Nepali Times

I love bread. On any given day I’d rather eat bread than rice, which always comes as sounding sacrilegious to my friends. Maybe it is something to do with having spent most of my childhood in boarding school where one had to spend better half of the meal hunting out the weevils that were cooked alongside the rice- who had the time to chuck those nasty little bugs out, right? Or who knows what those nuns were thinking- that it builds character, moral fortitude or were maybe just trying to up our protein intake. Whatever it may be – it left me with a noncommittal attitude to rice.

Bread on the other hand is the best. It goes wonderfully with everything. Or maybe it is just the fact that I love biting into a nice warm chunk of yeasty bun- the simplicity and uncomplicatedness of it providing comfort and succor on even the worst kind of I-hate-myself days.

PICS: RUBY TUESDAY

My idea of heaven includes a little bakery with shelves stocked with loaves fresh from the bakers oven-wholewheat, multigrain, crusty, plaited, cheese topped, whole grain, white sliced, unsliced, with poppy seeds, sugared, rustic chunks perfect for dunking into a bowl of hot minestrone soup or simply torn apart and dipped into a hot cup of chiya and quickly slurped before it disintegrates and sinks to the bottom of the cup. And that brings me to Baker’s Den. The bakery is smack opposite the original BhatBhateni Supermarket in Gairidhara and its shelves are always well-stocked with a variety of breads. They are also renowned for their cakes, though I have yet to sample those.

The bakery is large and spacious and is minimalistic in design- relying on lighting to create the changing ambience as the day progresses. Cool clear and business-like during the day with all the light flooding in from outside, in the evenings it changes itself into a warm yellow lit cocoon.

Baker’s Den is in my neighbourhood and I’ve been a loyal customer since it first opened its doors a few years ago. But I usually rush in; pick up a variety of bread, patties and pastries- both savoury and sweet and rush out. Rarely do I linger for a meal but this time I did and I think I may just have discovered my new favourite sandwich joint.

I had the multigrain foot long, with a romesco spread, basil pesto dressing dribbled on my crunchy vegetables, caramelised onions and sundried tomatoes, chicken salami and cheese sandwich. The romesco sauce is a nut and pepper based sauce that injects piquancy and life into the rest of the ingredients. It is tasty, satisfying and very filling. Also at Rs 499 it is an amazing bargain because you can ask them to cut it in two, share it with your date and voila, you’ve probably just enjoyed one of the cheapest lunch dates to be had in town.

I didn’t think it fair to base my review on just the one sandwich so I ordered the Orange and Blueberry panna cotta (Rs 160) which was light and decent- just ok. But maybe I am to blame for I like my panna cotta thick and creamy and this was more gelatinous than anything. But I’ve been told that their tiramisu (made only when fresh, high quality mascarpone is available) is delicious, so there’s another reason for me to go and linger at their tables.

How to get there: Baker’s Den is right opposite the original Bhat Bhateni Supermarket gate in Gairidhara.