Kochchi restaurant review: Succulent South Asian fare
Curries and chutneys rub shoulders with pan-fried pork and dynamic rotis at this new Sri Lankan diner
Taking the place of Hanoi Bike Shop is a new Sri Lankan diner with street food origins. The two owners, who moved to Glasgow from the island as youngsters, have progressed from a horsebox to a spot in Edinburgh’s Bonnie & Wild food hall and on to dishing out their native cuisine from this permanent home on shabby-chic Ruthven Lane. Kochchi is in a charming old-school whitewashed building and they’ve spent a wadge doing it up in soothing terracotta and foliage-inspired textiles, with rattan-backed chairs and decorations from their homeland. It’s compact inside, with tables a tad too tightly squeezed together over two floors, alongside a few al fresco spots including a wee balcony that’s great for people-watching above the lane.
There is still a big focus on street snacks (aka short eats) including an enjoyable pork belly sandwich using extra crunchy paan slices and mild cheese-filled roti rolls with mango sauce. There’s also kotthu, a popular street food, traditionally made using leftover chopped flatbread and vegetables; here it’s fried with chicken, pork or cauliflower. A handful of curries include an enjoyable black pork, with intentionally fatty cuts of meat in a dark, spicy sauce. The crab version comes as whole beast, halved, with crackers and pick provided for some messy fun. Devilled dishes include pan-fried pork, chillis and vegetables for a slightly spicier hit, although nothing here is hot-hot.
Accompaniments include the eye-catching hopper: a bowl-shaped rice flour pancake, as well as sambols. The tasty condiments and relishes (that come in too-small portions) include pol sambol with coconut and chillis, or katta sambol, akin to a spiced onion chutney. Interesting signature cocktails celebrate island drinks and flavours, like Goraka Glow, a gin from Colombo infused with the sour goraka fruit and Sunset Pekoe bitters.
Kochchi, 8 Ruthven Lane, Glasgow; average price £30 for two courses.