Colombo doesn't necessarily have many vegan-friendly restaurants, at least, not ones where you can go to without feeling your wallet dip considerably. This is where Seed Cafe comes into view.
Done as the love child between the likes of The Grind and Ceylon Superfoods Company, Seed Cafe joined the cafe scene in Colombo not too long ago in the same place Cafe Kumbuk used to be.
Ambience
With gentle pastel tones taking over the air, the ambience at Seed Cafe was lovely.
Looking like a cafe straight out of a Geneva Vanderzeil's Pinterest board, the cafe was as pretty as a picture and fit the bill to a tee. With plenty of sunlight seeping through, space is perfect for when you're looking for a fancy brunch or even just to get a cup of coffee and get some work done.
That being said though, the staff is super nice to large groups, just as long as you don't drive out any of the other people at the restaurant.
The Food
The food at Seed Cafe at the moment mainly comprises of mostly a couple of mains, smoothies, coffee and a few other options that are mostly of the liquid variety.
This is the Pesto Chicken Bagel Burger (Rs. 950). Served with a side of baked potatoes, the bagel was brilliant. Essentially comprising of an assembly of abalone mushrooms, pesto, avocado, grilled chicken cheddar, onion jam and veggies, this was worth everything you spend on it and is all in all, pretty great. The crunchy veggies accompanied by the thin layer of chicken, the slightly acidic sweetness of the jam, the creamy avocado and the slightly bitter leaves added up to be one of the nicest healthy burger options we've come across in a while.
If you do happen to check out Seed Cafe for something a bit on the heavier side of things, you should probably go with this one. It's great value for money and the burger itself is pretty delicious. The only real issue we had was with the insides falling out when you cut into it, but, that can be overlooked.
Aye, if there's one thing that was possibly even better than the Bagel Burger, it has got to be this. The Chocolate Hazelnut and Coconut Granola Bowl (Rs. 750) was utterly beautiful.
With bits of burnt coconut topping the mix, the granola was brilliant. Chocolatey with the taste of the nuts pulling through effortlessly and having a tinge of sweetness coming from the cranberries, we loved this! They could either serve the dish with either whipped curd or milk and we happened to get the curd and we have to say that the combination was divine.
I realise how desperate I sound when I describe it, but, seriously, it's a pretty decent Rs. 750 and given how well it had been made, we just couldn't get enough of it.
This is their take on a Dark Chocolate Mocha (Rs. 550). Milky with both the coffee and the chocolate pushing through pretty strongly, we quite enjoyed this one.
Even if you're not a coffee person, chances are you're going to like this one. It's got the perfect balance of flavours and while it isn't all that sweet, the milk helped to tone it down a notch.
The Berry Smoothie (Rs. 550) is essentially a combination of blueberries, banana, passion fruit, overnight oats, milk and honey. Tangy with hints of passion fruit stealing the show every now and again, we loved it. If you're looking for something to fill you up but nothing too heavy, this is a pretty ideal option to go with.
Pictured Above: Berry Breakfast Smoothie (L) Pineapple refresher (R)
The Pineapple Refresher (Rs. 500) was my absolute favourite of all the dishes we got. A mix of pineapples, passionfruit and ginger this was a solid 12/10 in every way imaginable. It's spicy and the tanginess of the passionfruit and the pineapples pulls through like a dream.
However, it isn't very sweet, but each table has a small bottle of brown sugar. So, if you do want to, you can add a solid 3 tablespoons of sugar as our Bilaal did and completely ruin it. But, it's up to you.
Service
The staff at Seed Cafe was wonderful. Friendly to locals and foreigners alike, they didn't completely ignore the fact that we were in just a plain t-shirt and jeans and they were super helpful throughout the process.
Plus, they managed to serve our food quite quickly. All in all, we have nothing to complain about.
Conclusion
We love it. The food is pretty great, the staff: friendly and the ambience combined with the fact that the prices don't necessarily bleed you dry adds up to a solid experience.