10th January 2022
Street food trader Pasan Nissanka has left his job with Bombardier to open a Sri Lankan restaurant, Colombo Street, in Nottingham.
Nissanka came to the UK to study aerospace engineering.
“When I first moved to the UK something I really missed was Sri Lankan food. It’s not very common here. I started cooking as a hobby for myself and my mates and fed a lot of people,”said Nissaka, adding, “In 2018, I started a street food business trading out of a gazebo, going to events around the Midlands including quite a few in Nottingham.”
The 29-year-old went from a gazebo to a brightly decorated truck, which made appearances at Nottingham Street Food Club at Sneinton Market and The Garage in Chilwell. Last year, he got the keys to an empty property in Adams Walk, off Fletcher Gate, which used to be Rub Smokehouse, an American barbecue restaurant. Colombo Street offers two menus – street food during the day and a traditional dining experience in the evenings.