepped back into, but it had been a few hours of total escapism to warmer climates with hot and delicious food.