Open Time:
Wednesday – Sunday, 5 pm to 11 pmAddress
One Galle Face Mall, 1A, Centre Road, Colombo 02
directions
Located on Level 06, next to PVR Cinemas
Contact No
Delivery
Yes
Menu
What we had
Must-have Dishes
“Straight outta amma’s kitchen!”
Having gained popularity during the pandemic as a cloud kitchen that possibly offered the best lamprais in Colombo, Amma Nissa has now officially opened its doors to a physical restaurant at the One Galle Face Mall. With much of the inspiration for all the food coming from the owner’s mother, you could say “Amma Nissa” is the perfect name to pay homage to the woman behind it all.
CURRIES
Tamarind and Chilli Seer Fish Red Curry — LKR 2,900 (5/5)
A fresh take on the authentic Sri Lankan fish curry, this tamarind and chilli seer fish red curry was spicy, tangy, sour, full of flavour, and deffo one to try. Pairing perfectly with their hand-tossed parathas, it took a lot of courage on my part to not lick the curry right off of the plate. The seer fish itself was incredibly fresh and tender, and even had a slight hint of sweetness to it that we just couldn’t have enough of, and, definitely, well worth the price.
Chilli Garlic Black Tiger Prawn — LKR 1,200 (Per Piece) (5/5)
Now, burning LKR 1,200 for one prawn might sound a little bizarre but trust me when I tell you, this chilli garlic black tiger prawn was wonderful in every way. Covered in a sweet and spicy ginger-garlic soy sauce, this giant prawn was tender, sweet and oozing with flavour. As unexpected as it might sound, this too paired pretty well with the buttery hand-tossed parathas and egg rotis.
Amma’s Mutton Curry — LKR 2,900 (5/5)
Of all the curries I tried, this mutton curry was the king of my heart, body and soul — at least that’s how Taylor Swift would describe it. The meat was incredibly soft, fall-off-the-bone tender, and cooked to literal perfection. The curry itself had a bit of a mustardy, umami flavour that we all loved, so no complaints there. Whether it’s with a hand-tossed paratha, fresh roast paan, or even a crispy hopper, Amma’s Mutton Curry is the best pairing for it all!
HOPPER COLLECTION
Plain Hopper — LKR 125 (3.5/5)
A quintessential Sri Lankan classic, this hopper didn’t disappoint. That being said, it didn’t wow us either. It just felt as if there was something quite missing that we couldn’t place our finger on. I’m no pro-cook but perhaps, if the rice flour batter had a little more time to ferment, all those hopper-esque flavours could’ve shone more. But still overall… it was a pretty good hopper — crispy crust and the softest centre.
Egg Hopper — LKR 200 (4/5)
Another Sri Lankan must-try, this ‘biththara appe’ was near perfect, but again we felt, fell short on flavour. Nevertheless, it did the one thing it was supposed to — to be as comforting as can possibly be!
Kiri (Milk) Hopper — LKR 150 (5/5)
This ‘kiri appe’ was a first for me, and I’ve gotta say… I loved it! Having initially thought of it to be a savoury dish from Amma Nissa’s Hopper Collection, this turned out to be sweet but not too sweet and was a surprise in the best way. We suggest trying this out in place of a light dessert — cos let’s be honest… after a good meal here, a light dessert is all you would have space for.
ROTIS
Hand-Tossed Paratha — LKR 200 (5/5)
I’m a sucker for parathas, and more so for the warm, golden, flaky, buttery ones. Hand-tossed in an open kitchen right in front of you, these parathas make a great base for any of the curries you want to try here at Amma Nissa. All in all, only praise for these parathas!
Egg Roti — LKR 300 (5/5)
Another Sri Lankan favourite, these Egg Rotis, or ‘biththra roti’ didn’t come second to the parathas. These were just as buttery and only that much better with the eggs slathered in between. Another perfect pairing for any curry or even to try it as is, these rotis get our vote!
SAMBOL COLLECTION
Lunu Miris — LKR 250 (3/5)
I gotta say, I’m not sure what I was expecting when I was trying the lunu miris, and while this wasn’t bad, I would say we felt like the lime had overpowered the actual sambol itself. The rest of the flavours didn’t really come through as we would’ve personally liked. That being said, this Lunu Miris might still be perfect for you to use as a condiment to your Hoppers if you’re someone who likes your Lunu Miris mild and zesty!
Seeni Sambol — LKR 350 (4/5)
When it comes to seeni sambol, well… I’m its biggest critic. And this one in particular came close to a full score. A minor suggestion would be to let the onions caramelise a bit more to balance the sweetness and the spice to perfection. But all in all, this tuned pretty well with the hoppers, so am I really complaining? (No, not really.)
AMBIENCE
Complete with murals of astronauts drinking tea, neon signage with the words “තේ බොමු” (let’s drink tea), seats cushioned with colours of our national flag, and of course… music that makes you feel like you’re in a Colombo-Matara private bus, Amma Nissa is the perfect amalgamation of quintessentially-Sri-Lankan meets boujee-petti-kade. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful.
We do suggest going in before rush hours so that you can grab a seat early because they do pack up pretty fast!
