It's not every day that you stumble across Cafes like Dream Palace. Situated right in the middle of all the hubbub of Colombo, near Fort, Dream Palace is quite the unorthodox coffee shop.
It looks like the place you'll get when your usual handiye kade and Coffee Bean had a child.
Service and Ambience
We say this because the place certainly looks nothing like the food spots around it; air-conditioned, comfy little seats, and then a tinge of your handiye kade; slightly cluttered, the showcase with fresh fruits and the boards, Dream Palace looks like a hybrid between the two.
In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, Dream Palace is a quiet place, and an ideal spot to grab a quick fix on a warm, long day.
The staff too are extremely friendly and accommodating and make the place very inviting.
The Food
Dream Palace doesn't have a vast variety of food. They've got a couple of cakes, and fish buns; by the time we went, they were out of most of the savoury food. What they did have was a large arsenal of drinks! From Coffee to Fruit Juices to other interesting concoctions, they have an exciting collection of beverages and they do it pretty well.
Since there weren't many food options, we went for two slices of cake (of which we don't know the names of, unfortunately) and a tiny host of beverages.
The slices of cake went at Rs. 200 each, which was really cheap like everything at Dream Palace!
The Nutty Chocolatey Fudge Cake had plenty of well-roasted cashew nuts adorning not just the surface, but also imbued in its layers, which we loved! The cake in itself was moist, but also the texture was slightly runny, instead of dense. However, it was not very successful in bringing out the chocolate flavour.
The Nougat-y Cake also had a chocolatey flavour to it and except for the sticky toffee decoration on the top, there was not much of a difference between the first cake and the second. We daresay the cakes are quite filling despite the fact that they wouldn't be your first choice.
The Hot Chocolate (Rs. 350) was basically the Cadbury's hot chocolate powder which had been prepared beautifully. With the same powder sprinkled on the mug and the saucer for the aesthetic, it was quite alright.
The Ginger and Mint (Rs. 150) was perfect. With a great ginger imbued taste and a tinge of mint, the drink was perfectly chilled out and refreshing. The drink was quite strong, an aspect that we loved, and not strong in an intolerable way, but very pleasant.
The Mango Lassi (Rs. 220), thick and creamy, and consisting of a milky-ish taste was heavenly! Served in a tall glass, it was perfectly chilled and the ideal drink to have on a warm day.
The Espresso at Dream Palace is just Rs. 100! In contrast to the places that serve espresso at Rs. 500 plus, Dream Palace is quite great, and the Espresso is second to none. Bitter, dark coffee paired with a relatively bland cookie, for this price, it's a steal.
Conclusion
Quite a chill place to drop by if you're in the area and the tidbits here are quite cheap as well.
