A popular café in East Dulwich has won the prestigious Gold Seal after being named in the Good Food Awards list for the third year running.

Oru Space Café on 20-22 Lordship Lane opened in January 2020 and the actual café, called Trinco, serves Sri Lankan cuisine.

Oru Space Café has been named in the Good Food Awards for the last two years, and has now been featured a third time, earning them the Gold Seal award.

The café operates a distinct daytime and evening menu and is owned by Vibushan Thirukumar.

Vibushan, originally from Sri Lanka, explained: “Between day shift and night shift we had a window of 9-10pm to see our Amma (Tamil for Mother).

“My dad would collect her from the Royal Mail sorting office, we’d have dinner together and she’d head back to work.

“It was all we knew so it was pure joy - a late dinner of amazing food we get to see our Amma.

“Food for us was what we clung on to as access to our heritage and culture - this quality of taste, sense of comfort and fulfilment is something that feels harder to achieve than it should be.”

The distinct menus are to reflect Vibushan’s upbringing where his parents worked in alternating shifts.

Trinco serves Tami Sri Lankan cuisine using plant-based ingredients and a “modern interpretation” of Tami Sri Lankan dishes that “doesn’t shy away from spice, boldness, intensity and freshness of flavour" that Sri Lankan food is recognised for.

The kitchen is led by Chefs Izabela Kobylarz and Maya Berthou and the distinct menus are

Highlights of the daytime Trinco menu include the Oru Dahl, a seasonally adapted dish served with a rotating selection of roasted vegetables, alongside homemade naan, pol sambol, and raita.

There are also Masala beans on sourdough, topped with cheddar and a fried egg.

Seasonal specials such as fresh salads, cakes, and pastries are also available.

The evening menu showcases Sri Lankan-inspired dishes, including biryani, jackfruit curry, aubergine curry, mutton-less rolls, and crispy okra fries.

The desserts, which are crafted by Chef Maya Berthou over the course of several months, blend Western influences with Sri Lankan flavours.

Oru Space Café is one of five cafes and one of eight businesses in south London to have been named as winners of the Good Food Awards this year.

The Good Food Awards website states: “Our Good Food Awards recognise the hard-working teams who strive for excellence within their field.

“Chosen for their food quality, service and value, our highly revered Gold Seal, is bestowed upon those achieving consistently high customer ratings/votes over three years, making our Gold Seal a marque of distinction.”

Vibushan added: "We are delighted that Trinco has been awarded the Gold Seal award.

“We're proud to bring Tamil Sri Lankan cuisine to East Dulwich, inspired by food we ate day in, day out and at family gatherings growing up.”

The site features a co-working space which is open from 8am to 7pm on Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm on Friday, and 9am to 7pm on weekends.