Sunshine Food. | Photography by Jamie Mitchell
It’s about balance. Hearty but healthy. Local but international. We call it Sunshine Food. The defining moments of many people’s stay at Soul & Surf over the years have been the communal, post surf, breakfasts in our garden. These late, leisurely, long communal meals tend to be the times that things are organised, like-minded people are met, plots are hatched and friendships blossomed.
It’s not insta-perfect hipster buddha bowls or Michelin fine dining. It’s just the right amount of naughty indulgence and restorative goodness; one minute you’re reaching for vegan raw energy balls after a surf – the next, you’re feasting on local curries and fish tacos. That’s what we call balance.
Nourishment.
More than just the menus we create, the meals we cook, the drinks we serve or the ingredients we use; it’s a way of feeding our souls.
So it’s no surprise that we are kind of stoked on serving up food and drinks which inspire you and make you feel good, whether you’re in the water, up in the yoga studio or just chilling in the sun.
We want you to feel at home here, so you’ll find food that it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg, or make you feel like you’ve got to be sitting at a dining table to eat it - in fact, extra points for chowing down on the day beds or, whilst horizontal on the loungers.
Developed by co-founder Sofie with our brilliant chef Anu, the Soul & Surf India menu is all about wild health; using nature in our dishes but not making it about #cleaneating - it’s more down to earth than that.
Everywhere we look, we’re surrounded by vibrant and colourful produce out here in the sunshine. This inspires dishes which range from modern twists on local Keralan to items inspired by us spreading our net further afield and taking inspiration from sunshine cuisines from around the world, from sunny salads to soulful sides.
We’re about integrating local produce and local techniques with global cuisine; fusing health with indulgence and always making sure our food looks as beautiful as it tastes.
Sunshine food, as we like to call it.
It’s not insta-perfect hipster buddha bowls or Michelin fine dining. It’s just the right amount of naughty indulgence and restorative goodness.
Soul Food Cafe
Our Soul Food Cafe is an open-sided shady shelter overlooking the Arabian sea plus we have tables and chairs, day-beds and a big shady tree in the garden for lunches, snacks and dinners during main season.
Soul Food Cafe is open for all, except for breakfast where we keep it to our guests.
During monsoon season, Soul Food Cafe is only open for breakfast for our guests.
Breakfast
We eat a hearty breakfast all together (socially distanced, for now), between 9 and 11am which is included in your stay. Breakfast alternates between South Indian and western classics with a fruit plate, proper good local coffee, Indian tea and fresh juice. It’s designed to be healthy and filling at the same time.
Lunch & Dinner
Open for all, our Soul Food Cafe offers lunch from 1pm until 4pm and dinner from 6pm to 9pm. Our food is inspired by South Indian cuisine, Indian street food, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Mexican and Mediterranean dishes and salads, sunshine food, all using our great local produce
Kerala Sadhya
Shankari Chechi, our local staff cook, leads our team every Sunday to put on a huge Keralan feast known as a Sadhya, and we promise you she makes the best Keralan food we have eaten. The profit from this meal goes to support Shankari Chechi and her extended family in the village. We need a minimum number of 5 people to make it happen.
Drinks
We serve proper coffee, sourced from the local highlands, tea, masala chai and a whole heap of juices, coolers and of course Kerala’s super-duper coconuts. And cake. We make our own cakes and we eat our own cakes. Very quickly. Yum.
We don’t have a licence to sell alcohol and, unlike so many of the other spots around, we’re not prepared to risk the trip to the Varkala cells by selling it anyway. Guests can buy their own booze and bring it to their rooms and we can help facilitate that, but unfortunately that’s as much as we can do.
Want a little taste of our food at home? Try our coconut roti breakfast...
Feed the soul. And the belly. | Photography: Jamie Mitchell
Fusing health with indulgence and always making sure our food looks as beautiful as it tastes. Sunshine food, as we like to call it.