Mar 20 2025.
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Tucked inside the historic Dutch Hospital, Ceylon Curry Club has become one of Colombo’s go-to restaurants for Sri Lankan cuisine with a refined, contemporary twist. A member of the Citrus Group, the restaurant first opened its doors back in 2021 and is known for their ability to bring local flavours and traditional cooking styles to the table with a modern take. More recently, the restaurant made headlines for being invited (for the second time, no less) to cook for India’s biggest pre-wedding celebrations of the Ambani’s where Ceylon Curry Club creations were featured at the main sangeet ceremony dinner.
Today, Ceylon Curry Club is one of the few fine-dining Sri Lankan restaurants in Colombo to take visitors when you want to impress them with the depth and variety of local flavours. It’s Sri Lankan food, curated with a palate for elevating local ingredients and traditional recipes, delivered with just the right amount of tableside flair.
Step inside the restaurant, and the colonial charm is in full swing with polished timber, mood lighting and traditional local handcrafts to make up the décor. “Ayubowan!” we are warmly greeted and welcomed with a soothing complementary cinnamon and honey tea while we browse through the menu. There’s indoor and outdoor dining and whether it’s lunch or dinner, the restaurant is alive with a mix of locals and tourists - some settling in for a long, indulgent meal while others stop by for a quick grab before rushing off. Service is fast, we noticed, as we settled in for an indulgent lunch ourselves.
The drinks menu offers guests a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, but their Ceylonese blends are what you want to look out for – their range of signature Ceylon Curry Club drinks that puts the spotlight on local ingredients.
The Karapincha is a lovely cocktail that’s mild but packs a punch, with crushed curry leaves that gives the drink a distinctive, herbaceous aroma that somehow works in the best way possible. It’s a crowd favourite we are told, much like its other signature drinks such as The Silk Route with cinnamon, honey and a whisper of rosemary and the Dola Duka with a tangy, bold mix of tamarind and arrack.
For those who like their cocktails old-school, the Arrack Mojito [4192] is a classic where the smoky warmth of the Sri Lankan speciality blend is muddled with the infusion of zesty lime juice and fresh mint.
The menu offers diners a variety of appetizers from soups to snacks such as vade and manioc cutlets, individual mains with the meat and seafood in the limelight or sharing dishes with your choice of curries and carbs as well as dessert.
Spice Roasted Pumpkin Soup – Roasted pumpkin puree with a hint of curry spices gives the soup a deep, smoky caramelized sweetness while the toasted pumpkin seeds on top added a new textural component to the dish. It’s comfort in a bowl, made with simple ingredients but elevated with all the right elements.
Dandila & Bulath Soup – A dish unique to the Ceylon Curry Club, experimenting with two very distinctive ingredients – pureed betel leaves and purple yam served with bacon bits. We loved the presentation as it’s a visually striking dish with the dark green of the betel and violet hues of the purple yam blending together. Taste wise – we would say this one is the diner’s choice - the betel’s slightly bitter undertones is something you either love at first sip or don’t, but it’s definitely an experimental appetizer worth trying.
Kochchi Chicken Skewers – this sharing dish is one of Ceylon Curry Club’s signature dishes, partly because it’s full of flavour and partly because the presentation is fantastic. The chicken skewers are hung in a wooden hanging stand with soft godamba roti, a side of Sri Lankan pickle and two dips – garlic mayo and muhammara (a hot peanut and red pepper dip). To get the perfect bite, just tear off a piece of godamba roti, slide in a few pieces of juicy grilled chicken, slather on the dips and pickle to create your own mini wrap.
Mutton Kottu – It’s not a Sri Lankan affair if Kottu isn’t on the table. This is Sri Lankan street food at its finest and Ceylon Curry Club does a good mutton kottu with tender mutton pieces tossed with flaky godamba roti strips, vegetables and eggs. It’s not a spicy dish so if you want a bit of the Lankan heat, ask for a side of gravy to personalize your kottu to get the ‘local’ version.
For a touch of theatre, their Hopper Cart is the one you bring to impress. The Hopper Cart brings the action to the table, offering a variety of hoppers (prawn, chicken, egg, milk or plain) made to order before your very eyes and served with dhal curry, lunumiris and seeni sambol. Other signature dishes include their Negombo Lagoon Crab served with fresh coconut sambol, roast paan or garlic rice.
On weekdays, the restaurant is favoured by the corporate crowd. They offer a special lunch menu “Curry in a Hurry!” featuring a choice of prawn, chicken or pork served with rice, dhal, brinjal moju and vade along with a mocktail and dessert of the day for a well-rounded, no fuss, on-the-go lunch meal.
Baked Buffalo Curd – a purely indulgent dessert that’s dense and creamy. Curd brought in from Tissamaharama is combined with condensed milk and cream before being baked and served with a smoky kithul treacle - it’s impossible to stop at just one spoonful.
Coconut Crème Brûlée - a local take on the French classic. The custard is infused with coconut cream, lending it a silky richness while the burnt sugar crust is absolutely crackling. Decadent and rich, we simply couldn’t choose which dessert was better – order both, perhaps?
The staff here are warm and welcoming and service was flawless. Our indulgent lunch was indulgent because the staff went out of their way to make it so. They are well versed on the menu, the history of the dishes and the ingredients and their recommendations are spot on.
Ceylon Curry Club pays homage to Sri Lanka’s culinary heritage with style and flair. The food is flavourful, beautifully presented, and rooted in traditional recipes while still adding a fresh, modern take to it. If you want to impress a visitor on all that glory of Sri Lankan cuisine or you are simply craving a good Sri Lankan lunch or dinner, book a table here at Ceylon Curry Club.
Location – Dutch Hospital
Hours – Lunch – 11 – 3pm | Dinner – 6 – 10.30 pm
Reservations – Advised 077 339 3391
Website - ceyloncurryclub.com
Pictures by Waruna Wannirachchi
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