While we welcome the arrival of spring, we are also soon approaching International Women’s Day, a day where we honour and celebrate the women in our lives. It’s a time to spotlight the incredible women behind Kolamba, our Sri Lankan cuisine restaurant in Soho. Beyond simply being a charming venue that creates a warm, welcoming home away from home in the heart of London for our diners, Kolamba also bears witness to the culinary geniuses, passion and determination of many women who have come together to create the restaurant’s unique identity. So today, we are diving deep into the lives and stories of some of the women who make Kolamba a special place for all of us.

AUSHI MEEWELLA, CO-FOUNDER OF KOLAMBA

Being Kolamba’s co-founder, Aushi is at the forefront of our culinary journey in London. Her love for Sri Lankan home cooking stems from those sunny afternoon family lunches, among other things. With a background in design, Aushi is behind the restaurant’s interiors that blend contemporary modernism with the allure of the tropics. Aushi describes Kolamba’s ambience as something “intimate, familial, and tropical.” It is her passion for her home country and showcasing not only the food of the island but the culture and design that she felt the space needed to reflect as much about her home as possible.

Kolamba’s interiors are also a testimony to the island’s true essence with cement, exposed brick, lighting fixtures inspired by Vesak kudu (brightly lit lanterns) and bespoke batik art panels by homegrown Sri Lankan designer and artist Sonali Dharmawardena’s . All these elements and design nuances contribute to an atmosphere that resonates with the spirit of the locale,” Aushi said.

NALINI MEEWELLA

Often, our love for food is deeply tied to our parents. We eat what our parents cook for us. We learn and grow with their food habits, and the generational love our parents carry for their cherished dishes. This was certainly the case for Eroshan, Kolamba’s co-founder. Like many of us, Eroshan’s love for food stems from his mother, Nalini.

Growing up in the UK, Eroshan noticed his mother’s love for cooking, and her culinary skills to dish up excellent Sri Lankan fare without having access to the best tropical ingredients. Nalini would cook and develop recipes, and refine her palette with Sri Lankan flavours despite being away from her home country for decades. It was a testament to the love she carried for her home—and, like many proud mums, she wanted to pass it on to her children.

Eroshan was soon inspired by his mother’s passion for Sri Lankan home cooking. And many years later, it would result in Soho’s charming Sri Lankan restaurant—Kolamba. Nalini’s tightly-guarded, well-cherished family recipes—like her cutlets—have also made it to Kolamba’s menu.

AUNTY MO

We cannot simply talk about Kolamba without talking about Aunty Mo—especially since her beloved ‘Chatti’ Roast recipe has found a treasured place on Kolamba’s menu since we opened our doors in 2019. It’s a glorious slow-cooked beef, dry-fried with tomatoes and chili served with string hoppers—thin, delicate, steamed, noodle-like, rice flour mats—and a turmeric coconut gravy. It’s so delicious that The Guardian’s Jay Rayner wrote: “Aunty Mo’s ‘chatti’ roast, a dry meat curry on a fat tangle of string hoppers, makes me want Mo to be my aunty, too.”

Now that we’ve talked about the women who have shaped Kolamba—both our culinary journey and presence in London—let’s look at some of the other remarkable women who have enriched Kolamba’s identity.

Over the years, Kolamba has worked with incredibly talented women and women-owned businesses who continuously inspire us. Here are some of them:

Mira Manek, author and founder of Chai by Mira, took inspiration from her mum and grandma in their home kitchen to create a unique chai spice blend—called the classic—mixing seven spices with coconut sugar. Now, there are other, newer adaptations—like the chocolate spice blend. We love Mira’s chai blends so much that we have introduced Chai by Mira on Kolamba’s drinks menu.

Sonali Dharmawardena is a designer and artist from Sri Lanka. For years, Sonali has worked with cottage artisans, most of whom are women, to shine a spotlight on batik, a traditional wax-resist dyeing technique that’s often used to design garments across the island. Sonali’s batik panels are now part of Kolamba as unique, one-of-a-kind art pieces.

The incredibly talented Maham Anjum—who has worked with many chefs and restaurant brands across the world—creates from her ceramic studio and workshop in London. Her work derives inspiration from far corners of the world, from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia while working on revival initiatives with local artisans. Since our opening, Kolamba has collaborated with Maham to use her crockery designs at the restaurant.

Before we opened our doors, Aushi worked with interior designer Annie Harrison at the Fare Inc., who has worked with luxe hotels and Michelin Guide restaurants over the years. Annie’s creativity knows no bounds—it’s also a reason why we were awarded the GQ title for Best Interior in 2021. As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 08 and beyond, join us this month to honour these incredible women behind Kolamba, and their passion, artistry and resilience that have left a mark on our Soho space.

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