A mid-day buth packet that you get yourself during lunch break has the power to either make or break the rest of your working day!

Ask anyone of the office going crowd in Colombo and they’ll tell you the undeniable importance of having a good buth packet for lunch – we really cannot stress too much on this!

You can have your pasta, salads or sandwiches for a change every now and then, but there’s nothing to contest the traditional “buth packet” when it comes to a filling lunch. On the other hand, as much as it can be a treat like no other, it could also end up being a tragic experience.

While each of us might know a place to recommend to our friends, we sure know one we warn our friends about – to never rely on that place for lunch.

Since it is to be had on a daily basis, you might be well aware that it is important that it tastes good on a consistent basis, is reasonably priced and is also healthy. If you check out our ratings you’d find out that in addition we also looked for what curries accompanied it, portion sizes and other choices in lunch packets, other than for the popular chicken bath packet we went looking for.

Overall, we must confess that the search proved to be rewarding, as almost all the places had a decent lunch packet, albeit some were better than the rest. It was an absolute pleasure to let you know our recommendations when it comes to this essential meal. 

 

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	Chicken Rice and Curry Currymuch No.57/2, Braybrooke Place, Colombo 02
Taste	* * * *
Price	Rs. 200
Value for money	High
Variety	Currymuch sells prawn (Rs.250), fish (Rs.200), egg (Rs.200) and vegetable (Rs.180) rice packets.
Overall	A delicious, healthy meal, which we felt, tasted home-cooked. The portions of rice and curries (ambarella curry, dhal, chicken and a kohila and brinjal sambol) were rather decent and a welcome change from the teaspoonful servings of curries served in usual rice packets from shops. It was served piping hot, and the dhal was creamy and tasty, while the sambol was made fresh, the ambarella curry and chicken curry perfectly spiced and peppery. Currymuch rotates the vegetable curries everyday.

 

	Chicken Rice and Curry Senkada Hotel (Union Place, Colombo 02)
Taste	* * *
Price	Rs.190
Value for money	Average
Variety	Fish and vegetable lunch packets are sold and prices differ depending on whether you choose red, white or yellow rice.
Overall	This again tasted very much like a home-cooked meal. On the day we went to Senkada Hotel, they served a plate of warm white rice, puhul curry, devilled potatoes, beetroot curry and mallung along with the chicken. All the curries were unexpectedly tasty and fresh, and even though we didn’t get a piece of papadam as expected, the entire meal was quite large and delicious. Servings of curries were decently sized as well.

 

	Chicken Rice and Curry J. Udumbara Caterers (No. 62, Agasti Arcade, Havelock Road, Colombo 05)
Taste	* * * * *
Price	Rs.170
Value for money	High
Variety	This dine-in and takeaway place serves vegetable (Rs.130), egg (Rs.160) and fish (Rs.160) lunch packets in addition to fried rice and yellow rice lunch packets which are priced at Rs.220 each.
Overall	The food served was excellent and not too spicy. Although it was served cold (we walked in at 2PM so probably a little late than regular lunchtime), each curry had a distinct flavour that made us reach for more mouthfuls even though by then we were really quite stuffed. We ate white rice, dhal, beetroot curry, chicken curry, mallung and an ash plantain curry. We’d advise you to go after 11.30AM if you want to get lunch, because we were informed that they sell out early.

 

	Chicken Fried Rice Damith Meal Centre (No.1/B1, Dutugemunu Street, Pamankada)
Taste	* * * * *
Price	Rs.160
Value for money	High
Variety	They also serve a variety of lunch packets, which range from rice and curry to fried rice.
Overall	Served with a generous portion of brinjal moju, chillie paste, slice of pineapple, potato and fish cutlet, boiled egg and chicken curry on a bed of warm rice,  we were rather pleased to note that this was definitely value for money not because of all the accompaniments but because everything was very tasty and flavourful. They serve a fair rice to curry portion ratio so you really don’t feel as though you’re being stuffed with too much rice and less curries.

 

 

Our Pick: Damith Meal Centre and J. Udumbara Caterers

 

If the restaurant has a chain of outlets, the rating here is specific to the mentioned outlet. V Try – U Buy is not a connoisseur’s report, but is designed for the common man’s benefit. 

 

 

 

By Sarah Kellapatha and Nivedha Jeyaseelan