The protests in Sri Lanka that reached their peak earlier in the year were centred around a promenade at the heart of the city of Colombo. This promenade is called “Galle Face“. The protests have since ended and the protest zone at Galle Face is no more, but the promenade is a much loved venue by the locals to just chill out in the evening, after a warm sunny day.
The promenade overlooks the Indian Ocean, and while there isn’t much of a beach here, the cool ocean breeze in the evening makes a great place for families, friends and young couples to sit, relax, walk around and have some Sri Lankan street food. This place is a must visit if you’re spending a night in Colombo.
The walk path is dotted with vendors selling all sorts of street food (of which I have zero pictures.. sorry.. because I was too busy eating the said street food.. drool 🤤). The most prominent street food here is the so called “Isso Vadei”, or Prawn Vada which is a flat, deep fried patty made of lentils and flour with dried prawn pasted on while the patty is still raw. All this is then deep fried and served with a garnish of cabbage and carrots with a curry sauce. Just lovely.
Vendors tend to sell toys with flashing LED bulbs, usually resulting in kids annoying their parents to buy them so that they can play with them. On sale, expect to find beach balls, kites and even ice cream vendors all along the promenade. I used to love coming here as a kid, and still do!
haye.sh 