Taking its name after the Colombo 03 street on which it is located, Café Bagatalle, emerges as a gastronomic haven from among Colombo city’s restaurants and cafes, for anyone and everyone in search of health food.
Conveniently situated in the premises of the Colombo’s men’s sartorial landmark – The Envoy Mansion – at the Bagatalle Road / Duplication Road angle, what sets Café Bagatalle apart is its sole focus on healthy and wholesome food and beverages. With a growing interest in health food among large numbers of Sri Lankans and expatriates living in Colombo, Café Bagatalle thus provides the ideal setting for making life changing decisions.
The brainchild behind Café Bagatalle is the widely travelled, Sri Lanka’s menswear guru Fouzul Hameed who himself is a fitness fanatic and a relentless advocate of healthy food and healthy living, and thus, a healthy lifestyle.
Joining this project as a consultant is Chef Rajendra Prem Kumar who brings with him years of wide ranging and rich culinary experience gained both in Sri Lanka and overseas destinations such as Germany, Vietnam, Bangkok, Hawaii, Algeria and South Africa.
Fouzul Hameed said that a lot of thought went into the creation of Café Bagatalle. “Our mission is to make this a holistic offering to our fellow Sri Lankans. Both men and women tend to neglect themselves after a certain age. This should not be so. The older one gets biologically, the more one should take care of one’s food and exercise. Café Bagatalle offers exactly that to its discerning customers who try to make conscious decisions concerning their lives. The Café offers everyone a chance to make healthy choices and conveniently so without having to compromise on quality and value for money”, Hameed added.
A study conducted by the World Health Organisation indicates that Sri Lanka has a prevailing problem of overweight that has affected 26.1% of its adult population. This is a problem that will continue to grow if not met with timely interventions. (http://www.searo.who.int/srilanka/lka_en.pdf?ua=1)
An improper, unhealthy diet and a general lack of interest in one’s health have been identified as the main reasons that lead to being overweight and obesity. Thus in the backdrop of a rapidly growing awareness of healthy and non-healthy food, Café Bagatalle is a timely move which offers its customers an extensive menu of healthy food and beverages with a Sri Lankan and international flavour and very reasonably priced too.
Café Bagatalle serves up a large variety of western and intercontinental cuisine with a Sri Lankan twist, all of which are prepared fresh, and to order. Each dish is planned and cooked to perfection. Intended to be low carb, and low in calories. Café Bagatalle also provides nutritional information of each of its dishes on the menu. The menu is extensive and very vegetarian friendly too. Also available on the menu are a wide range of beverages including fresh juices and smoothies, expertly concocted mixing different kinds of local fresh produce.
With ample parking in the premises of the Envoy Mansion premises, Café Bagatalle is open from 10 am to 10 pm and offers a serene and calm ambience with options for both indoor and outdoor seating. The minimally but tastefully decorated cafe is cosy and has optimised the use of natural light. It also keeps a unique fitness theme running by incorporating stability balls, stationary cycles and spinners as outdoor furniture. It is also surrounded by a lot of greenery making it a truly nourishing experience in the heart of Colombo.