Where I Eat (Bath Amma’s)
I work. Around lunchtime Subash is like ‘what’s the lunch plan’. I walk over to his cubicle and describe the specials of the day – fois gras, tapas, empanadas, and a light honey glazed chicken tourbillion. Then we go and get ba’th (rice), like every other day of our lives. There are varieties, and my new favorite is Bath Amma’s. We call it British Airways. Bath Amma’s is literally someone’s house. You sit at their dining table, in front of their family photos and the little kid is running around while her mother serves you rice out of ice cream containers. There’s like five plates so she has to go back and keep washing them. While she’s washing there’s no water to wash your hands. Above the sink there’s something plugged in leading out. I think that powers the house next door. Food’s not bad. Two kinds of pork yesterday.
Meal there costs 110 Rupees and you can get seconds if you want. I never do. Trying to avoid ending up in a rice coma for the rest of the day. Bath Amma is actually kinda cute and I like to think she gives me extra kos.
The video above is the entrance into British Airways. It’s literally off Galle Road, past Romafour and the bus stand (walking towards Colombo). I’ve walked by it a hundred times and never noticed. It’s literally a squatter’s alley and we have to walk single file, roll up our sleeves and wash our hands, jostle in line. As you can briefly see, we’re literally sitting in their dining room. The kid is really cute. I’m hungry and I got about 300 Rupees for the rest of the month so it works out for me. That’s Bath Amma’s, Colombo 4. British Airways if you know.
Hahahah…. brings back the old memories dude.
When I was back in SL, back in 2001 or so I was at NIBM and there was this place near it… kinda very similar to this… but they served so very tasty rice and curry. The pork curry was the best! And you can get seconds, plus unlimited fried chilli… It was great… and now I’m starting to miss those food again. Damn!
Hey, are you writting about the little wooden house opposite NIBM ? Yep, their food was tasty but the place was quite dirty.
Umm… actually it’s the little sort of a ‘Petti Kadey’ that was next to the Lion’s Club, which is near NIBM. It wasn’t that dirty, and the food was great!
TWO kinds of pork???? Wow, it’s a pity I don’t work in that area.
Interesting and quite enterprising. I wonder how she started this?
Here I’m stuck in south Bronx, envying you.
There was a place like that in Bamba, front of unity plaza, that I used to have lunch some time back. But I never came across two kind of pork! That sound like a grand meal!
There is a place near WTC in the alley where you get black market money exchange people. I think they are called Jaffna Kade. They have ba bath. They serve rice in plantain leaf with non stop suppy of curry. Well as Sam I am stuck in Melbourne, however they have a place called curry bowl just next to my office bulding serving Godamba Roti, Curry Roles and Rice.
Curry Bowl is shit mate!
I used to work in WTC as well, but that place sucks. Prices are sky high but no taste at all…
The YMCA canteen near WTC is great though…
Can you please share the location clearly. I am planning to visit SL soon so I can add to list of places to visit.
This left me drooling at some stupid postgrad school abroad =))
damn man, why couldn’t SL been armed with a bit better thinking people, so we didn’t have to trudge half the way across the world to be able to afford a life, and could have done it in our own place having all the fun?
[...] course there are many out there who lunch away from the desk. It is a social ritual. Perhaps even the social highlight of the day. A place to incrementally [...]
[...] Bath Amma’s: We call this place Bath Amma’s, literally Rice Mother’s. They have a great pork curry and Bath Akka is pretty hot. You literally eat in their dining room, surrounded by family photos and kids. It’s across from Majestic City, near Romafour, down a tiny indistinguishable lane. I think they’ve put out a board. [...]