Sri Lankan Thali at Jolee
Not so "jolee" (happy) with the lukewarm food
Photo by Erika David
Specializing in Sri Lankan (and South Indian) cooking, Jolee and its large following of Sri Lankan customers had me believing it was a big player in an itty-bitty pool. After years of neglect, I finally dropped by. Judgment day was here and I had high expectations.
Right off the bat, I noticed a large spread of sweets and savories by the takeout counter. I tried to focus on the sit-down menu and its dirt-cheap prices, but I kept wondering if my meal would be taken from the open-air display. Tonight, business was slow and if that was the trend of the day, just how long had the food been sitting there? Well, I didn’t wait very long to find out.
At $1.00 apiece, the Beef Roll featured a spiced mix of mashed potatoes and beef encased in a thin pancake-like wrapper. Coated in fine breadcrumbs and fried golden brown, the sandy crust wasn’t shatteringly crisp. Instead it was soft (as it should be) and not soggy. Thick and starchy, heavy and oily, limit yourself to a few if you plan on eating anything else. Now, it wasn’t bad by any means but it was lukewarm. It obviously wasn’t fried to order, but a quick bask in the oven would have made all the difference.
I wasn’t impressed with my Lamb Thali ($7.50) and my friend felt the same about her Chicken Thali ($7.50). Again, both were lukewarm. The lamb curry wasn’t up to par. Cut into small cubes, the lamb was tough and the watered down sauce didn’t help its cause.
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