Cakes & Bakes is a brand new patisserie down Galle Road. In addition to having a range of interesting desserts, they're also aiming for a Turkish bistro vibe (according to their facebook page).
Food
They don't serve lunch meals (yet) so we opted for a few of the savoury and sweet knick-knacks they had on display.
*Pictured: Fish Bun (Rs. 55), Chicken Puff Pastry (Rs. 70), Fish Cutlet (Rs. 65) and a Chicken Chinese Roll (Rs. 60)
- The fish bun as you can see is massive. It comes stuffed with potato and a few hints of tinned mackerel here and there. The bread is light and fluffy and at Rs. 55 it isn't a bad deal.
- The chicken puff pastry had a bit of bland chicken filling in it that we fixed with a bit of tomato sauce. The pastry was fresh and flaky although they could definitely do with a bit more seasoning.
- The fish cutlet comes in a flattened, burger-patty type shape rather than your average crumb-fried ball. It was alright although it boasted a much fresher taste than the fish bun. Seasoning's on point, too.
- The chicken chinese roll is a bit of a let down. It didn't have as much chicken as we'd liked and it was rather soggy.
Keep in mind that they're still starting out, so they've still got their selection and quality to make up for their minor setbacks.
*Pictured: Chocolate Crepe (Rs. 120), Strawberry Tart (Rs. 130), Baklava (Rs. 120 per piece).
Now for their desserts. We really didn't know what on earth to pick because the shelves are stocked with interesting looking gateaux, meringue rolls and slices of cake. We decided to stick with the smaller treats.
- The chocolate crepe was a wobbly, gelatinous roll stuffed with cream. This is a little too heavy and I really dislike coconut on anything so I couldn't finish it. It didn't taste of chocolate at all so unless you're a big coconut fan, stay away.
- The strawberry tart comes with halved strawberries, teeming with delicious vanilla custard. The crust was crunchy and light and all three elements combined makes for a tasty treat.
- They have Baklava here. Trays full of the stuff. Meanwhile, certain reputed Turkish restaurants here don't serve this spectacular dessert which I find very odd. The Baklava goes for Rs. 120 for a teeny piece but that's understandable because they've got pistachios and walnuts packed in. The pastry was crispy although soggy at the bottom.
They don't have drinks of any sort yet except for Nescafe and Nestea dispensers.
Service & Ambience
They've got quite a few members of staff who were mulling about busily but the guy who took our order seemed a bit confused. We had to keep pointing at what we wanted over the counter while he had his head nearly poked all the way in. It looked like a hilarious scene out of a Rennaissance painting. They didn't have their card machine set up yet, so make sure you have cash.
We were told that they'll be turning the upstairs section into a full-on bistro, so we're excited to go try out their coffee.
They've got a few specialty breads up for grabs ranging from Rs. 100 upwards. Their Turkish bread looked really good, so let us know how it is if you try it.
Ambience is pretty generic with bleak furniture, patterned floor tiles and brick-wallpaper as opposed to, you know, bricks.
Conclusion
Cakes & Bakes looks like they're going to be a big hit especially with their desserts (baklava). They're a more grandiose version of P&S and it looks like a great spot to cool off at while waiting for the bus or whatever. Expect to see me skulking in a corner of the store, stuffing my face with baklava.
