79, Gregory's Road, Colombo 07.
Open until 11:00 PM
As far as safe bets go, Bayleaf is right up there. Good Italian fare at not too exorbitant prices, and a rather extensive menu to choose from.
Bayleaf on Gregory's Road is one of the better restaurants in Colombo, and it's earned its reputation over years of good service. While it might be pricey, the food has always been good. They're an Italian restaurant that serves Harpo's pizza as well. It's a great place to meet up with friends or host a little private dinner.
The menu is quite extensive, covering everything from antipasti to dessert, but there's also plenty of food options in the drinks menu that you should definitely check out. We decided on the Tagliatelle verdi con Prosciutto and Ravioli d'Anatra (duck ravioli) for mains, opting for the Trio Bruschetta off the drinks menu as our appetiser, and the Panacotta for dessert.
We were quite glad we tried out the Trio Bruschetta (Rs 695) because they were flavourful with plenty of meat on them. There was pepperoni, smoked salmon, smoked chicken and bell pepper. I didn't get to eat much of the salmon because my dining partner has an inextinguishable appetite for this particular protein. Nevertheless, they were all tasty and I can see why they'd make sense as a bite, bringing more savouriness to the typical bruschetta.
The Tagliatelle (Rs 1050) didn't look like a massive portion, at first, for which I'm glad, but the moment I started digging into it, I couldn't help but feel full. The sauce is very rich, so, despite the fact that it's a single serving, you really do feel every bite. There's lots of fresh mushrooms going on here, and the flavours come through really well. It's a really hearty meal and the pasta is on point. My photography, though, in this instance, not so much. (Sorry!)
By way of the duck, our ravioli (Rs 1175) was pretty good. I tasted mostly oregano, but the sauce was creamy and delish. As far as raviolis go, this one seems a little extravagant because of the choice of protein, but sometimes a spinach ravioli can taste that much better. My dining partner enjoyed this much more than I did. Perhaps if there was more duck and less oregano, I'd be more partial to this dish.
Finally, the Panacotta (Rs 400) was executed well, much unlike the disastrous gello we were served at Chapter One. For the price, it's well worth it and you can easily share this with two to three people, depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have. I would have liked more of that tart sauce, but that's because I'm just a sucker for sour. All in all our meal was on point and we didn't feel ripped off. So, that's a win!
The staff at Bayleaf appear very well composed and you get the sense that they really know what they're doing. They'll come and clear your plates just when you're done, almost instinctually, though you won't notice them hovering about you. We really liked that we could experience an intimate dinner while not having to hunt for our waiter. You can ask them for recommendations, and they'll help you around the menu.
I like the feel of the place. You can easily forget that this used to be a home at some point. As you enter, you're hit by the fragrance of citronella. It can be a bit intense, but the absolute lack of mosquitoes in the open air dining areas are a result of this. Also, I think it helps cut the otherwise meaty aroma of pepperoni and pizza that I would imagine could flood the place. We dined upstairs and it was cool. You can get your own little spot. Otherwise, there's plenty of space downstairs by the entrance as well.
You can't go wrong with Bayleaf, really, and that makes for a comfortable choice when making decisions on where to go for dinner. There's service charge and VAT that adds on to the bill, so watch out for that. Otherwise, you can dine for about Rs 1500 - 2000 per head. They do lunch, too, and we've heard that's pretty good as well. Whether it's pizza, pasta or just tiramisu, you can find pretty good renditions of a fair deal of Italian fare here. Oh, and there's drinks and a dedicated bar too!
Whether it's pizza, pasta or just tiramisu, you can find pretty good renditions of a fair deal of Italian fare here. Oh, and there's drinks, too!
As far as safe bets go, Bayleaf is right up there. Good Italian fare at not too exorbitant prices, and a rather extensive menu to choose from.
After an evening with a decent bottle of wine and perfectly reasonable food in a lovely setting I am going to retract some of my previous criticism and apologize for my perhaps excessive bad mouthing of the Bayleaf
සිංහල ඉතින් හොඳ වයින් බෝතලයක් බීමෙන් අනතුරුව ඉතාම සාධාරණ මිළට සුන්දර පරිසරයක සිට ගත් ආහාර වේලකින් පසු මම දැන් සූදානම් වන්නේ මගේ කලින් විවේචන හකුළාගනිමින් ඇතැම්විට උමනාවට වඩා වැඩිය කියා කියන්නට පුළුවන් නරක වචන ගැන බේලීෆ් වෙතින් සමාව ඉල්ලන්න.
Address
79, Gregory's Road, Colombo 07.
Directions
Right opposite D.S. Senanayake College.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyOpen until 11:00 PM
Cuisine
Ratings Breakdown
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Food aside i've never had a bad experience with staff or hospitality. In fact, i'd consider myself a harsh critic when it comes to good service and i've been sorely disappointed with almost all the places I've been to in Colombo with the exception of The Bayleaf.
However, I haven't been in about 5-6 months, so perhaps standards have slipped.
When i visited, i experienced what I thought was very bad service levels!.
It seemed quite unorganized.
celebrated a friends birthday at Bayleaf over the weekend and the service was good. the staff were attentive and the food was very tasty. I'd go as far as to say some of the best Italian cuisine served in Colombo
Went pretty early on a sat eve for a low key dinner. The ambience is quite special-I loved the old decor and character of the bungalow. The staff were quite attentive and the food was good. Ordered the fish special. Not sure if I would rate this as authentic Italian because it has been adapted to the south Asian palate. Having Said that the food was tasty. Everything was going smoothly till the birthday party hosts in the extension area started blasting their music. Totally spoiled the evening but fortunately it was the last half hour. Still I would have walked straight out if I had come in the middle of it. Perhaps call in to see if they have an event and thereby save yourself a pair of hearing aids! I don't think they should have those events along with diners as it seemed more like a club than a quiet evening. Hence I would rate the experience 3/5 sadly.
What an idiotic review. Why go somewhere with the aim of being negative? And as with all YAMU's food & restaurant reviews, would it not make more sense if you sent people who actually had a knowledge of food and dining.
Had the perfect date and the service was awesome lovely good and words cannot describe the location. Awsome
We went there today. Ordered a lasagna, spaghetti carbonara and tiramusu as the dessert! Those were so delicious. Service was also good. I would visit this place again. One of the best Italian restaurants for sure
Food were delicious however the portion sizes were disappointing. Tiramisu was nice but I felt like it just came out of the freezer. 2.5/5
Very mediocre food. Two dishes, ravioli and spaghetti, tasted the same- bland with passata overpowering the dish. But the real problem was when a piece of steel wire in the pasta injured my tongue! Manager apologised but it spoilt the meal and we left. A much overrated place. The pasta at the now closed Pascussis was far better.
The food was correct but no wow effect. The wine card is for a soi disant Italian a shame. The waiters attitude, is disappointing. We did not want to destroy our evening by them but they succeed. We were very annoyed by there arrogance and full of sufficiency. We have the idea that they want you (customer) to leave the place as soon as possible. In fact, they want to be helpful but they are running, jumping around you and your table that you can't have a nice and peaceful diner night. And when you ask them something that they don't want to do than you have a problem. Waiters be polite and respectful to woman who sits on the same table. You only ask if the men eat well! Sri Lankan waiters if you ask a question listen to your customer answer and try not to answer or to speak in the place of the qustomer. This place has nothing of the Italian dolce vita! Go to Italy to savour the food, the ambiance ….
Ok, I am NOT going to order pizza from Bayleaf hereafter. I ordered a tandoori chicken and bacon pizza (1/2 1/2) last week. To my horror the tandoori chicken had hard pieces of cartilage in it and the chicken had a very bad texture. It was not firm but like soft. It was disgusting. I will not order pizza again from Bayleaf.
Ordered a tandoori chicken pizza 2 weeks ago. The chicken had hard tendons. I was horrified. The quality of the chicken was not good either.
I usually like Bayleaf, both the food and the ambience. Service is not bad either. However I was disappointed that the last time I visited, on Saturday 26th March this year, the food was rather pricey. The bill was Rs. 6000 odd for two people just for 2 ravioli dishes, 2 glasses of lime juice and 1 fresh fruit platter. The food was tasty, but ravioli portions not generous.
It was about 9 p.m. when my mother and I arrived there on the day in question. . On arrival, I was parking at a spot near the entrance then a guy from inside came out to give parking directions. He's employed at Bay leaf I believe, however I don't know if he's a bar tender or something as he was wearing a light colored clothes not dark clothes like the waiters. Anyways. he stood in front of my car; waving his hands to give unwanted directions.
Then when I had finished parking and turned off the ignition, he made a gesture like to say the rear end of car is sticking out. I ignored. Then he told my mother that the car is sticking out onto the road. This was not true. My mother told him, we're not blocking anybody are we? The guy had to agree because it was the truth.
The manager or the owner Harpo should tell this guy to refrain from annoying patrons. Parking at bay leaf is not an issue, so unwanted help is just that….unwanted.
Sorry it was Rs 4000 total. Still steep Rs 2000 per person for food and drink that usually doesn't cost much.
Food is consistently good - the restaurant probably needs a face-lift. A/C rooms upstairs are too dark and a little musty. Service standards have also dropped-off a little. Waiters look bored and not interested.
We ordered a Trio bruschetta for starter, Beef lasagna and spaghetti bolognese for mains, a passion fruit juice and Cassata alla Cicilliana for dessert.
The starter was executed well. It was simple, fresh and delicious. The mains though looked like a small portion actually left us full. Packed with flavour, cooked well and nicely presented. The dessert was the winner, it had everything I was craving for- cheesecake, ice cream and italian sponge carefully layered and topped with strawberry coulis. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet and you could taste each of those elements separately skillfully brought together giving an already satisfying meal an excellent finish.
All the ingredients used were of good quality and fresh. The dishes were a happy marriage of flavours, pleasing the taste buds.
The ambience was superb and the service excellent. Had a pleasant time and a meal to remember!
5/5
AdamG
They serve good Italian food. Obviously Harpo's Pizza is a safe bet. The menu has a nice variety of options. The food has been top notch consistently. The restaurant has a nice ambience, especially if you go in the evening. This place is good even for a romantic date.
5/5
Angie
Excellent Italian fare for reasonable prices. Lovely ambience and attentive service.
5/5
Shaxrina
Best place to have the best margaritas with your girls ❤️