2A, Sulaiman Terrace, Jawatte Road, Colombo 5
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The Cakery used to be a resident favourite amongst the plebs at office, but they've long since dwindled in terms of service and food.
The Cakery has been an all-time favourite amongst the staff here at YAMU and it only makes sense for me to try them out what with all the hype. We dropped in on a gloomy Tuesday and unfortunately, they didn't live up to the hype (TRUST NO ONE).
They've introduced an all day breakfast menu which means they've got a range of pancakes, bagels and other types of breakfast fare available throughout the day. They're also running a promotion where your second breakfast item gets 50% off, so that's a perk.
The Salmon Bagel (Rs. 680) came toasted, stuffed with a generous portion of salmon and cream cheese. While it looks appetising the initial bite left us wondering why life is full of illusions because the bagel was tough. A real pity because it would have made an otherwise delectable treat, but bid adieu to your dentures if you wish to indulge.
The Peaches and Cream French Toast (Rs. 280 on account of the special discount) had us baffled as to what it actually was because it was so horrendously undercooked, it tasted much like a bland custard rather than french toast. The only saving grace were the peach slices. The cream was fresh and light but sadly did nothing to salvage the rest of the elements in this dish.
The Lemon and Blueberry Cake (Rs. 280 by the slice) was once my all-time favourite slice of goodness. However, the glace icing strongly tasted of egg yolk which is an absolute no-no and I regret to report that we didn't find this appetising at all.
The Chocolate Cake (Rs. 180) wasn't so bad compared to the rest. The cake was moist albeit rather crumbly, and the icing was more of a thick ganache that hits the spot if you're looking for something heavily chocolatey.
The Mocha (Rs. 440) was a strange concoction because it had an adequate amount of chocolate in it but had a distinct coconut-y flavour seeping through. The coffee is heavily diluted by a lot of water which makes it easy to drink but not easy to enjoy.
The Macchiato (Rs. 380) was surprisingly nice but it wasn't really an actual macchiato. There was an adequate amount of espresso but way too much milk — not exactly dotted. I recommend you get this if you're looking to wash the cake down with a caffeine hit.
The Cakery hasn't really changed in terms of ambience save for a few switches in seating areas here and there. The place is massive with plenty of seating for about 50+ people, and they've also got an outdoor seating area that's quite pretty with cement tables and benches. Upstairs on the balcony is another seating area decked out with giant blue umbrellas and an exceedingly dirty tiled floor, so if you don't mind the crows then it's a cool place to chill at with a group of friends. In addition to all this, they have a play area for children upstairs, and they're known for hosting a few workshops for kids so call them up if you're interested.
The service though, good grief, was in all honesty shabby at best. The staff seemed to be having a jolly old time behind the counter, quipping jokes at each other and other fun activities. Despite being friendly, the service is heavily in need of some touching up, as our food took about 40 minutes to get to our table in spite of having cakes and whatnot ready-made. Also a side note: they're very good at taking 3-4 orders at once over the counter and conveniently forgetting/messing up. It didn't help that the dishes and mugs were dirty and stained.
Speaking of convenience, it'd be a real treat to work here because it seems that the staff are granted unrestricted access to the pantry. The servers are known for helping themselves to the food and drink which must be real nice. While the bill was being settled, the server was helping themselves to a handsome snack (a salmon bagel) which I found tremendously advantageous, especially since peasants like me have to pay for our food.
It appears that when Bhagya visited them three days prior to us, everything was fine. So watch out, the service here is erratic at best. Nevertheless in an effort to be fair, I will say go right ahead and try their range of cakes. Here's hoping they get back on their feet soon and return to their glory days.
We recently went back to The Cakery to see how they're doing.
The Cakery was a massive hit amongst the YAMU staff back in the day but they've slowly declined in terms of service and food.
The Cakery is amazing. There's almost nothing to complain about, and everything to like.
The Cakery by The English Cake Company is one of the most popular spots in Colombo for fresh baked cakes. A few things have changed since our last visit, but the cakes are still good.
The Cakery used to be a resident favourite amongst the plebs at office, but they've long since dwindled in terms of service and food.
The Cakery used to be a resident favourite amongst the plebs at office, but they've long since dwindled in terms of service and food.
Address
2A, Sulaiman Terrace, Jawatte Road, Colombo 5
Directions
Turn to Sulaiman Terrace from Jawatte Rd. The Cakery is about 50m down the lane.
Contacts
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Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
2/5
What a sad sight it is to see how poor this place is now compared to years ago. Miserable service - often have to wait while the staff finish chatting amongst themselves before you're served. Coffee is served lukewarm and takes an age to arrive. Lighting inside is very dim - not in a romantic way, more of a 'we can't be bothered updating' kind of way.
The cakes are still fine. Some very good, some mediocre.
Sadly, it seems the owners have done nothing to fix the issues despite having several poor reviews.
3/5
Huge plus on ready-made cakes and stuff and ambiance. I love and enjoy both these whenever I'm there.
Food and service on the other hand is an entirely different story. Both aspects cry for revamping so much so that I cannot recommend anyone to eat other than a piece of cake on a paper plate there.
5/5
They got Cakes yo ,they taste goood .Alittle on the sweet side but still 🤑 ,the manager was such a nice guy he gave me cookies on the house.
5/5
My kids love the cakes. The slices are quite big and generous and the price seems high as most people are probably comparing to the mass produced cake in the market. But good things don't come cheap. Why? - because it costs more to make them ! The Chocolate fudge cake and the Peanut butter cake are divine !
Love what Panino does to a good old "roast paan". Ha, I picked up the tricks of the trade by watching how they make it. The amount of cheese they put in that thing should be outlawed! Try the pulled BBQ chicken melt sandwich, it is awesome !
By the way we always buy from the good market stalls, and must visit the outlet some day.
5/5
Come on YAMU! Only 4 stars!?! Granted, there are a few issues such as the lack of adequate seating. And the staff is not that well trained, but hey are always nice and willing to help - which is a lot more than I can say for most local places. But I'd give these guys 5 stars just for the food!!
I mean, really, have you ever had any cake in Colombo which even comes close to the sheer brilliance of theirs?
And for people who are complaining about the price, do you have any idea how much some of those ingredients cost? These prices are very reasonable, even bordering on cheap. Try buying cheesecake at the Hilton.
5/5
Wonderful place lovely food I just wish they made a good espresso too and it would have been heaven.
3/5
I Agree. Panino have the best cakes and sandwiches… and although the price seems a bit high, it is really value for money. However, their service……. well that is something totally different. I've been there on three occasions now, and the service has been the same…… slow to non-existent. On my last visit, I was standing around feeling rather awkwards since no one took my order, and the (Chef/Owner/Manager???) was leaning on the counter chatting with a girl and the others were just standing around staring…… it was after 10 minutes that someone actually approached me to ask if I had been served, and that was by the guy in the picture above. If they could really give a better customer service, then this would be super perfect!!
Agree. They need more seating space. They should consider expanding the seating area with more plastic chairs (not those tiny stools) on the road/pavement. Would be quite nice in the evenings, sans the traffic.
Have visited the cakery and have to agree that more seating space should be provided…loved the Choc Orange cake from the cake company and the panino sandwiches
I think the cakery is over rated, and over priced. Sometimes for Sri Lankans, when a foreigner is behind the operation, there is nothing greater than that. There are lots of Sri Lankan run home bakers, who make much better cakes.
Been there a few times, and the food is out of this world, but the open kitchen looks a mess, and the staff was eating while cooking, which put me off!
Compared to most outlets like coffee bean, barista and even one of my favourites, coco veranda, the cakery represents superb value for money. To compare home bakers and cakery with their different overheads, etc is quite foolish. Also both cakery and panino are a local/foreign combo and I like the place because both parties are very personable in addition to the food being good. Paninis are a bit expensive but still good.
Not sure what the issue is with eating in a kitchen, quite strange IMHO to find that a problem. Place seems hygienic and since it is open plan this should be apparent.
They are very friendly but a bit amateur when it comes to customer service. Mixing up orders, sometimes forgetting stuff and taking awhile to get bills done but I reckon that is more down to growing pains. All in all highly recommended.
The food is good, as it was at the good market. But the service is lacking -- some kids working there appeared to be high-schoolers, with no real training on customer service. Also -- really this place has such potential -- but totally lacks ambience. Not just seating, it needs more warmth and colour. Serving up home-prepared foods that give you an instant warm-fuzzy feeling, in a cold character-less place feels like an anomaly.
I went there on a Sunday with a couple of friends to grab some brunch and not only was their BBQ chicken melt sandwich so good but their raspberry & lime cake was just downright delicious!
The service was quite good and the staff was friendly. Sitting outside the shop felt like I was just sitting down my lane enjoying a quite relaxed Sunday eating good food with good company. So I definitely liked the ambiance.
Overall I thought the price was quite reasonable especially regarding the quality of food that was served!
I am distinctly unhappy with the fact that they will not provide a bill for the money I pay. I feel it's somehow an underhand flaunt of the country's laws and this means I probably will avoid this place.
Loved cakery and panino since it opened …costumer services is hit or miss but at least with a smile and delish food! Best cakes in Colombo in my humble opinion and value for money …until recently…
I've been 3x now in the last 3 months ( used to go More often) and have been really disappointed with the quality control of cakes…. It's as worth going out of my way before but I'm a bit put off now by dry cakes and watery coffee…. Hope it improves "
Highly overrated . As usual if a foreigner operates anything "it's the best" is the Lankan mentality. Paan Paan Delifrance and sandwiches at most cafés are far superior. The kade paan is not the original bread fired in a clay oven. Cakes are nothing special to crave for.
What has happened to Panino??? I went there recently after a long absence, and I was so sad to see a decline in their food quality. I never believed they had good service , but their food was quite good. Well, gone are the roast paan sandwiches, and in its place they have a thing called a 'stack'. I ordered the smoked salmon priced at Rs. 550, and found it to be filling-centered…… meaning the filling was only towards the centre of the bun. It was more bread than anything else, and the cheese…. oh Gosh…. some stinky, cheap, horrible tasting cheese! I had to eat something else just to get the horrible taste out of my mouth.
I certainly wouldn't go there again. Horrible, horrible, horrible…… yuck! Absolutely NO value for money!!!
Ha ha, That "horrible tasting" cheese is apparently mature gouda cheese made by an english gentleman in Kandy and is very expensive. I suppose when people are used to the plain plastic chess you get in Srilanka, real cheese seems "yuck". Sometimes if a foreigner makes something foreign they ARE actually better than someone local making them as they are made to the right taste and not Srilankanised in anyway. My 2 cents anyway….
Also no receipt is done on purpose by the managers. The 2 way display not only explains why they don't that also show what they are charging you for. They are doing this to save money, not because they are cheep but for environmental reasons. they would print you one if you ask for one. They don't give/sell any plastics at all as well (sometime inconvenient) but can understand what they are trying to do. Well done
Well obviously PeterF is a great fan of Panino (or maybe he's related to the owners????), but I for one don't want my lunch to have stinky, awful tasting cheese. I may not be a cheese connoisseur, but I certainly like mine to smell and taste creamy. But what about the poor quality (or rather quantity) of the filling? I suppose great cheese lovers don't really mind that at all, as long as your cheese is expensive and it is made by an "English Gentleman" and the place charges you a mint for stinky sandwich.
Anyway, opinions are opinions, and for one hate it! (I used to love it there, but not anymore)
So I assume cheese that suits the western palette is the right one and Sri Lankanised cheese isn't? Wow what a snobbish comment that is. Ashy is right about this mentality in our culture and I doubt we'll ever progress socially if it remains. I don't honestly see why people keep criticising 'Sri Lankanised' palette when it is already a melting pot of so many foreign cultures anyway. As for the cakery, though the cakes are heavenly the flies and other externals are a bit of a turn off
BEWARE of ordering home delivery from the English Cake Company with a credit card. If you do, the total price will be in USD, AND their exchange rate is 100 (as opposed to USDLKR of approx. 130)…! That means, that if you're using a LKR denominated credit card, you'll be paying approx. 33% more on your credit card bill, because your bank will use the going rate. I bought this to the attention of the owner (I think) 6 days a go, and checked again today. Nothing has changed…!!
Dirty Place with flies everywhere and Dry Cakes
I have visited this place earlier several times. Thought the place was amazing. Yet I visited the same place on 31/10/2015 and I was shocked. My previous visits were great, cakes, coffee ware very good and the place was awesome as it reminds me the UK where I did my higher studies.
Yet on 31st October 2015, when I went to the same place it was horrible. The place was unbelievably dirty. The people worked there haven’t a slight idea about the cleanliness. All the counter tops and table tops were covered with flour, chocolate egg shells and other dirt. The sink in the kitchen was full of dirty dishes and pans. Floor was covered in mud. Simply the place was very dirty.
Though it was dirty I bought cakes from the place. They are even worse than the place. Too dry to eat. I took two of my friends there suggesting them that the Cakery sells the best cakes in the town. I was ashamed to find out that I was wrong. I have never tasted drier cakes ever. Since they are expanding the business have they given up the quality? Sorry to say it seems like nobody cares about the place anymore. Sad…………………………………
Hot chocolate and the Passion victoria are amazing. When I went there, the place was very clean and the staff is very friendly. Had high tea another day and it was pretty cute too. Some Sri Lankans may not like the taste of lime and passion cheesecake but it is divine. I would suggest to include more spicy food to the high tea, because Sri Lankans love spicy food and then only the sweets come…. :)
Although they now have a bigger space the quality of the service is poor. There are no labels for any of the food items if at all they are mixed up. One of the guys behind the counter was extremely rude and displayed so much attitude we were completely put off by the place.
Went there this morning. I must say they use very subtle tricks to hoodwink customers in way more ways than one. For instance, this morning, I ordered the Breakfast Bagel(salmon and egg with hollandaise sauce), of which the price was marked "Rs.400-550" and when I ended up paying a bill of LKR 3000+, this displayed as 660 ! I have no idea what the 400-550 range meant, but it didn't seem to matter either way, as they charged a exorbitant 600+10% SC ! The price discrepancy is comfortable aided, by the non-issuance of bills.
While at many international cafes(Delhi airport cafetarias, starbucks worldwide etc) they say, if you do not receive a bill, consider your meal FREE; the cake factory proudly says "we do not issue detailed bills" or something to that effect on the display counter. Disappointed !
Smoked salmon stack is a complete joke @ 600 bucks, clumps of cream cheese and a few slivers of salmon that is cooked, not smoked. I mean, why even fucking bother?
I agree with Maya. This place is extremely over rated. The service is very weak, almost non-existent. Atmosphere is dull, unprofessional, unclean, not tasty, and it's so utterly useless.
Went there once, and hated it. Overpriced the cakes are rubbish, dry and tasteless. Chocolate cake at Family Super in Mount Lavinia is far better…
The quality of the place has definitely dropped in the last few months. I used to like the smoked salmon stack and it was horrible the last time I had it. Cakes are also kind of inconsistent. Beverages are sad. I only go there now because there's a lot of space for groups at the new premises. Really hope they'd get these things sorted out.
Went there just today and had a terrible experience where the staff was openly discussing on their internal problems. They took in my request for a spaghetti for their pasta dish and came with penne and when i tried to correct the waiter he was saying I ordered the pasta dish not spaghetti…. I rest my case :D Also the food was'nt good.
I used to love this place :|
Their savories seem to be improving a bit. Had a few pleasant meals in the last couple of weeks.
TOTAL DISSAPOINTMENT, DO NOT GO THERE.
I went there placing a reservation a day before. Waited 10 minutes to talk to a staff member and I was asked to be seated. Waited another 10 minutes and no one came to serve us. Went back again to the counter and informed that I have put a reservation for the high tea, again I was asked to sit by another staff member. They were busy serving the take away customers. Waited again 5 minutes and no one came. We left without even having high tea. Such a disappointment. They don't even give a damn about their customers. Such a horrible experience!
Visited this place last evening. It was a complete disappointment. Cakes were just so DRY! Kinda seems like they are selling old stuff or using low quality ingredients. Sigh. I used to love their stuff…
I use to patronise the Cakery long before they opened the outlet at Suleiman Terrace. In the good old days Ellie or Yohan would take the orders personally and the food was always fine. Sadly, over the years my patronage dwindled and is now dead, mostly because of what I witnessed whist waiting for orders to be processed. one time a staff member picked up a glass, had a drink of water off it and replaced it straight back on the shelf. Another time, the cleaner held the mop right into the sink and washed it out. Many times staff appeared from the kitchen munching away The last couple of times I visited, the outlet looked down right dirty, hardly what you expect when you enter to buy food. The service was always slow and they often muddled up orders, They didn't sometimes know how to operate the credit card machine. A visit to the Cakery could never be made in a hurry. The cakes often looked messy but were good, but cleanliness can't be compromised.
I couldn't agree more with this comment. That is exactly what struck me the in plain sight complete lack of hygiene. I don't have the time to chronicle it all here - but I think twice about going there now. I buy their cakes occasionally but I have no desire to eat their food.
Hey Yamu, although obviously we are really saddened by this review, we always find your reviews so helpful and we can ensure we take action to get things right next time – it was good to know we are still one of your favourites and another reviewer had a good experience three days ago. Certainly we know we need to improve on the consistency of our service. Just to let you know the bagels are freshly baked every day and the Peaches and Cream French toast is oven-baked which means it’s not very toasty – a little bit more like bread pudding. Thanks to your review we will make this clearer on our menu. Also the icing on the lemon & blueberry cake is just icing and lemon juice – no eggs anywhere – and we do not serve Macchiato coffees. I’m very sorry that we have clearly offended your reviewer this time though – this mention of “hype” and “peasants” and our “conveniently” getting orders confused. Why would this be convenient for us?! Although I notice she called her colleagues at your office “plebs” so perhaps this negativity extends more widely than just us! Hopefully you will give us a little time to remedy these problems and come back to check whether we have improved – we will! Very best wishes to you all, Eli & Yohan.
Don't just respond to the review…its just one person…hope you looked at the plethora of negative reviews below your own response and hopefully try and do something about that. This review itself should not have given you the impetus to improve but instead the comments from the everyday average normal guy who visits.
I myself visited twice last year and had two bitterly disappointed ventures (many of the same reasons listed in the comments) and since not visited. Hope you do improve so good luck to you.
Thanks a lot for your supportive comment, Eli & Yohan! We're sure we'll enjoy our visits to the Cakery again in the future.
PS: Don't take Sarah's jokes too seriously, she lovingly calls us plebes all the time.
As someone who was a frequent customer, and wishes The Cakery success - I can only agree with this most recent review. I still generally find the quality of the cakes to be good… It's the service that really is the glaring negative. It shouldn't be such a complicated procedure placing an order and paying. Often there are 3 staff members taking different orders, no real idea of who pays first, seemingly making payment at a different counter each time. Staff are constantly chatting to each other while ignoring customers, it's rare for the staff to proactively offer assistance… Really disappointed with the service each time I visit.
Just enjoying the bashing of this buisness.Anyway im too poor for this place, not as rich as the colombo aunties complaining here.
Loved the fact that the bar was initially set well above average; can't stomach mediocre service after all that. it's nice to see see how feedback is being absorbed as we really want our Cakery back :)
I had the best customer experience at The Cakery. I went there to buy a sweet for my mom and and I ended up talking about my mom with the manager. (I hope I got the designation right) After talking speaking with him for few minutes, I got what I wanted free. The experience overwhelmed me. ♥♥♥
It's a great place……the quality of food is really good ………but it has less parking space which makes me worry……anyways keep up your good work
2/5
Banon
What a sad sight it is to see how poor this place is now compared to years ago. Miserable service - often have to wait while the staff finish chatting amongst themselves before you're served. Coffee is served lukewarm and takes an age to arrive. Lighting inside is very dim - not in a romantic way, more of a 'we can't be bothered updating' kind of way.
The cakes are still fine. Some very good, some mediocre.
Sadly, it seems the owners have done nothing to fix the issues despite having several poor reviews.
1/5
Bianca
Its getting worse day by day…the lights are pretty bad and quality of food is very poor
3/5
MAITHREEA
Huge plus on ready-made cakes and stuff and ambiance. I love and enjoy both these whenever I'm there.
Food and service on the other hand is an entirely different story. Both aspects cry for revamping so much so that I cannot recommend anyone to eat other than a piece of cake on a paper plate there.