Flavourful rustic fare at Baker’s Choice
Chef Nishan serving up some of his specialities. Pix by Nilan Maligaspe
“The food I prepare and have on my menu, goes back to what inspired me to become a chef in the first place. Wholesome comfort food served with simple and rustic garnishes, yet packed to the brim with flavour,” says Nishan Liyanage, head chef of “Baker’s Choice Cafe” down Kynsey Road Colombo 7.
Baker’s Choice – an European-themed cafe has varieties of fresh bread on a daily basis, serving sandwiches, pastries and coffee in the morning and has now added familiar rustic dishes for lunch and dinner.
It was in 2008, that Laki Ratnayake on his return from U.K, leaving his 9-5 job to pursue his passion for baking, launched Baker’s Choice together with Anjinha Gomes. They now have Nishan adding his chef’s expertise.
Nishan was one of the youngest students to complete the NVQ qualification for pastries, cakes and breads and launched “Nishan’s Cupcakes and Muffins” back in 2008. A graduate from the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, he worked as a trainee and intern at Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Hyatt Hotels Chain in Dubai respectively.
Exposed to the multicultural diversity UAE had to offer with each kitchen consisting of chefs from across the globe, Nishan says he refined his culinary techniques due to his exposure across multicultural cuisines ranging from a fine-dining steakhouse to Middle Eastern, Italian, South East Asian(Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian).
Back home to pursue his masters in 2015 he started “Wine N’ Dine by Nishan Liyanage”- a catering service for small and intimate dinners at homes, as a private chef before becoming Head Chef at the Baker’s Choice Café.
The rustic beef stew with stout bread, one of the café’s specialties has beef, slow- cooked in red wine with seasonal vegetables and herbs served with rustic sourdough- bread for Rs.1200.
The spicy pork ragu with fresh pappardelle pasta is a full meal of pork sausage with spices, slow cooked with fresh chili, garlic, tomatoes and fresh herbs, also at Rs. 1200. The Mini-plant burger; a vegetarian patty made with aubergine, onion and spices served with locally sourced smoked cheese, lettuce, pickled onion, and a blend of tomato aioli with nai-maris sauce served in a soft charcoal sourdough bun comes at Rs. 1,050.
The ‘messy but delicious” Chicken Pot Pie – chicken, carrots, potatoes, leeks, onions, fresh thyme, slow cooked in chicken stock and baked inside a crispy pastry; a comfort food again for Rs.1200 “is one of the toughest to cook,” Nishan adds.
The mouthwatering sweets include Apple crumble with vanilla custard and Chocolate bread and butter pudding with espresso ice cream served for dessert.
“I believe that there is tremendous potential to have this type of bistro menu in the heart of Colombo. It is a niche that has not been explored to its fullest, and it is what the team at Baker’s Choice endeavours to do,” says Nishan.