114 Reid Avenue Colombo 4
Open 11 AM to 11 PM everyday
The VOC is a one of the best places in the city to get lamprais, and we've heard their burgers are pretty good too.
The DBU is a calm, balmy place removed from the stress and traffic of everyday Colombo. The staff are so chilled, they took 40 minutes to execute our take-away order a couple of weeks ago. That was once-upon-a-recent-time though, so we dropped in for lunch recently and sampled some nice iced-coffee and yellow rice.
If it's a sweltering hot day, there's an airconditioned indoor seating area. For nice, breezy days, you get terraced outdoor areas, which are so removed from the hustle and bustle of Colombo that it's hard to believe you're smackdab in the middle of the city. The main building is a gorgeous old structure, high ceilings, wood panelling and all.
Their food isn't half bad either, with their Yellow Rice (Rs. 525) being my favourite — it's fragrant, beautifully presented, and has a few complementing curries going on.
They've got a cutlet (pretty sure it's a cutlet and not a frikkadel) and a killer pol-sambol and vambatu moju. The rice is topped off with a bit of mango chutney if you'd like a tang of acidic sweetness, and it's as good as a home-made meal you'll ever get. This set is a winner, and we love it.
Sadly, the standards of their Lamprais (Rs. 545) seem to have gone down, starting right with its appearance. Size has diminished slightly, but that's not as much of a let down as the quality itself. The rice has a slightly hardened undercooked quality to it, and the meat in the mixed meat option were pretty lacklustre and lacking definitive flavour. It's still an alright, standard lamprais, but at Rs. 545 you're not going to feel like you got your money's worth.
Next up was the beef burger, reasonably priced at 350 bucks. Getting this was a chore, though. Indi had tried ordering it the day before, but they forgot about it. Likewise, we placed this as a take-away order and realized it wasn't ready when we were ready to leave about an hour later. The aunties behind the counter held a hurried meeting, and then told us that the burger wasn't there.... but on the bright side, they'd only mixed the order up and made something else instead. So could we please wait a few minutes until they re-made our order?
We walked out with the food 20 minutes later. As Kinita said, they're rather an anti-burger union where this is concerned.
Meanwhile, Indi had this to say about it:
"The VOC burgers used to be a strong point, but they get less attention now. The beef burger is quite simple, beef, pickle and mustard basically. That said, simple burgers can be quite good. The meat is juicy and the acidity of the pickle plus mustard balances it out. On paper this is not an exceptional burger, but I find it quite tasty, which is what matters. This, however, is one order that they seem to consistently mess up."
Their iced-coffee and mango juice (Rs. 125 and Rs. 250 respectively) were alright, with the iced-coffee having that classic Milkmaid taste to it. The juice was well done, not too sweet, with lots of thick swirly mango going on.
Their service deserves a shoutout because it's like a trial of endurance, patience, and strength, really. You could say it's quaint, if you've literally nothing else to do and don't mind repeating your order five times and smiling sweetly while you're at it. It's quite literally like the sloth scene out of Zootopia.
Placing our burger order was like thus:
Kinita: I'd also like a beef burger please, for take away.
Staff: A what?
K: Beef burger.
S: Eating here or take away?
K: Erm, take away please.
S: A burger?
K: ... yes.
S: What burger?
K: Beef! A beef burger for take-away!
aaaand they still got it wrong.
Good burgers and yellow rice, but the standard of their lamprais has gone down which is sad because it used to be one of our favourites. The service may drive you up the wall, but should be okay for an aunty party where everyone would ask and be okay with a hundred questions anyway.
A lovely colonial building in the heart of Colombo, serving up good Dutch Burgher fare.
VOC at the Dutch Burgher Union is one of the best places in the city for a delicious packet of lamprais, and we've heard their burgers are good too.
We love the DBU. A beautiful clubhouse, an excellent bar and though there are consistency issues on its day their lamprais is the best in the city. So when we heard that our favorite ethnicity based drinking/sporting union had opened a restaurant open to all (ie non members) on its premises we were excited.
සිංහල ඉතින් මම අද ඔයාලට කියන්න යන්නෙ ඕලන්ද රාජ්‍ය කාලෙන් පස්සෙ ඒ කියන්නෙ 1906 දි විතර ඕලන්ද ජාතික (බර්ගර්) එකමුතුවෙ කට්ටිය හදපු ගොඩනැගිල්ලක තියෙන ඕලන්ද කෑම වර්ග ගොඩක් රස බලන්න පුළුවන් ලාංකික අවන්හලක් ගැන.
සිංහල ලන්දේසි බර්ගර් සමාජය අපි කැමති තැනක්. එය ලස්සන සමාජශාලාවක් තිබෙනවා. හැමදාම එකවගේ නොවුණත්, ඔවුන්ගේ ලෑම්ප්රයිස් තමයි නගරයේ හොඳම ඒවා. ඉතින් මේ ජනවාර්ගික සමාජශාලාවේ සාමාජිකයන්ට පමණක් නොවෙයි කාටත් විවෘත අවන්හලක් ආරම්භ කර ඇතිබව ඇසූවිට අපි ගොඩක් සතුටුවුණා.
Address
Directions
The DBU is right at the Thunmulla junction, a little ways from the DBU's big black gate.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyOpen 11 AM to 11 PM everyday
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Lamprais Rice And Curry Burgers Hoppers
Ratings Breakdown
Mango Mango
One of the best place to eat delicious authentic Sri Lankan…
Silver Ray
Great place to have a delicious Sri Lankan buffet…
1/5
Went therefor lunch today and found the service to be terrible. The waiter took 20 minutes to get to us, the drinks took another 20 minutes, by which time the lamprais had run out and so had the beef curry lunch meal. The food took forever to get to us and they never even bothered to get us cutlery. Really awful service and mediocre food. Such a waste of my time.
1/5
Went therefor lunch today and found the service to be terrible. The waiter took 20 minutes to get to us, the drinks took another 20 minutes, by which time the lamprais had run out and so had the beef curry lunch meal. The food took forever to get to us and they never even bothered to get us cutlery. Really awful service and mediocre food. Such a waste of my time.
4/5
Yummy old favourites
This is probably the only place now in Colombo to get old favourites. Some of the very special unique items are: Homemade Ginger Beer, Mixed meat Lumprais, Ghee rice with Chicken, pork or Beef curry, Beef Smore sandwiches made with old fashioned bread and of course the good old Bacon & Egg pastries with real bacon. All of these are now very hard to get anywhere else in Colombo; particularly the pork delicacies, as there is a underground cold war by religious extremists to get pork removed from Sri Lankan menus.
The Café is airconditioned but it has very few seats. So, unless you go early you have to either sit in the garden or on the verandah of the old building. Both can get very hot during the day. The café doesn’t have alcohol but the main building, which is the Club house, serves alcohol.
The Beef Smore sandwich is to die for. For 400 bucks you get 2 plump sandwiches, with a liberal layer of slow cooked and shredded, high quality beef. The bread is the good old-fashioned type and its spread with just the right amount of mustard and butter. Their Bacon and Egg pastry with real bacon is another hit. The pastry is nice and flaky and crispy. In most other places the pastry is either hard, thick or soggy. Although a tad too salty for me, their Bacon and Egg pastry at Rs 200 is a winner. It is large and generously filled with real pork bacon and a half of a boiled egg. They also have Chicken pies, rolls and vegetable Chinese Rolls (Rs 130). But all these sell out very fast and unless you pick them up in the morning, you may not get any.
Another specialty here is the Lumprais. Other than from places that take private orders this is the only place in Colombo where you can now get a mixed meat lumprais which is the original lumprais. Of course they also have the “chicken only” aberration that’s sold everywhere. VOC cafes lumprais however doesn’t go well with me. At Rs 595/- its far more expensive than at most places, is much smaller and not as tasty as the Lumprais at the Green Cabin or the Fab. Except for a roasted cumin flavour there is no other flavour in the rice and the curries aren’t merged with the rice as happens when the entire Banana leaf packet is cooked and baked in an oven. Both the brinjal fry and the Seeni sambal are over fried and far too sweet and there is no other taste or flavour in them except the sweetness. The Blachan was authentic and lovely. Instead of meat Frikkadels they had two small crumbed and fried vegetable balls (called cutlets in Sri Lanka)
A set menu rice and curry lunch is under Rs 600/- but the portion is rather measly. They have a lovely breakfast: choice of meat curry, dhal curry and coconut sambal with pol roti or old fashioned bread. That’s a real yummy breakfast.
They also sell Love cake , by the slab or per piece, Jaggery cake, ginger and date pudding, Christmas cake and some other sweets.
Unlike many other places that add 30% onto the menu prices as tax and Service charge, the VOC café only adds 10% as taxes, and they don’t levy a Service charge from the customers. There is shady parking under trees if you go early.
2/5
DBU's service has YET AGAIN thwarted me. I keep trying to go here in the mornings for a yum breakfast pastry, but they never have anything ready on time, nor do they open on time. This has happened thrice now. It just seems like they don't care, and honestly, their quality has dropped so much I don't care either.
4/5
Update: I had a non-awful service experience here today. Just stopped in for a ghee rice and managed to get out within half an hour, and the rice was good. Lady cut in front of me but that's not the management's fault.
I generally like the lamprais here. Number is wrong though, should be (011) 258 4511
had lunch there yesterday, really good value. Burgers were a little small, but then for the price……
Also warm welcome back to Carino Ice Cream…… the Salted Caramel is super
After hearing so much about the DBU lamprais, decided to have one today and I must confess I was a little disappointed. Size was too small and flavours were… how do I say… bit all over the place.
The place is beautiful and i imagine back in its day the garden must have been bigger and the two back gates must have been useful…
its a pity that on a normal day the front doesnt seem to be used much.
the the cafe on the inside seems a little too closed off so on a hot day… it gets boiling inside… apart from that… i wish they stuck to the dutch heritage.
I also wish they'd answer their bloody phone so one can actually order something to takeaway.
worst lamprai and yellow rice i ever had my life.do not go fo it,its not worth.in lamprai so much chicken skin in it.why do you pay for skin?
Had it today. Yellow rice. The fried egg has been reduced to half an egg. There was only one cutlet as opposed the two that's in the picture. They have done away with using the wrapping. Instead, it's just served directly to the take away container. It's tasty, but a tad more quantity from each curry would have been welcome. Especially with a price tag that it comes with. Room for improvement.
Tried to call several times to place an order. They had picked up, hung up and took the phone off the hook so now it gives a busy tone… HOW ANNOYING! The staff need to be trained on this!
The staff is crap. Its like we're doing them favour. And shush about the portion size. Its such a rich meal you wouldn't be able keep a bigger portion down. Thank God there is one place in SL still serving it up like it should be. Get the mixed meat and take-away to avoid cashiers with a 'tude.
Agreed. A lamprai is a small dish packed full of richness. It is NOT a "buth curry". The DBU version is #2 in my list. #1 is one made to order by a lady in Borella, with the other popular commercial offerings coming in a very distant #3.
Even though I'm a Burgher I find the name of this place disturbing considering its deep roots in slavery and evident abuses of human rights for decades. Enough of the history lesson, I find the portions too small in the lamprais and I know for a fact that when our mums used to make it they were far more generous in proportions.
Oh lordy lord. The Dutch left in 1796. The human rights abuses have been very prevalent after we got independence from the Brits.
Whatever you do don't go for the hopper night. No black pork which makes this outing pointless. Service is absolutely terrible as well. The girl behind the counter is morose and the guy is completely clueless. The burgers were shocking, tiny and no fries included. This place is good if you go with a member but the cafe that runs as a private enterprise is pathetic.
I visited the other day - the ice coffee is terrible. I wanted to throw up after drinking it. The yellow rice is good but a little too pricey but the lamprais is NOT at all in keeping with what one would expect from DBU.
Would triple underline what Anushka says. Lamprais (chicken and mixed meat) from DBU is the antithesis of everything Burgher and is a poor reflection on the institution. The real Burghers I know are generous, love good food, take pride in their cultural heritage (of which food is a big part) and appreciate good value for money. The DBU VOC Cafe lamprais represents none of these estimable qualities.Its an expensive rip-off. Signed "Disappointed"
Having lunch. First they got the order wrong - beef sandwich instead of ham. Alao ordered a pork sanga and lamprais. The lamprais was a dissapointment. And the pork came with bbq sauce when i ordered mustard. Either way not worth the money… seems that like the VOC, the time has come for this cafe to move on or be handed over to someone else!!
they actually have a lot more than rice and burgers. didn't you notice the pork chops, etc?
whatever anyone else says, for me, this is the best lampreis you can buy in Colombo. the size is just right. for those of you who think it's too small -- stop eating so much, fatty.
but the service is rubbish, i agree. that place could be so much better if it was run efficiently.
The Lamprais are no good and not worth the money. The cutlet tastes like soya and not chicken. Terrible!
I visited them again today with a friend who insisted on going there. The young man at the counter was so rude. Their lamprais have actually gotten smaller. It is the size of your palm and at 445 Rs it is shocking! I asked the young man about a hot coffee. He said NO. When I asked why? He said after 4 pm. Then I pointed to a board offering espresso etc, - he said the machine is broken. Why do people bother to open such places if they cannot maintain standards. There was another gent who repeatedly reminded them to take his order. They just could not be bothered.
I visited them again today with a friend who insisted on going there. The young man at the counter was so rude. Their lamprais have actually gotten smaller. It is the size of your palm and at 445 Rs it is shocking! I asked the young man about a hot coffee. He said NO. When I asked why? He said after 4 pm. Then I pointed to a board offering espresso etc, - he said the machine is broken. Why do people bother to open such places if they cannot maintain standards. There was another gent who repeatedly reminded them to take his order. They just could not be bothered.
The novelty of the place is kinda wearing off now. The fact that we Sri Lankans are not necessarily big eaters compared to the rest of the world, we should know that when someone says it was too small, it is too small.
Have been to VOC a couple of times and have had very good service and there are some other dishes than lamprais, when available are quite interesting. The last time I went their for dinner they even managed to get me a beer for the DBU! Both the lamprais and the yellow rice are good staple dishes the VOC cafe does well
Saying that the staff is crap, is a compliment!
Cant imagine why they cant improve.
lamprais & the yellow rice is very disappointing.
I ordered a yellow rice with pork. The menu is 450Rs. When I received my bill it was more than 700Rs, 50% increased together with the +++. The staffed said, the menu was old and the owner will be printing new menu soon. This seem not right to me at all just because I look like a tourist?
Very often what is practice on the surface give hint on what is inside the kitchen. If I can't trust what is written on the menu, how can I trust what I will be eating. Very disappointing visit. I hope the committee who is managing the VOC will look into it.
Took half an hour to get a few burgers here. We were the only people in there yet they somehow forgot about us
Really love their black pork curry with yellow rice lunch. The pork curry is superb and the portion is honestly too huge even for a very hungry person. The service is admittedly slow, but its great if you just want to sit down for a quiet lunch and chat for a few hours without a constantly hovering waiter.
Also, if you happen to be there with a member get a margarita from their bar. It's the best in town that I've come across!
Dutch occupation? Being Dutch isn't an occupation. It is a way of life
Just for your information…
Dutch occupation also means that the Dutch conquered and ruled Ceylon.
e.g. https://www.google.lk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=occupation%20meaning
Dutch Occupation ended in 1796. Why is that a topic for the DBU Cafe? Are the staff that old? Perhaps they are all Methuselahs.
Someone on here said the staff seem like they are doing you a favour. I think this is correct. There was a lady behind the counter who was like a school teacher and told people not to meddle with the bags (checking name tags) until they have paid for their order . Why then do the staff leave it out on the counter? And not leave it at a table or counter at the back. ?
The lady also told a customer that she didn't get his name over the phone so she didn't make his order, said in quite an annoyed type of way, like accusing, not apologetic. !!
Some soft skills needed in service perhaps??
some one from Ambilipitiya
there is a guy , whose name Priyantha , he is always helping and giving advice to choose what's better , quick service , always smiling , make you happy , good food yellow rice and black pork curry , hoppers , home made ginger beer is best , i went several times , it was a happiest time and enjoy my food with friends
Dutch burger union lamprise was horrible.portion was too small and even it does not have the egg.it was really really horrible and shame on this placw
1/5
Soni2012
Went therefor lunch today and found the service to be terrible. The waiter took 20 minutes to get to us, the drinks took another 20 minutes, by which time the lamprais had run out and so had the beef curry lunch meal. The food took forever to get to us and they never even bothered to get us cutlery. Really awful service and mediocre food. Such a waste of my time.
1/5
Soni2012
Went therefor lunch today and found the service to be terrible. The waiter took 20 minutes to get to us, the drinks took another 20 minutes, by which time the lamprais had run out and so had the beef curry lunch meal. The food took forever to get to us and they never even bothered to get us cutlery. Really awful service and mediocre food. Such a waste of my time.
4/5
GayanP
Yummy old favourites
This is probably the only place now in Colombo to get old favourites. Some of the very special unique items are: Homemade Ginger Beer, Mixed meat Lumprais, Ghee rice with Chicken, pork or Beef curry, Beef Smore sandwiches made with old fashioned bread and of course the good old Bacon & Egg pastries with real bacon. All of these are now very hard to get anywhere else in Colombo; particularly the pork delicacies, as there is a underground cold war by religious extremists to get pork removed from Sri Lankan menus.
The Café is airconditioned but it has very few seats. So, unless you go early you have to either sit in the garden or on the verandah of the old building. Both can get very hot during the day. The café doesn’t have alcohol but the main building, which is the Club house, serves alcohol.
The Beef Smore sandwich is to die for. For 400 bucks you get 2 plump sandwiches, with a liberal layer of slow cooked and shredded, high quality beef. The bread is the good old-fashioned type and its spread with just the right amount of mustard and butter. Their Bacon and Egg pastry with real bacon is another hit. The pastry is nice and flaky and crispy. In most other places the pastry is either hard, thick or soggy. Although a tad too salty for me, their Bacon and Egg pastry at Rs 200 is a winner. It is large and generously filled with real pork bacon and a half of a boiled egg. They also have Chicken pies, rolls and vegetable Chinese Rolls (Rs 130). But all these sell out very fast and unless you pick them up in the morning, you may not get any.
Another specialty here is the Lumprais. Other than from places that take private orders this is the only place in Colombo where you can now get a mixed meat lumprais which is the original lumprais. Of course they also have the “chicken only” aberration that’s sold everywhere. VOC cafes lumprais however doesn’t go well with me. At Rs 595/- its far more expensive than at most places, is much smaller and not as tasty as the Lumprais at the Green Cabin or the Fab. Except for a roasted cumin flavour there is no other flavour in the rice and the curries aren’t merged with the rice as happens when the entire Banana leaf packet is cooked and baked in an oven. Both the brinjal fry and the Seeni sambal are over fried and far too sweet and there is no other taste or flavour in them except the sweetness. The Blachan was authentic and lovely. Instead of meat Frikkadels they had two small crumbed and fried vegetable balls (called cutlets in Sri Lanka)
A set menu rice and curry lunch is under Rs 600/- but the portion is rather measly. They have a lovely breakfast: choice of meat curry, dhal curry and coconut sambal with pol roti or old fashioned bread. That’s a real yummy breakfast.
They also sell Love cake , by the slab or per piece, Jaggery cake, ginger and date pudding, Christmas cake and some other sweets.
Unlike many other places that add 30% onto the menu prices as tax and Service charge, the VOC café only adds 10% as taxes, and they don’t levy a Service charge from the customers. There is shady parking under trees if you go early.