Burgers, a dish that was initially just a patty between two buns, has now turned into a sophisticated culinary art that is loved and adored by millions all over the world. We are not completely devoid of good Burger places in Colombo, but we do lack a "go-to" destination for gourmet burgers that are suitable for all occasions. That is where "Sugar Burger" enters the equation. As with every other food review I have done, I had the tasting sessions with my ‘always hungry’ colleague, Pavi. The Sugar Bistro, located inside the 'ODEL' complex in Townhall, has to be one of the best locations for a restaurant. As it is surrounded by greenery and a steady but very gentle breeze, some would say that it is rather "ideal for post-worthy Instagram clicks". As we walked towards the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was this salient sign on top stating "Sugar Bistro" in large bold letters. Two waiters approached us with a smile on their faces and showed us around the restaurant. It looked rather simple but vintage; the lighting inside was not too bright for the eyes but felt rather charming. Pavi and I both appreciated the music that was being played and therefore made us want to have our meals indoors. But, if you are with a group of friends, I would suggest you enjoy your meals outdoors where you could enjoy the breeze and the spacious arrangement.
Before we dive into our tasting session, here is a little bit of a background on 'Sugar Burger'. If you are in your early thirties, you must have already heard about ‘Sugar Burger’ and I am quite certain that it would have made you reminisce on your old partying days at the infamous club in Colombo called the 'H2O', as it was originally a food truck in this night club and was given the name "Sugar Burgers" by the people themselves. So it is safe to say that 'Sugar Burger' could also be known as the 'Peoples Burger'. Furthermore, another very famous destination instantly comes to mind when you hear the word 'sugar' doesn't it? If you guessed Sugar Beach, good on you! Almost every Sri Lankan’s go-to destination for a couple of beers, pizza, and a sensational view is none other than the heart of Mount Lavinia - "Sugar Beach".
What makes Sugar Bistro unique is that it has extended the Sugar Beach menu by adding the infamous Sugar Burgers into it. All of that mixed with this beautiful location in town hall makes Sugar Bistro inconceivable in comparison to other burger places. Taking all of these factors into consideration, both Pavi and I had quite high expectations in terms of the quality of food.
So, we started our review off by having a cold glass of chocolate milkshake. It tasted delightful - not too sweet or too thick, but the perfect textbook chocolate milkshake and boy, did it prepare my tummy for the burgers. Whilst vibing to the music and enjoying our chocolate milkshake, we saw this work of art on a platter being brought towards our table. My colleague's face changed ethnicities as he had a smile on his face showing all his 32 teeth. 'Enjoy the meal' the waiter said, but we barely heard it as the aroma of the burger took over our senses. The dish was called 'Club Tropicana' and alongside it was a portion of some carrot fries. This was not your ordinary burger, in terms of size, presentation, and the ingredients used. I sunk my teeth into this quite massive, juicy burger – and it was a glimpse of heaven in one bite. The chicken was cooked to perfection and there was smoked bacon in the burger. The sauce was dripping down my fingers as I went in for another bite. With each bite, I tasted a new ingredient. The chicken was nice and tender, and the ketchup used was to die for. It had a sense of both sweetness as well as spice. The ingredients certainly did complement one another. Neither of us had tried carrot fries before; I waited for my colleagues' confirmation first before I had a bite of the carrot fries, and all I saw was him reaching out to take 5 more fries. That was more than enough for me to know it was good, and I ended up grabbing 5 more for myself.
A very important and rather distinctive factor is that all the ingredients used are 100% fresh and made in-house, from the patty to the bread to the pickle. In my opinion, it plays a huge role as to why the burger tastes as heavenly as it does.
The next dish we had was the 'hot bird', as the name itself suggests, it was quite spicy but nothing we couldn’t handle. The chicken had a crispness to it and was Pavi's favorite. Alongside the burger was a portion of sweet potato jungle fries with an absolutely enjoyable dip. The ingredients used in this dish complimented each other and had the perfect balance of spice. The ketchup used also had a very nice 'kick' to it.
The third and final main we had was the classic burger alongside a side of French fries and ketchup. The classic was just the perfect replication of the All American Burger - the beef patty was juicy and succulent, the onions were perfectly caramelized and were exceptionally satisfying.
“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication”
Sugar Burgers certainly is a real-life example of the above quote. Major props to the chefs as you could not fathom the amount of technicality that goes behind preparing these other-worldly burgers.
We were already quite full after all those meals, but we had to create some room in our tummy for dessert. The dessert menu was very eye-catching and had some gorgeous dishes but Pavi narrowed his cravings down to a portion of chocolate brownies with ice cream. As for me, it was an obligation to order my 'go-to' dessert whenever I would visit 'Sugar Beach' - the Churros with chocolate sauce.
As the dishes arrived, I went straight towards the churros, dipped it in this heavenly chocolate sauce, and took a bite of it - I just had a 'foodgasm'. The churros portion is not small at all and is very filling, the waiter was very kind enough to lend me another serving of chocolate sauce as he realized how much of a fan I was. On the other hand, Pavi was reluctant to try the churros out, until I forced him to have one munch. Pavi ended up eating the rest of the churros and I tried the brownies instead.
The brownies tasted amazing too! They were still warm when I broke into them, and with the blend of ice cream, it was a feast for my pallete. The perfect way to finish a meal that was fit for a king.
To sum things up, we walked in having quite high expectations and after we tasted the dishes, it undoubtedly exceeded them. The location and setting were contemporary and charming, perfect for any occasion. The service was beyond satisfactory as the waiters were very generous and devoted a great deal of time in making us, the customers, have the most delightful experience. The overall atmosphere was nothing short of soothing. And finally, the food was beyond fabulous with a myriad of flavors available.
The next time you look for a place to go enjoy some burgers for reasonable prices, you know where to go! Visit 'Sugar Bistro' and let their burgers do the talking!
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