A veritable vegan feast for Poya
The Mount Lavinia Hotel has upped the ante with its completely organic Poya Vegan Lunch Buffet, signalling a significant upgrade from its previous vegan offerings to a fully organic experience. The Poya Vegan Lunch Buffet is held every Poya day, from 12.30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
In addition to the buffet, the popular eco-friendly Poya market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., features local vendors offering a variety of sustainable products.
Collaborating with Forest Garden Organics, a family enterprise that practises sustainable farming, producing organic food and other products like compost and biochar, the buffet was unveiled in September with an insightful panel discussion moderated by Tashie Jackson, Head of Vegan Sri Lanka.
Red Thai curry with breadfruit balls. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The Poya Lunch Buffet began as a vegetarian spread in 2009 and slowly evolved into the current vegan feast. “This new fully organic vegan buffet is not just a competitive edge but a reflection of our commitment to quality over quantity, providing nutritious and healthy options that challenge the notion of buffet dining,” explained Anura Dewapura, Chief Operating Officer of Mount Lavinia Hotel. The Hotel was among the first to commit to environmental sustainability and innovation in hospitality, receiving the EarthCheck certification in recognition of their efforts in energy and water conservation.
The buffet dishes at the hotel’s Governor’s Restaurant celebrate both innovation and tradition. Sushi lovers can indulge in assorted sushi featuring maki rolls made from nil katurolu (butterfly pea flower), avocado, carrot, and nigiri sushi made from various fruits and vegetables. Other tantalising appetisers include beetroot timbales, jakfruit seed cutlets, fresh salads, and hearty soups, along with a variety of intriguing shooters. Vegetarian hot dogs, tapioca vegetable burgers, polos koftas, spicy roasted kidaran (elephant foot yam), and lentil meatloaf showcase the versatility of plant-based food with their fusion of flavour and texture.
The buffet also features Italian-inspired offerings like dandila gnocchi, fresh tagliolini, and pizzas, all with rich savoury flavours, as well as Indian-inspired hara bhara kebab, maa vee biryani and urad kali dal curry. On the Sri Lankan route, there’s a variety of rice dishes such as kuruluthuda rice and olu rice, curries such as breadfruit (meat)balls in Thai red curry, kalupol jakfruit seed curry, ala kola maluwa, and kidaran dalu dry curry. Fans of the popular hot butter cuttlefish will be amazed at the buffet’s imaginative take, replacing the seafood with chunks of young coconut. Sweet potato dumplings, watermelon sago, semolina pudding, soursop crumble and aloe vera coconut custard, are some fun dessert options available to satiate a sweet tooth.
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