How to Eat

Curry style food - Freshly cooked

Curry style food
Freshly cooked

Using Local Ingredients
and Recipes

Using Local Ingredients and Recipes

Insider tip:

Tree Tops Jungle Lodge food is plant based,
and a perfect match
for vegetarian and vegan explorers
of the exotic Asian world,
of tasty, cooked and raw,
fruit, herbs, leaves, and vegetables

Tree Tops Jungle Lodge food is plant based,
and a perfect match for vegetarian and vegan explorers
of the exotic Asian world,
of tasty, cooked and raw, fruit, herbs, leaves, and vegetables

Setting of Meals

The mud-hut thatched restaurant is where we cook and serve the meals. It also has space for relaxation, to read a book, talk with staff and other guests, enjoy the view or just observe some birds!

Mainly Vegetarian Menu Concept

Most meals are vegetarian – and so tasty that non vegetarians are surprised when they realise there is no meat! The locally recruited staff team cooks excellent local Sri Lankan food which is dominated by plants and vegetables. Presented from the bush kitchen in native style. Exactly what we want as part of the authentic experience we offer.

Fresh & Curry

The menu is native, village and curry-style and every meal is completely freshly prepared.

All food is strictly cooked the natural way, with natural spices and herbs and with no artificial taste elements added whatsoever.

Let Us Know

Please indicate any special preferences, dietary requirements or allergies as we will always be as flexible as possible within the constraints we have on supply and expertise.

We are not really boasting of international dishes … our kitchen team has only little experience with western cooking. However, non-rice -and-curry, simple dishes and salads can be prepared. Good to know – if curry food is … just not you … We will find a tasty way.

Set Menu

As we are a small operation catering exclusively for the resident guests, the menu is set. Still, we are open to suggestions on how you would like your meals prepared. There are natural limitations but we love to be flexible.

The big plus points with a set menu are :

Be Inspired

Our vegetarian cuisine uses local fresh ingredients and also lets you taste some of the island’s more unusual plants and herbs and green leaves and things: such as snake- and bitter gourd …

There is a large variety of dishes, including creamy curries, milk rice and coconut roti. Guests are often inspired by the Sri Lankan ways of cooking well-known vegetables such as potato, carrots, beetroot, pumpkin and leeks.

Not in Favor of Vegetarianism… ?

A vegetarian, a vegan and a meat-eater are all welcomed with the same open arms. Most meat-eaters will also be easily adaptable – not only eating meat!! So far, we have never encountered any troubles in this regard.

A vegetarian menu concept is practical; Sri Lanka has no easy accessible, great variety, of high quality kinds of meat. We prepare meat depending on availability of the quality we are looking for.

It is the same with seafood and chicken – if we have or can get the raw materials we use and cook it. All ingredients inclusive of plants will have to pass a good quality check.

Meal Times

There are no dictated meal times.

It is depending on individual habits and adapted to local activities and safari tours.

Otherwise as a rule of thumb :

Sample Breakfast

Lunch and Dinner

The team prepares delicious, interesting, traditional Sri Lankan vegetable curries. Using exotic ingredients such as Jack fruit, Banana flower, Manioca, Green Bananas.

Curry leaf trees grow wild around us, and the leaves add flavor in many of the curries.

The cook will often present a plate displaying the variety of green leaves, fruit and vegetables used for cooking so that you can see the raw version of the curries you eat.
For less committed vegetarians we prepare fried, grilled or spicy curry chicken. Or, tasty fried fresh-water-fish. This is optional – and recommended. Local lake fish is an interesting local touch. And very fresh.

Sea food would usually also be an option. Like with all ingredients we use – again depending on availability. From the ocean we would normally serve Yellow finned tuna or prawns.

Lunch

The lunch will typically be meals that are to the light side. Speak to the team and get to know the choices.

Dinner

The dinner is a candle lit event of the day !

A feast on vegetarian curries, a celebration of jungle life and sightings of the day. Whether birds seen on local walks or leopard spotted on a safari tour in nearby Yala National Park. Or, as it may happen from time to time; having a wild elephant eating dinner in the bush around the restaurant.

For the fun and party, we are happy to convert the curry style meal into a 3-4 courses dinner that is suitable for wine & dine.

Drinks

The team is pleased to serve a drink. Freshly prepared fruit juice from local produce is very popular. All drinking water, soft drinks, tea and coffee, fruit, juices, coconuts always available and included in our rates.

Alcoholic drinks are not included in our standard rates. Also, alcoholic drinks are not sold at the lodge. On request we assist guests in a service minded way so beer, wine and spirits is accessible at a fair charge that covers our related costs for purchase, transport and chilling on ice.

No aficionada wine cellar is accessible … You can make a request and we do our best to facilitate your wish. You can also request in advance, or express special wishes; such as champagne for a special occasion; we assist and prepare as far as we are able.

Fruit based drink options at Tree Tops Jungle Lodge