We dropped in at the Java Lounge in Bambalapitiya the other day, and it’s actually pretty good. They’ve got an accessible location, good coffee and some awesome desserts.
Food & Drinks
I go past this Java Lounge pretty much every day on my way to and from work, but I was never very keen on actually going in since they share the premises with the Kapruka office. Honestly though, if you can look past that, it’s actually a pretty good place for coffee and snacks. They’ve got the contemporary cafe menu with beverages priced between Rs. 300 – Rs. 600. Since this place is quite tiny the selection the food selection is limited. It’s mostly sandwiches and short eats priced at around Rs. 200 – Rs. 500.
I went for my usual ice caramel machiato (Rs. 430). This one wasn’t extremely sugary which I liked and the flavour of the expresso comes through well. The sweetness comes almost entirely from the caramel syrup which is how it should be. However, there was a bit too much ice in it, which dissolves and dilutes the flavour if you don’t finish it off fast.
Their grilled chicken sandwich (Rs. 430) was decent. This was a white bread sandwich with grilled chicken breast, onions, lettuce and tomatoes. It’s actually pretty lean and healthy since they use olive oil. It was on the shelf when I ordered it so I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of freshness. The veges were actually very fresh and had the texture you would expect. The bread however, was dry and slightly stale.
To finish things off I tried out the chocolate chip cookie (Rs. 200). I wasn’t expecting much at all, but this cookie was fantastic. One of the best choc chip cookies I’ve had in a while. When I saw the price initially I wasn’t very happy but one bite in I was considering going for another. It’s a fairly large cookie and had a ton of high quality milk chocolate which was nice and gooey since it was slightly heated before it’s served.
Ambience & Service
Compared to their main cafe in Jawatte, this one is quite small with seating for only around 15 people. Sharing the premises with the Kapruka office isn’t ideal, but the location itself is pretty great. They’ve also got a completely redundant outdoor section which pretty much no one ever uses.
The service here is very nice. The cashier was friendly and courteous which isn’t the case at other franchised coffee shops. They know the menu and they’ll tell you what goes into the different beverages if you ask them. Coupled with small space, it makes for homely feeling.
Conclusion
The Java Lounge in Bamba was better than we expected in most ways. The place is pretty small but it’s a good place to grab a quick coffee and cookies.
