Pizzas & Pastries at Bakerloo

by Iyath Adam

Recently, we visited the Bakerloo Bakery & Café, a place known for their baked goods and cosy feel.

Located in Hulhumale’, at the corner of Ahigas Magu, Bakerloo offers both inside and outside seating. The entrance to the café has a lot of plants in different shaped pots, set against cool white walls – very calming and refreshing. The inside is much of the same; light interior, lots of plants and wooden tones.

The first thing that hit us when we walked in was the delicious smell of something tomato-y (later we realised it was pizza as we saw pizza boxes being sent out for delivery). The display case had a delicious-looking assortment of pastries and desserts, including chocolate cheese tart slices, small pots of crème brûlée and golden chicken puffs.

We sat down at a table in the corner and after some deliberating, decided to go for the spicy chicken and spicy beef pizzas, based on recommendations we had received from friends before. Both pizzas were made with the in-house scotch bonnet sauce, which we were very excited to try!

While waiting for our pizzas to arrive, we decided to sample their chicken puffs from the display case. Definitely a good choice. The chicken filling was creamy and cooked perfectly and went well with the puff pastry base around it. And it was small enough to not ruin our appetites for our mains.

Although the wait was a bit longer than we had anticipated, our pizzas finally arrived. Served on wooden boards, both pizzas had a rustic, crisp looking crust – which is definitely a marker of good pizzas. And we weren’t disappointed!

The crust was chewy with a nice crumb. The mozzarella was gooey and melty, just how you’d want on a hot slice of pizza. The beef and chicken (on both pizzas) were evenly distributed. But what really set the pizzas apart for us was the house-made scotch bonnet sauce. Spicy, tangy with a slight sweetness to it, it was the perfect pizza sauce, and different to the plain tomato sauce topping you usually see.  

Be warned though, if you have a low tolerance for spice, this pizza might not be for you. The pizza crust provided the perfect balance for the spiciness of the sauce though (think taking alternative bites of the topping and the crust).

We also ordered a sweet treat from Bakerloo’s dessert menu. We went with an indulgent chocolate cheese tart slice.

The dish was presented beautifully, with fruit, crushed nuts, and a sweep of Nutella on the side. The tart had a chocolate crust with a layer of cheese, followed by a chocolate mousse-like layer. It was a bit less sweet than we had expected but the taste balanced itself out when coupled with the Nutella and chopped nuts. Definitely a good end to our meal.

All in all, we left satisfied – our bellies full and appetites curbed. Bakerloo is certainly a café worth checking out in Hulhumale’ – both for the good food and the ambiance.