Arts
New spot for a guilt-free brunch or lunch
Over the last few years, we’ve seen Colombo attempt to embrace a healthier lifestyle. This has also meant that the concept of clean eating is no longer just a mantra followed by fitness enthusiasts or health gurus. Embodying this mantra is the newest addition to Colombo’s healthy food scene, ‘Superfood Cafe’.
Ruta and Amande
Though located in the heart of Bambalapitiya, the cafe isn’t easy to spot as it’s tucked away in the courtyard of the boutique hotel, Villa Raha. However despite this lack of visibility, the chic and trendy cafe that opened up in November last year has become quite popular among Colombo’s youth. This is mostly due to images of their decor and colourful presentation flooding Instagram.
Co-owned by Amande Panditaratne (32) and his Lithuanian fiance Ruta Balciunaite (30), the cafe presents local ‘superfoods’ in an European-Asian fusion style.
“In Europe people pay a fortune for what’s freely available in Sri Lanka,” says Amande, alluding to foods such as jakfruit and moringa (murunga). “We’re just changing the way we eat them,” he adds.
They were in the country working on another fitness and health project when the idea for the cafe came about. For Ruta, a Lithuanian, it was a struggle to find food she could eat daily once in the island. “I like rice and curry, but can’t eat it every day,” she says. At the same time Amande was getting into clean eating the more he pursued fitness. The result was a partnership with Villa Raha for a health food cafe.
This isn’t the couple’s first food venture. The two, who met while studying abroad, previously ran a Sri Lankan street food pop-up back in Lithuania that became widely popular garnering attention from Lithuanian media as well. Ruta comes from a food industry background as her family owns a seed oil business back in Europe which gives her an indepth knowledge of the nutrition and quality of produce, that they use in turn when curating the Cafe’s menu .
Impeccably decorated by the owner of Villa Raha, Imrah Raiyez, the ambiance of the cafe is a mix of relaxed and luxe. The seating consists of an eclectic array of wooden tables and chairs, cement benches and plush green velvet chairs as well as a swing bench, making your lunch date that much more fun.
We decided to be brave and try out the ‘beet it’, an apple, grape and tomato slow juice combination. Not being fans of bloody Marys there was trepidation on our part as to how it would taste. Surprisingly it wasn’t that savoury a concoction but rather sweet thanks to the mix of apples and grapes. The tomato taste was just lightly so present like in a salad, instead of a thick puree. Overall it was refreshing with a touch of sweetness. At Rs 300+ it’s a little less than the typical price you expect for slow pressed juices.
The prawn bowl and the tropical smoothie bowl
For our mains we tried the Prawn lunch bowl. The lunch bowls, are essentially a bowl of veggies, greens, proteins and grains presented in a vibrant arrangement.
Think of it as a fancier, healthier rice bowl except instead of curries you have pan seared proteins and salads, served with quinoa. Their bowls come in two portion sizes, small and big. The small is more than filling for the average consumer, whereas the bigger size is targeted at their fitness enthusiast clientele. Our lunch bowl contained grilled prawns, a chickpea paste, sprouting mung beans, avocado slices, chopped tomato and bell pepper on a bed of greens, including basil, red and green salad leaves and rocket. Presentation wise, it was done so beautifully, that it pained us to have to mix it all up before eating it. The chickpea paste certainly had a kick to it and the prawns were succulent and well cooked. It was an interesting mix of flavours, and managed to taste fresh as well as creamy. At Rs 890+ , this filling and delicious dish seems the perfect healthy alternative to rice and curry.
We also tried the tropical smoothie bowl off their all day breakfast menu. Made using seasonal fruits and coconut milk, this vegan dish (Rs. 790 + ) doubles as dessert.
To finish things off we tried the ‘Kombucha’, a non-alcoholic tea based drink that tastes like cider or a light beer, a perfect wrap up to the meal.
Overall, the food is well worth the price being visually appealing, delicious and healthy. Their menu is small but has a lot of vegan options and offers all day breakfast.
But by having a simple and small menu, they’ve let quality triumph over quantity. Currently they’re open only during the day and so dinner is not an option. Also they only offer in-house dining and not delivery or takeaway. Despite these limitations we definitely recommend a visit to Superfood Cafe for a healthy lunch, a guilt-free brunch or a casual meet up.
Address : No. 33, Macleod Road, Colombo 5 (Villa Raha)
Operating Hours : 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Tuesday – Friday) 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. (Weekends)
Price range : Rs. 1000-2000
Contact no : 077 777 9034
Follow them on:
Instagram: @superfoodcafecolombo
Facebook: @superfoodcafecolombo
Ambiance: A mix of relaxed and luxe. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara