Food
Growing up in Thailand, the boys grew accustomed to the flavours of the Southeast Asian palate. The sweet, sour, tangy and spicy flavours present in the Salty Swamis menu serve as an ode to their ongoing obsession with oriental cuisine. Later in their youth, the brothers spent time in Sri Lanka, rediscovering their parents and grandparents unique preparations of ‘up-country’ flavours and reincorporating them into their own palate. While in Australia pursuing their higher education the boys discovered a style of contemporary cuisine that was wholesome, unique and vibrant, whilst still remaining rich in flavour.
It would be the amalgamation of each of these locales and experiences that would go on to form the foundation of the Salty Swamis culinary ethos.
Coffee
When the brothers returned from Australia in the early 2010s, the movement to reintroduce the once lost Sri Lankan coffee bean had started to gain momentum. Using knowledge acquired from their time with roasters and baristas in Melbourne, they set out to add value to the local coffee culture. As part of a post-war wave of growth in the Sri Lankan cafe industry, the boys helped set the standard for a contemporary coffee experience with flavour.
Salty Swamis serves locally sourced and roasted beans from two of the boys' favourite roasters on the island, Tusker & Soul Coffee. By working closely with our roasters we achieve blends boasting dynamic flavour profiles and our baristas take the utmost care in ensuring these beans are extracted with precision and respect.
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Tea
Recognising that much of the island’s best tea was earmarked for export - with only substandard leaves remaining in the country for local consumption - two of their close friends launched a loose leaf tea company, Peekoh, in late 2018. The brothers were among their first customers, making Salty Swamis one of the island’s foremost cafes to serve high quality, locally sourced and blended teas. Soon becoming synonymous with a modern Sri Lankan tea experience.
With socio-environmental responsibility being a part of their core values, all Peekoh teas are sourced from Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade certified estates dotted across the country’s tea-growing regions. A first in a local context, Peekoh’s blends are handcrafted and feature locally sourced herbal and floral produce.
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