Burning Bird Rotisserie | Restaurant Review

“For all things chicken, to your heart’s content!”

Your new go-to place for rotisserie chicken then some, the Burning Bird’s menu was complete with many options to choose from and many palate to satisfy – from the west to the east, and the Lankan palate – they’ve covered all the bases. And with plans to expand within Sri Lanka as well as across the world, the Burning Bird Rotisserie is definitely set to be one of Sri Lanka’s favourite cult-classic restaurants.

 

APPETISERS

Baked Crab & Cream Cheese Dip with Pita Chips — LKR 2,550 (5/5)

We kid you not, this baked crab with its crispy pita chips DID NOT DISAPPOINT! And minus the obvious shell struggle that comes with enjoying crabs, it just made the whole dish that much better. The pita chips were the perfect vessel for transporting all that creamy crab goodness straight from plate to palate. Worth every penny spent. Come here for the crab. There I said it.  

Loaded Fries with Cheddar Cheese, Crispy Chicken and Crispy Onion — LKR 1,950 (4/5) 

Having subconsciously decided that we were slowly going to get to the main event – the chicken – we went head first into this humongous portion of loaded fries. Picture this; golden fries, crispy chicken bites and onion rings, all topped with a cheddar cheese blanket. We wouldn’t have minded if the fries themselves had a bit more flavour in them but was overall, a meal in and of itself.

Garlic Butter, Mozzarella and Parmesan Bread Rolls — LKR 950 (4/5) 

Soft as a cloud. The roasted garlic itself wasn’t playing hide-and-seek because the flavour itself was pretty prominent without being a garlic overload or plain burnt garlic — which is sort of what we’re usually accustomed to in most food joints around here. Stuffed with roasted garlic and gooey mozzarella and parmesan, I’d call this one garlic bread’s cooler cousin.

 

POPPERS

Cheddar Popcorn Chicken – LKR  1,800 (3.5/5)

Crispy, tender popcorn chicken tossed in cheddar in all its glory. We would have loved to have seen this accompanied with maybe a cheddar cheese dip, but that’s not really a complaint. Could’ve been the ultimate cheesy combo, but regardless, it’s still a snack-worthy winner for those munchies moments.

 

WINGS 

Flaming Atomic Sriracha (3 Wings) — LKR 1,450 (5/5) 

This was an experience. One of the many stars of our meal at the Burning Bird Rotisserie, these Flaming Atomic Sriracha Wings quite literally HAD US IN TEARS. From having gloves on, to tears that ran down our cheeks, to servers who ran to our table with water bottles and sugar to help us bring down the spice, we were feeling everything, everywhere, all at once. As spicy as they were, they still managed to bring all the other umami flavours out without a hitch. 

Sticky Soy, Ginger & Honey Glaze (3 Wings) — LKR 1,450 (4/5) 

After all hell broke loose with the Flaming Atomic Sriracha Wings, trust me when I tell you, these wings were a sticky-sweet relief. The soy and honey were evidently the stars of the dish, but the ginger came through very subtly and balanced the sweetness of the wings, which we loved. 

Sri Lankan (3 Wings) — LKR 1,450 (3/5) 

Personally, these wings didn’t hit the mark for me, but that’s not to say these wings are out of the question. Out of everyone at the table that tried these wings, the votes were at an even split of 50:50. One thing’s for certain, the roasted spices and karapincha with the coconut curry mayo, came together to bring out some quintessentially Sri Lankan flavour that many of us love. So, this might just be one of those things that you have to let yourself decide if you’re feeling bold.

Bourbon BBQ (3 Wings) — LKR 1,450 (4/5) 

Let’s be real, you can’t really go wrong with BBQ wings — they’re solid. But given that these were following a lineup of pretty eclectic flavours, this didn’t really knock our socks off, but they didn’t disappoint either. The little drizzle of southern style mayo really gave the whole thing a nice edge. 

 

PASTAS

Cajun Grilled Chicken Pasta — LKR 1,900 (4/5)

This cajun-spiced chicken was really strutting its stuff in this hearty plate of pasta — perfect for when you’re hungry enough to eat a whole bunch. I personally wouldn’t have minded if the pasta itself carried a bit more of those cajun spices, but overall… it was some good stuff!

 

TENDERS 

Hot Honey Tenders — LKR 1,900 (5/5)

A whole meal crammed into each bite; the sweet and sour coating with that paprika dusting on top was a perfect tango. Seriously, we kid you not, this plate was cleaned faster than you can say “ooo, yummy.”

Chicken Parm Tenders — LKR 1,900 (5/5)

These tenders really had us hooked from start to finish with its herby, parmy magic. This had all the elements that we love in our chicken-parm, and just when you thought it couldn’t get better, the basil sauce made this a tender tale we didn’t want to end (pun-intended).

 

ROTISSERIE 

Italian Rotisserie Chicken (Half) — LKR 2,650 (4.5/5) 

Drumroll please, ’cause this is the main event. And this chick didn’t come to play. Tender meat falling off the bones? Check. Juicy and messy in all the best ways? Double-check. Flavoured with the finest Italian herbs and spices? Check, check, check.  It was an elevated version of your everyday rotisserie chicken but this half-portion was worth every penny.  Trust us when we tell you, this bird definitely lives up to the hype.

They also offer a quarter chicken portion and a full chicken portion, so feel free to choose based on how much of the chicken you’re in the mood to devour. The half chicken we had was a pretty decent portion fit for around 4 people, but two if you’re looking at it as one whole meal.

Thai Chilli Vinegar Rotisserie Chicken (Half) — LKR 2,650 (5/5) 

Now take your everyday rotisserie chicken, take it over to Thailand, and put it on steroids. The result? This amazing Thai Chilli Vinegar Rotisserie Chicken. Drenched in a sauce made up of blended chillies, rice wine vinegar, garlic, soy and lime, we managed to reduce this down to nothing but bone. That’s how good this was. 

 

DESSERTS

Rose Panna Cotta with Pistachio Crumble — LKR 990 (5/5)

This sweet, velvety panna cotta was an instant love affair, but the real magic was the pistachio crumble cutting through the rosy panna cotta; salty and crunchy. The pomegranate added a little theatrical flair we love in any dish, with little bursts of flavour in every bite. 

Citrus Creme Brulee — LKR 880 (3.5/5)

The Citrus Creme Brulee was actually one of those dishes that didn’t entirely impress us because we didn’t really catch the citrusy taste. It was more similar to a regular creme brulee, which, minus the citrus infusion was quite great. If you love creme brulee, but are not much of a fan of citrus flavoured foods, order up!

 

DRINKS

Passion and Naarang — LKR 850 (5/5) 

Burning Bird had a collection of in-house made natural blends and they really were the most authentic “natural drinks” I’ve had in a while. This passion and naarang was a crowd favourite and it genuinely tasted like it came straight from the tropics. 

Ginger Beer — LKR 850 (5/5)

When we hear the words “ginger beer” we’re so used to the thought of the true-to-type EGB, but this was in a whole other realm. Also made in-house, this ginger beer really stood out because you could actually taste the authenticity and it was the perfect pairing for all the savouries we were having.  

 

AMBIENCE

The Burning Bird Rotisserie was what I would define as a ‘quintessentially Ward Place dining experience’. The vibes were on point, the staff were as friendly as they come, and  tucked a little further into the streets of Ward Place with the afternoon traffic out of view, the whole experience just reminded me of having those very homely, fulfilling meals in a quaint little neighbourhood. 

And in an effort to keep things interesting, they hope to add in some new and exciting items into their menu in the not-so-distant future.

All in all, the Burning Bird Rotisserie should for sure be on every foodie’s bucket list!

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