Always finding yourself wanting to go out and meet up with friends or loved ones but limited by some big expenses at the start of the month? Well, we at Cake Katha went around Colombo to find spots that will not stretch the purse strings as much.

We went looking for places where you could have a great meal (not just one item) under Rs. 1500/- and be satisfied with what you had. Here is our pick of 3 places you could visit to keep your stomach full and wallet full too.

WokBox

Wokbox is a nice little restaurant serving up Asian Fusion cuisine in a box just like the ones in the Hollywood movies. Their main courses are a choice of rice or noodles mixed in with your desired meats and veggies and wok tossed in your choice of their special sauces.

We tried their chicken wings to start our meal and boy were they delicious. It was crispy fried chicken wings, taken out of the fryer and tossed in their sauce that was both savoury and sweet with a hint of spice. The first bite you take gives you that crunch you want to hear with wings, then your mount gets coated in there sauce they used and it was an absolutely divine experience. The portion came with 6 wings for Rs.399/-.

For the main, we tried egg noodles with prawns and bell peppers tossed in their newest sauce addition which was a coriander based sauce with kochi and garlic. The sauce is what really brings the dish together so make sure to taste the sauce beforehand and choose the one that would suit you. The portion even though seemed to be served in a reasonable sized box, it was definitely more than enough to fill one person up. The main was Rs. 847/- which depends on your meat choices and the add-ons you put in your dish.

Finally to wash it all down we tried their Narang Mojito for Rs.199/-. That’s right Narang Mojito! It was a real pleasure to see something like a mojito being upgraded to suit the local pallets with Narang. It was nice and tangy and refreshing with visible pepper flakes and loads of lime wedges floating around. For just under Rs.1500/- it was a great meal and an enjoyable experience.

Fatty Patty

In our efforts to find affordable meals around Colombo we stumbled across this wonderful resto-cafe on the turn to Schofield Place, Bambalapitiya from Galle Road. It’s this new and upcoming spot that is serving up some delicious meals that won’t have you break the bank.

To start off our food adventure at Fatty Patty we tried their cheese sticks. We saw the menu, saw the words and knew we had to try it. It was as the name suggests sticks of cheese deep-fried in a flour coating that was seasons with spices on the outside like oregano and chilies to give a nice flavour to the snack. Undoubtedly it was delicious, it was fried cheese, it can’t go wrong. However should consider renaming it cheese nuggets and not sticks since it was more box shaped small pieces and not really sticks of cheese. Apart from that, the 6 “nuggets” we got were delicious and definitely worth the Rs.350/- we paid.

We were off to a great start to the meal and wanted to keep the momentum going. So we got a philly cheesesteak from their submarine section to try as our main. It was huge, packed with beef and had ketchup and mayo in the perfect amount that wasn’t too overpowering. One set back though was that there was very little cheese on the “Cheese Steak”. We actually loved the portion and the size of it and for only Rs.550/- we even got some fries with the sub, however adding that cheese element to the cheesesteak is something we hope they can improve on and we can try again soon..

While looking through the menu again to find that sweet element of our meal, we really couldn’t take our eyes away from the words “Butterbeer”. Anyone who’s anyone has grown up watching Harry Potter and the thought of butterbeer was just something we needed to have. It was this soda flavoured with a sugary, herby syrup as the base of the drink and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was a refreshing beverage, however do recommend mixing the ice cream well to incorporate it in the drink itself since it just elevated the flavour and was much better than keeping the two elements separate. You can try this for yourself for just Rs.450/-..

The Chaat Co

Located in Wellawatte, this hidden gem is serving up delicious and flavourful Vegetarian Indian street food at a price that will just make you want to keep on ordering since you feel like you haven’t spent enough.

To start off our flavourful journey we tried what they call “Dhai Chaat”. When it comes to your table for the first time you brain will get confused as to what it is and what to make of it. It’s a base “chaat” which is like a thick “papadum”, almost like a crispy savoury biscuits which is topped with aromatics and spices filled potato filling and the whole affair covered in sweet creamy yogurt and garnished with two different sauces and crispy fried onions and tiny noodle “murukku”. That first mouth you take just sends your taste buds to flavour town. It’s sweet, creamy, spicy, crunchy, herby, savory and touches every flavour profile of your tongue for only Rs.250/-. Definitely a must try when you visit them.

We couldn’t go to an Indian restaurant and not try their naan and paneer. So we did. It was a nice and crispy buttery butter naan for only Rs.120/- and a butter masala paneer that was just yum. The gravy was so creamy, it will have you eating it with your spoon. The paneer itself was cooked perfectly where it was firm to touch but when you break into, it gives in so easily it feels like silk in your mouth. It was a great portion costing only Rs.450/-.

To finish this great meal we tried “Kulfi”, an Indian ice cream served on a stick like a popsicle. It was just the perfect way to end the meal. After that nice filling meal, you lean back in your seat and just go at that Kulfi. It was an extra creamy ice cream flavoured with saffron and pistachios. It’s just the right amount of sweet, so chewy and just an enjoyable treat and only costs Rs.170/-.

After a satisfactory meal like that, the bill just made us even happier and this delicious meal of ours only set us back Rs.990/-.

And so our efforts to find reasonably priced meals that did not compromise on taste or quality was in our opinion a success. Wokbox really delivered the heat with their fiery food, Fatty Patty surely made us happy with their food and The Chaat Co would really make you wonder how vegetables could make food taste so food.

So there you have it, if your thinking about going out and worried about how much money your spending on food, try visiting any one of these restaurants for a yummy experience that will keep the tummy and wallet full.