Evening Standard
David Ellis enjoyed a quick-service meal of Sri Lankan street food in a former Franco Manca on Maiden Lane that could be considered “the best fast food in the city, perhaps without intending to”.
“Dishes arrived almost as soon as they’d been ordered, as though merely uttering the names aloud had supernaturally summoned them.” Among his recommendations were breadcrumbed mutton rolls “rightly richer and sweeter than they were hot”; vada dumplings that “look like deep-fried doughnuts, and don’t taste dissimilar”; chilli prawn toast; masala curry dosa served flat and unwrapped like a pizza; and waffles folded around strips of fried chicken.
“I am not sure any of this is food of staggering authenticity,” he said, “but throughout was clever, detailed spicing that suggested the kitchen genuinely cares.”
David Ellis - 2025-09-28
