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A new Sri Lankan restaurant has opened in Glasgow’s West End.
KOCHCHI first came to diners’ attention at Edinburgh’s Bonnie & Wild food hall and aims to build on its success in the capital, in its location on Ruthven Lane.
The Glasgow restaurant has a dining capacity of 80 covers, over two floors, an external, heated balcony area and a bar.
At the heart of the menu is koththu, Sri Lanka’s street food. Fresh flatbread is hand-chopped and seared on a hot griddle with vegetables and curry, available with roast chicken, black pork or cauliflower.
Also on the menu are ‘short eats’ (snacks) such as cheese roti melts, drizzled with mango sauce; chickpea and coconut salad; and hot butter squid. The dessert list features wattalappam – a classic Sri Lankan coconut custard, spiced with jaggery.
The restaurant was founded by friends Shehan Fernando and Suki Jayaratne, who both grew up in Sri Lanka and were inspired by the food of its capital, Colombo.
Suki said: “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.”
The décor and ambience reflect the Colombo that the co-founders remember, which they describe as the wood, cane and brass of old hotels; the colour and bustle of its markets; and food cooked fresh and fast.
Shehan added: “The space will have the same character and soul that shaped us, brought to life with a Glasgow energy of its own.”
Photography: Greg Chalmers
