Dananjaya Polgolla learnt to cook Sri Lankan food from his Mum… and now he’s a master at it. Photo: Tenele Conway.
If you turn up at the Sri Lankan food truck Yaka on Wheels too late on a Friday night, you might just be disappointed.
Located on the corner at Waves Car Wash in Braddon, a spot well-known for its excellent food trucks, Yaka has been open for just over a year and has built quite a following, enough so that a busy weekend dinner service can be pretty short.
“We’re in a bit of a pickle at the moment. We’re getting more and more customers, and with the small space in the food truck, there is only so much food we can make, so on the weekends, sometimes we sell out in two hours,” says Yaka owner, Dananjaya Polgolla.
Dananjaya’s Sri Lankan food is exceptional. Every mouthful is packed with texture and spices in a riot of flavour. As we waited for our meal on a recent Wednesday night, a fellow diner named Anya enthusiastically declared that this was the best Sri Lankan food around, and being Sri Lankan herself, she said she knew good Sri Lankan food.
Yaka on Wheels has prime spot at the Waves car wash food truck site. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Dananjaya came to Australia around 12 years ago and worked as a chef during that period, but he credits his skills with Sri Lankan spices and cooking techniques to his Amma (mother).
He goes on to explain that the concept of ‘authentic’ Sri Lankan food is a tricky one, with the cuisine being an amalgamation of flavours and dishes from many countries.
“So many countries have visited, traded with and conquered Sri Lanka. The Arabs, Portuguese, English, Dutch, Indians and Moors, and they all left a mark with their flavours. The modern Sri Lankan cuisine reflects all of that.”
Dananjaya references his nasi goreng as one of those dishes. More commonly known as an Indonesian dish, he explains that Sri Lanka has its own version that has been adapted.
Cooking in such a confined space as the food truck presents its challenges, and managing the menu is one of those.
“We’re in a small food truck. We can’t do too many dishes at one time, so we’re changing the menu at least every two months,” he explains.
“When I started the truck, people said not to change the menu, people like the one menu. But the people are loving the changing menu. They want to know what is coming for them to try.”
It’s a real testament to how much Dananjaya’s customers trust his cooking and support a menu that is strong across the board.
“It does put pressure on me on what I will do next, but at the same time, it’s exciting.”
A memorable spread from Yaka on Wheels. Photo: Supplied.
Dananjaya explains that when they opened the food truck, they intentionally didn’t pursue advertising or marketing.
“I used to work as a marketing manager, but we wanted to see if good food alone could make a difference.”
Despite not taking traditional marketing routes for the business, Dananjaya’s marketing background is evident in many of his dish names, which have a cheeky spin.
He serves up “Not your Amma’s curry” as a nod to a curry that’s likely better than your Mum makes.
His spice menu takes tongue-in-cheek to the next level, offering five levels of heat to choose from, with names like “I just came here for fries” for the mild option and “Can someone call Amma?” for the extra spicy.
The scale doesn’t top out at extra spicy, though, and the bravest can opt in for the “kochchi apocalypse”, which refers to a small and extremely spicy Sri Lankan chilli.
As we ponder the right spice level, Anya jumps back in, saying she goes for the kochchi apocalypse, as she doesn’t know anyone who can eat spicier than her, and frankly, I’m impressed.
Looking to the future, Dananjaya has big plans which he plans to roll out slowly. He is currently looking at opening a physical restaurant, not on wheels, and he has his sights on transforming into a charitable business, inspired by his friend and fellow Sri Lankan, Sam Prince, the founder of Zambrero’s, who formed the business around the Plate 4 Plate charity.
“I don’t come from a rich family, so I want to make sure that I’m in a place where I can help people in Sri Lanka, get kids their books. It’s in the early stages now, but we want to slowly transform to do that.”
Whatever the future holds for Yaka, the present is promising.
It’s businesses like Yaka that are keeping Braddon cool amidst the gentrification transformation taking place in the suburb.
You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, from the textural delights of the kottu to the tender and juicy hot butter squid; it’s all good. Just consider going mid-week to save yourself and Dananjaya from another early sellout.
Yaka on Wheels is located at 17 Lonsdale Street, Braddon, and is open six nights a week from 5 pm until 11:30 pm (unless sold out).
