453 Galle Road, Kollupitiya, Colombo 3
Open until 11:00 PM
Providing the city with crispy white hoppers and tongue burning katta sambol for well over 60 years, Green Cabin is one of Colombo's older, more venerable eating establishments.
Green Cabin is one of those restaurants that has been around for the longest time. I decided to hop in one Sunday afternoon for their “Sunday Special”, as they are known for their rice & curry buffet.
The Sunday Special offers two types of rice (red rice and white rice, duh!), four vegetable curries, two sambols (gotukola and pol), chutney, dried fish thel dala and good old papadam. If you cannot let a meal go by without meat, you can choose from their curries (fish, chicken and pork), but for an additional charge.
The vegetable curries that were on the buffet were some rice and curry classics – yellow curried lentils (basically, dhal), tempered beans, breadfruit kirata, more often known as dhel and stuffed pathola. The pathola was one I was rather skeptical about because I am not all about the fancy veggies.
Fun fact: Pathola in English is snakegourd (not luffa). Now you can sound very posh. You’re welcome.
With true Lankan spirit, I piled my plate up with every single thing on the buffet and ordered a chicken curry because rice and curry without chicken is like a chocolate biscuit pudding without cashew nuts.
The curries were cooked with the competence that has helped Green Cabin stay up and running for the past few decades. The dhal was neither too runny, nor was it too thick.
The breadfruit kirata (dhel) did live up to its name as the creaminess of the coconut milk was very apparent, cutting through the tangy taste of the stuffed pathola, which I must admit was something I’d try again. Kudos to Green Cabin for not overcooking the tempered beans, and which retained their crunch.
Preparing pol sambol and gotukola sambol, let’s face it, is not a Byzantine task. So, obviously, nothing could go wrong in that avenue. However, what was slightly disappointing was that the papadum wasn’t very crispy. All you papadum lovers out there know it’s a mighty problem when your papadum does not let out that oomph-y crunch. #FoodWorldProblems
The chicken curry was satisfactory, and did blend in well with the dried fish which added some salty zing.
The Sunday Special was indeed very special with kiri pani as the dessert of the day.
Despite being a favorite among many, kiri pani does not really appeal to me, but I did take a few bites of it. It was good, so good that I took a few more bites. It was the treacle – it was sweet enough to down a little bit of the sourness from the curd. Since Sunday is the day for extra pounds on your body, I opted for a piece of caramel pudding too.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is one you must have even if diabetes stops you.
It was creamy and rich with the perfect shade of brown on top. Definitely worth every single cent of my 175 rupees!
Given that this was a buffet, the need for waiters was partially eliminated. We were entertained by an employee in the kitchen who was probably practicing for Sirasa Super Star.
If you’re the type that doesn't enjoy loud, unexpected singing, this might come off as unprofessional. To me, it was just hilarious. The rest of the staff laughed along which made the whole experience very warm.
I wasn’t made to wait too long for my dessert. So, +1 for that.
The rice and curry is not very budget-friendly, especially if you’re used to having a buth packet for Rs. 200. The veggie version is priced at Rs. 580 and chicken would cost you an additional Rs. 210.
Overall, Green Cabin serves decent rice and curry complete with a sweet course and ample seating. While it’s slightly high on the price spectrum for basic rice and curry, if you are in the mood for some good Lankan on a Sunday afternoon, you might want to check it out.
One of Colombo's oldest and most nostalgic dining spots.
Providing the city with crispy white hoppers and tongue burning katta sambol for well over 60 years, Green Cabin is one of Colombo's older, more venerable eating establishments.
Providing the city with crispy white hoppers and tongue burning katta sambol for well over 60 years, Green Cabin is one of Colombo's older, more venerable eating establishments.
සිංහල දිව දවන කට්ට සම්බල් සමග රසට හැපෙන ආප්ප පිරිනමන ග්රීන් කැබින් හැට වසකට අධික කාලයක් තිස්සේ කොළඹ තිබෙන සම්භාවනීය බොජුන්හලක්. එය ගෙදර හැදූ ආකාරයේ ලාංකික ආහාරවලට විශේෂිත තැනක්. ආච්චිගේ චිකන් කරිය වැනි දීසි එහි තිබෙනවා. ඔබේ කුස්සියට පිටතින් දේශීය භෝජන සංග්රහයක් වෙනුවෙන් විදේශිකයකු එක්කගෙන යාමට කොළඹ හොඳම තැන ග්රීන් කැබින්.
Address
453 Galle Road, Kollupitiya, Colombo 3
Directions
Go down Galle Road past Bamba Junc. It's opposite Swarnamahal.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyOpen until 11:00 PM
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
A popular rice and curry buffet spot in Ratnapura, that does…
The warm reception we received on arriving at Earl's was…
Totally agree with the fact about tiny portion sizes…:-( Its definitely not meant for sharing thus makes an expensive meal when one needs to order individual dishes for a group of 3…
Love their milk hoppers and mutton curry. Also the devilled dishes. But portion quantity leaves you wanting.
Trying a cashew nut curry from a restaurant/hotel/diner (from a shop) is not very tasty (and if you eat too mush you could loose your appetite). Because the true cashew curry requires young cashews (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Young_cashew_nuts.jpg) which you can't buy (at least in large quantities in shops. May be you can in small quantities in "pola" in villages). The dry nut (which you find in shops) is is better as snack roasted.
I am in the 3rd picture ;-). Ditto to thishds on the milk hopper and mutton curry combo. The pittu is also nice. The kurakkan pittu is lovely. The only problem is that this place gets packed on weekends dinner time and the service is on the low side and can be an expensive meal.
Having such a hard time reading this review on my mobile… page keep jumping around because of the images that keep rotating at the top…
You were getting the old mobile site. It should be OK now. Let us know if there's anymore problems.
I remember their lunch buffet being pretty good (with Gotukola sambol, fried Sprats, etc)? Also, there Lamprais used to be good in the 80s and maybe in the 90s - wonder if it's still good. They also had the best vegetable pie I've ever had - and one day in the mid 90s, the baker was gone and so was the best vege pie :(
Yes, Hoppers are great with katta sambol. But prices are some what high for individual curry portions. Their Lunch time Buffet is great. Though it is veg, and has to order Fish / Chicken separately , you really don't need it. So much variety of Veg makes your plate & Tummy full
Bought a beef pie today and it had a chicken bone.
called the GM and he didnt know how to respond and asked me what id like to do.
in terms of hygiene these guys are bad, the health department should inspect them and carry out a raid as they have no quality control on their products.
If this happened in a foreign country theyd be facing law suits!
however after the conversation with the GM Mr Grath, he said he will give me a chicken pie.
WILL NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE.
HOWEVER, try the lamprais
Customer service is hopeless in this place. Staff manners are terrible and very unfriendly. They should replace the the people of train them for a major attitude change.
This comment is not about food. But just like people boycott certain products and services due to unethical handling of certain parts of businesses.
SayNotoGreenCabin
I saw this on FB today.
https://www.facebook.com/nuwanthi.kahandaliyanage/posts/10156087006375010?fref=nf
It was my brother Kesara who was victimized by sexual predators at his work place. He was repeatedly raped, beaten and threatened over a period of time and he is now continuing to be victimized.
This is a request to come and stand up for Kesara and for justice on 17th September at 9:00am at The Gangodawila Magistrates Court, Nugegoda.
Most of you have probably heard the story of a boy with Autism we called "Ajith" who was raped and abused, physically and mentally when working at leading pastry shop in Colombo.
This is the story of my brother Kesara who worked at Green Cabin.
We were unable to give out these specific details until now but with the next court case coming up this week I felt I needed to speak up and ensure that everyone knows who this crime was committed against and where it took place.
All my friends and acquaintances know who Kesara is. His is a story of inspiration and heroism. Born on the Autism Spectrum he went on to becoming the poster child for Autism as he achieved heights no other Autistic person in Sri Lanka had achieved.
He has now been brought low by evil sexual deviants who victimized him at the place we thought was a safe environment for him.
He had been working at Green Cabin for three years when on June 12th 2015 he finally broke his silence and told us about how he had been repeatedly raped and abused by 4 fellow employees while at work.
Kesara doesn't understand the concept of time and when asked for how long it had been happening all he said was 'for a long time'. He was clear about the fact that it happened on Saturdays and he gave us very detailed descriptions of what they had done to him.
These four men were arrested and produced at the Gangodawila Magistrates court and after 3 weeks they were all given bail. They are now walking our streets free, they are living their lives while Kesara is trying very hard to gather together the shambles of his life and is finding it impossible to do so.
He, the victim, is continuing to be victimized as these monsters are roaming about and he is unable to even travel by himself out of fear. Travelling alone was something he took a lot of pride in as developing that level of independence in a child with special needs was no easy task.
He is now without a job and unable to understand why it was his life that changed and his life that has been compromised after having gone through so much while the people who did it to him are relatively unaffected.
He doesn't understand why he, who did nothing wrong is not being helped by the system and society he worked so hard to fit into.
Becoming a productive, independent citizen while having special needs is not something many can boast about but Kesara did it. And this is what happened to him.
Please come and stand up with him and fight for justice on Thursday, 17th September 2015 at 9:00am at the Gangodawila Magistrate's Court in Nugegoda.
Roach legs aside the case of the autistic boy being raped by his co-workers at Green Cabin is appalling and the company would have drawn its last breath on this.
I would never ever go and eat at this establishment let alone if someone else ordered it.
I hope people to respect people and especially this autistic boy Kesara will not go to Green Cabin any more and vote with your money.
I went with my family to have Hoppers tonight.
Very disappointed that after they served 2 hoppers & said No more hoppers.
We have come out with half dinner.
It's only 8.45 pm & if they have no food we could have gone to different Restuarent
Went last evening @ 8.00 p.m for Hoppers, They served only 2 & half waiter said NO MORE Food tonight.
Will Not GO Again !!!!
THE FOOD WAS MEDIOCRE TO BAD.
THE WAITERS ARE A GROUP OF CARE UN-HYGIENIC, TRANSFERS FROM THEIR NOW PROFITLESS PEGODA RESTAURANT ON CHATHAM STREET. THEY DO A MININMAL OF ROUTINE DUTIES AND THEN EXPECT A TIP FROM THE CUSTOMERS.THEY ALL SEEMED MORE CONCERNED WITH GETTING THAT " TIP " FROM ME THAN GIVING ME ANY SERVICE.
DONT EXPECT ANY SERVICE THE NEXT VISIT IF YOU DONT LEAVE A TIP.
THEY ALL LOOK LIKE OLD DESPERATE HOMOSEXUAL CRIMINALS.
UN EMPLOYABLE ANY WHERE ELSE.
EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED!
I've been working around the corner from them for many months now and went there today to grab take away rice from the bakery side of the restaurant. A FREAKING RICE PACKET COSTS RS. 460! And it was the worse rice I've had so far! Very poor choice of toppings, extremely salty potatoes and a semi-def waiter who kept loading stuff onto it that I loudly and clearly said I didn't want.
My advice to all, never go to Green Cabin! Queen's Cafe is 3min away and for Rs.350 you get excellent buffet with a great choice of toppings.
Saturday, January 14th, 2017. Went with family comprising 8, after reserving a table. Arrived at 8.30 p.m. and waited and waited and waited for service……The "Manager", was just not interested except for two tables which obviously seated customers known to him. The waiters are a disinterested lot, looking out for customers who are good prospects for tips and hovering around foreigners. Finally, "service" after one hour! Curtly informed by the waiter that hoppers, for which we went, would take time……while customers who arrived much later were served with hoppers……had to settle for alternative food which took ages to be served, lacking in quality and quantity. A beef curry was camouflaged with copious quantities of curry and pandang leaves. The "Manager" is a disgrace and the waiters, a motley group of dinosaurs who have long passed their usefulness. It was sad to see to what depths Green Cabin has sunk.We will not patronise again.
1/5
Michael Lu
Rated 1/5
3/5
anu ram
Rated 3/5