Dear reader, if you’ve been reading my blogs, you’d know that whenever I find a place which makes me feel warm, safe and welcome, I am in awe. It feels like home away from home. Something similar happened when I visited Bentota.
As a vegan, I didn’t have high hopes from Sri Lanka. Being an island nation, it’s heavy on sea food and also other sorts of non-vegetarian items. So, I was mentally prepared to eat just boiled rice and bananas over the next few days while in Sri Lanka.
However, to my surprise, I only struggled to find options in Colombo. In other cities like Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, I could find vegan options in small restaurants. I rarely go to fancy restaurants and franchises. I could find dosas, coconut curries, parantha, string hoppers, kottu, etc. So, basically, there are vegan options. I must mention vegan food prepared by my homestay (the Bliss) when I was in Kandy. A close friend also made sure that I have the best dosa in Colombo and personally went to the chef to ensure he understood the requirements.
I arrived in Bentota with zero expectations. And little did I know that I will find a quiet little place right across the road from my homestay here. I had no idea about it but the day I arrived in Bentota, I was starving and thought of checking this place out because it was the closest possible. And I am glad I did!
So, they don’t have particularly vegan options on their menu. But the best part is that the owner, Mr. Prem, personally takes your order and is all ears if you want your dish to be customised. This way, I had a customised vegan dish for every meal while I was here. Right from spaghetti to noodles to curry and rice. They also have a good variety in non-alcoholic beverages.
Not only is the food very well made, it will remind you of home-cooked food. They even have charts of fruits and vegetables to tell their customers about what they shall be served as per their order (very handy for foreign tourists).
After talking some more with Mr. Prem, I got to know that he opened this place back in 2014 after spending more than three decades in the hospitality industry. From the first look of it I knew that it’s a family-run small business. Mr. Prem’s wife is the head chef and all his three children help them in running the business. As mentioned in my previous post ‘The art of eating alone in a restaurant‘, this place has done their music playlist really very well. I personally feel that it is very rare nowadays to find a tight-knit family like this running their own business and serving everyone who walks in from the bottom of their heart.
Another good thing about this place is that you’ll always feel welcome here. Mr. Prem will greet you with a lovely smile. It took me just three meals in two days to befriend him. Additionally, you can eat at your own pace. There is no rush to eat quickly and clear the table. They won’t even get the bill on their own after clearing the table. You’ll have to ask for it! While you’re having your food, Mr. Prem will come to you to check if the food is okay.
Overall, I loved the place and would love to come back if I happen to be in Bentota again! Highly recommend for your next visit to Bentota.
P.S. My homestay in Bentota did turn out to be a scam. So, not everything was rosy on the trip but we’ll make do 🙂
Indian Ghumakkad 
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