Something more to talk about at Park Street

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Asked if their theme basically means 'let the bread do the talking', FoodBuzz Managing Director Yatila Wijemanna breaks into a smile.

"BreadTalk is a unique experience for Sri Lanka. We function in 17 countries today with over 600 outlets in Asia. A lot of creativity and time goes into preparing out food items which caters to customer tastes from all walks of life. We have invested basically Rs. 400 million to the Sri Lankan franchise and hope to on investing another Rs.150 million to expand its chain of outlets in Colombo," Yatila said referring to the boutique bakery which houses a wide array of bakery items to satisfy foodies of all tastes.

Just a couple of months after opening their maiden shop in Lipton Circus, BreadTalk opened doors of their second outlet at Park Street, Colombo 2, recently.

Located in a 100 year old colonial building, the interior comprises the eating area, display section, counters and an open kitchen - the largest owned by BreadTalk. The outdoors area comprises a cafe style atmosphere.

"We can accommodate up to 70 people but we have room to expand the number if there is an event which demands more people to be present. The products are prepared with various items like whole meal flour, unpolished rice toast and sunflower seeds. Green tea breads are also available for those who are health conscious and who like to try out something new. The premise houses around 100 different items. They have also included several local products which they have customized and brought to the fore. They expect to expand their local items range in the future.

"Our signature item is the Flosss. The bun makes up the texture and there is a cream in the middle. The bun is topped with shredded chicken. We have sold over 50 million Flosss across the world and it is recorded that a Flosss is sold in every 10 seconds," he said adding that the Flosss is also the most popular product in their Sri Lankan outlets as well.

The new outlet also refrains from including pork items. Alcohol is also not used to prepare their products. The 'Family budget pack' is one of their special promotions which they have to make as this is a family-oriented hotspot.BreadTalk Founder Director Raquel Yaseen Wijemanne adds that the flour used to prepare the bread, cake and pastry items is especially imported from its origin destination, Singapore."It is a secret recipe developed by BreadTalk and distributed among all their outlets.

If you take our products you would notice that they are very soft and very pure. We have selected and mixed the correct qualities to ensure that our customers get the best products for their money," Yalitha explained.