Located at: 114 Reid Avenue, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka

Visited on: 24 Sep, 2017

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I might have a bit of a soft spot for VOC Café’s Chicken Lumprais (LKR 545). Leave aside the fact that the staff can sometimes be a bit unreliable and lost with orders. There’s something about this lumprais that feels nice. I’m not sure if it’s my mind toying with the fact that there is some sort of direct Dutch influence at DBU, or whether it’s simply because I enjoy the simplicity of the presentation and taste of it. I’ve read a few reviews in the past that suggest a decline in the standards of VOC’s lumprais. So far for me – at least since I first tried it over a year ago – the taste and quality have been quite consistent. It would be a good idea to increase the quantity of packets they make though (as long as they don’t compromise on quality) since it’s impossible to get some unless you reserve in advance!

There’s no egg in VOC’s packet (sniff, sulk), but they do put in a decent serving of belacan which has a nice moist but crumbly texture and tastes good. And does well to the taste of the meal when mixed in too. In addition, there’s the fried brinjal and their seeni sambol – which is usually done quite tastily. The fish cutlets come as a small-sized duo. I would actually rather have one big cutlet than two small ones as this would give more filling and less crust to mix into the meal. And because I see no reason why they would go through the trouble of making double the otherwise necessary quantity of cutlets. They couldn’t be easy to shape and handle either, being so tiny. There really is no added benefit to either taste or visual aspect in having two tiny cutlets. The chicken comes in small pieces and is usually seasoned well. Of course, I’d prefer if they didn’t include the skin when serving, but I guess some patrons don’t mind it. The rice is not too oily and, surprisingly, doesn’t feel too heavy post-consumption. In terms of flavour, though, I’d say BreadTalk’s rice gives off more aroma and an after-taste of star anise, which I quite like. So that’s probably something that could be incorporated into VOC’s rice. And that’s all there is to it. Simple but satisfying. Not too heavy but rather pleasant on the palate.

And while you’re waiting for your order, it’s not a bad idea to sip on an Iced Coffee (LKR 150), or may be to get one on-the-go. It’s just the right balance of bitter and sweet, and serves as a good refreshment at that time of the afternoon.

Yummy Rating: 4.0 / 5.0