The Bayleaf explores new regions of Italy

By Marianne David

The Bayleaf unveiled new additions to its already extensive and delightful menu on Wednesday, serving up even more exciting dishes for discerning diners.

The restaurant is exploring new regions of Italy via its updated menu, capturing a wide variety of exotic and vibrant flavours and plating them in style, taking diners on a fantastic food tour of Italy.

Soup and starters

On the revised menu, there’s just one new dish under soups and it certainly stands out – the Zuppa di Carote con Arance (cream of carrot and orange soup with dill, served with garlic bread). Every spoonful is exquisite and it’s definitely a must-try. And if you’re a bread fanatic like I am, don’t skip the delightful bread basket here before digging into the mains!

Moving onto antipasto, the section features two new additions – Grigliati di Melanzane con Pesce (tower of marinated grilled eggplant and mullet fillet, layered with tomato bruschetta), which is a delicious and impressive portion, and Mozzarella di Bufala (crispy fried fresh mozzarella on a bed of mixed greens, served with pepper cream sauce), a basic dish taken to the next level by Executive Chef Saroj Kaluarachchi with the fabulous pepper sauce.

Pastas

The Bayleaf is well-known for its fresh homemade pastas and the new additions under this section are quite exciting – Tagliatelle Bietole con avocado and gorgonzola (homemade beetroot pasta with brown butter sauce, cream, avocado, gorgonzola, Brussels sprouts and toasted pine nuts), Turmeric Tagliatelle con Pancetta (homemade turmeric pasta served with bacon, walnuts and pumpkin puree, with a touch of cream and crispy basil), and Tagliatelle Arrosti di Agnello con Funghi (homemade pasta tossed with shredded roast lamb, mushroom, roasted bell pepper, tomato, cream, oregano and parmesan cheese). 

We tried the first two dishes and both were outstanding. The Turmeric Tagliatelle con Pancetta comes laced generously with bacon so it’s sure to be a hit, while the Tagliatelle Bietole con avocado and gorgonzola will certainly be quite popular too, with its interesting mix of flavours.

With all the feasting going on, we simply couldn’t try the dry pastas, of which there are four new additions to The Bayleaf menu, from the south of Italy: Linguine Ai Vegetali Grigliati (pasta tossed with grilled vegetables, dry chilli, garlic, basil, touch of tomato and parmesan), Penne alla Polesine (penne pasta tossed with prawns, roasted capsicum, tomato, cream, oregano and parmesan), Penna con Pollo e Avocado (penne pasta with shredded chicken-ham, cream, cheese sauce and avocado guacamole), and Fussili ai Funghi and Pancetta (short pasta tossed with sausage, bacon, mushroom, onions, parsley and walnuts in a saffron cream sauce).

Seafood

Celebrating Italy’s coastline and fresh seafood, The Bayleaf has also introduced four new seafood dishes.

We tried out two – Sogliola al Forno (sole fish oven baked with bread crumbs, parmesan, roasted tomato and olive and accompanied with salad and pasta), a delightful dish which doesn’t leave you feeling overstuffed, with the fish treated with all the care it deserves, and the Umidi di Pesce Misto (mix of pan-fried mullet, calamari, mussels, mushroom, cherry tomato and baby potato, cooked in white wine and accompanied with lemon sauce), a lovely dish that warms the taste buds and the heart.

The other two new additions are Dentice con Pesto Avocado (marinated pan fried red mullet fillet in a light tomato sauce with white wine, served on a bed of roasted vegetables and potato, accompanied with a spicy pesto avocado salsa) and Tonno all Griglia (marinated grilled tuna steak, served with rocket, tomato and mozzarella).

Desserts

Expanding the fabulous desserts menu – which already features tiramisu and pannetone – are a Sicilian ricotta cheese cake (baked Italian creamy cheesecake with ricotta cheese and served with mixed berry sauce) and the Chef’s special Senese, a light cookie crust of pasta flora base, with a dark chocolate, cream cheese and pine nut filling served with crème Anglaise – quite an interesting dessert indeed.

Best Italian dining experience

Now in its 13th year of operation, The Bayleaf certainly hasn’t rested on its laurels at any point – choosing to constantly change and innovative to ensure continued customer satisfaction.

The restaurant is set in a beautiful mansion and serves up dishes that delight – not only via the new additions but through its entire extensive menu, undoubtedly delivering the most delightful Italian dining experience in Colombo.