Paan Pann:

“If they can’t have bread, let them have cake!” Marie-Antoinette infamously said and lost her head. Paan Paan’s founder Aboo Yusoof, head firmly on shoulders, says, “Colombo has fabulous cakes, but no good speciality breads. We want to be the local bread specialists.” Colombo is steeped in bread talk nowadays. Bread speciality places are on the rise. Plentiful new rising stars (pun not intended). But Paan Paan differentiates itself in being home-grown.

Admittedly, ingredients aren’t indigenous. Products are Dutch-origin Baker’s, imported from Malaysia by Expo Lanka. Mr Aboo’s older brother Hanif might head Expo Lanka, yet Mr Aboo it seems is the bread-winner… Their Lorensz Road test bakery converted into a commercial bakery because flour they supply around town was highly esteemed but thought too steep. Therefore, they sought to demonstrate that the quality-price equation is navigable profitably. Dough good to others and good dough will come to you.So Mr Aboo announced Paan Paan, quintessentially Lankan in name, but with a universality, pane being bread in many European languages, pain in French, pau in Hindi etc. Recipes are a mélange of Baker’s and those of Chef Jagath, formerly at Cinnamon Lakeside.

At Paan Paan Chef offers the intriguing Purple Wheat Bread, but for the smattering of sugar, the very pink or rather the purple of perfection. Try too sugar-free Multi-seed Low GI loaf, curiously with a greater fat/calorie content than the sugared Multi-seed Brown Bread. The in-house nutritionist eventually explains the Low GI loaf is dense with bran, sunflower and lin seeds. Otherwise, there’s sugarfree wholemeal loaf. “It doesn’t taste of much,” I remark. “It isn’t meant to,” Mr Aboo retorts. “It’s for diabetics.” This isn’t to say diabetics must eat joylessly. Perhaps this bread tastes better toasted, but perhaps I prefer Prima’s sugarfree wholemeal.
Bartusa, which Mr. Aboo promotes zealously, despite my aversion for white breads, pulsates deliciously with crushed pepper, olives, bell peppers, mozzarella and olive oil. If this Spanish bread impresses, I’m less compelled by a limp, bland French baguette and focaccia and ciabata that are Italian but in name and shape with none of the defining flavour and feel.
Textures at Paan Paan could improve across the board and certain loaves need crustiness. Nevertheless, you’re invited to sample before purchase and if you don’t I’ve spotted Mr. Aboo pursue customers out enquiringly. Commendable concept and ardour. However, these aren’t quite the breads at the two Hiltons, arguably Colombo’s only of European standard. Then again, not everyone can afford daily bread from 5-Stars and Paan Paan makes speciality bread accessible to a wider audience.

Furthermore, they don’t dissipate concentration and quality by floundering in too many products. They do bread. And bread-based confections like coffee buns and soon-to-launch doughnuts. And, of course, Chef Jagath’s splendid muffins. If you’re lucky, you might even have gorgeously tender, too-hot-to-handle ebony brown chocolate chip muffins oven-fresh.

“Will you have cakes?” I query. “We’re Paan Paan, not Cake Cake!” Mr. Aboo is emphatic. But then the cookies they launched this week? A minor aberration, Mr. Aboo winks. Fortunately, as Chef Jagath who once acquired renown for his cookies at Cinnamon Lakeside’s high tea now daily dispenses these cookies freshly. Chocolate chip cookie might be very naughty but stunning. Oat and raisin is tastefully healthy (or healthier). Ginger is potent, but sweet like coconut, husky-crusted with an extraordinary sponginess like a sea anemone.
Paan Paan is little but gives lots to talk about. Unless your mouth be too stuffed with goodies.

Casa Colombo:

Their dough hasn’t yet risen to fame. Yet, with their flair for fusion, they’ve redefined roast paan as fine finger food with a texture akin to French brioche and trimmed into batons served with coconut chutney and spiced tomato dips.
Yet, it’s the little-known breadsticks, stacked like magic wands, that demonstrate wizardry of technique. Their bread specialist is a 23-year-old Madhushan, with experiences at Prima and Fab. However, the bread sticks are a recipe designed with Dubai-trained Executive Chef Kareem. Whilst products can be erratic, when the chefs are in meticulous mode/mood, these breadsticks assume a golden brittleness and exquisite flavour unparalleled in Colombo, indeed evocative of Europe. Slithered in cheese, beauty-spotted in black olives, garlic-encrusted, onion-swirled or quirky with curry leaves, the bread sticks are sheer stick-kers for perfection.
Chefs also mix several flours, including famous Rex Milano, to fashion interesting creations. Rye, deep and sugarless, is my recommendation. As for potato and onion loaves and herb focaccia, request though you might for unsugared breads, the sugar seems to sneak nefariously in and breads can be sweeter than cake. Perhaps Marie-Antoinette’s utterances are wise in the Colombo context.

Bake House:

Might be flanked by more flamboyant new-comers but continues to exhale the fragrance of hot hot freshly baked breads woefully wanting at more clinical contemporary outlets, especially as none, not even the above entries, exclude hovering flies. If one is to consume sugared, caloried breads, then at least Bake House’s contains the flavour of yeast and of the East: that wonderful local flavour and sturdy crust that crackles at crunch. Understandably, this institution continues to be the common man’s daily bread.

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