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 When thinking of getting away from town and simply not having time to do so The Bayleaf is the ideal location to do so. Especially this time of year when the rains come down quite heavy The Bayleaf takes on a magical persona. The 19th century colonial mansion which has been tastefully morphed in to one of Colombo’s most popular restaurants has made quite name for its self and gained a special place in our hearts. This Italian restaurant mainly serves northern and central cuisine from Italy and has been well complimented by Italian friends of mine who have been lucky enough to step through her doors.
The main man behind the magic of Bayleaf being Mr. Harpo Gooneratne who has introduced quite a few novel places for the socialite of Colombo to gather. Harpo’s secret weapon Chef Saroj Kalluarachchi has over the last few years introduced some fantastic menus and kept out taste buds intrigued. With twenty ones years of experience of which nine of them were spent working at the Da Paolo, a chain of fine-dining restaurants in Singapore this is no surprise.
So our next stop was The Bayleaf so I made sure I didn’t have a heavy lunch (pretty much starved myself) in anticipation of treating myself to a hearty dinner.
After braving the rains outside and making out way to the top floor which is the most scenic location here we decided to treat ourselves to some good vino. After quickly polishing the first glass of a smooth velvety but heavy Italian wine we made our order and sat back. I slowly sunk in to my chair and found myself floating in to the night with the light smooth jazz in the back ground. Although as romantic as it sounds I suspect the good wine might have had something to do with it.
The first course for which I was feeling quite carnivorous I had the Carpaccio di Carne. This dish I must say was quite something. Thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin with sundried tomatoes and mushrooms, quite exotic I must say. While I greedily finished my starter I glanced over to my friend’s vegetarian choice and was quite intrigued to try it as well. Since he wouldn’t want to try my dish I quite happily snuck a few bites off his. I must say the Funghi alla Toscana which is sautéed mushrooms on a bed of spinach with Parmesan cheese and olive oil. This dish is highly recommended even if you are not a vegetarian.
When the main course arrived I noticed my friend who happens to be a vegetarian had suddenly converted for in front of him was the Gamberoni ai Ferri al Profumo de Erbe, King Prawns gratined with fresh mixed herbs and bread crumbs with white wine sauce and Parmesan cheese. When one normally say king prawns we usually see something that more resembles a queen prawn, but these king prawns were almost falling off the plate. After great protest and finally tasting his dish I was wishing that my order was the same. The prawns were cooked perfectly with the hint of herb coming through not over powering the base flavor of the prawn. Simply amazing would how to describe it.
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