It’s the festive season and, normally, you’d be bustling about, meeting family and friends. Stepping out in those beautiful clothes, the all-night card parties, the generous sharing of sweets. But since it’s imperative to be extra careful in the current situation, staying home may be the best gift you give yourself and older family members.
Apart from hanging up a pretty kandeel or decking your verandah with eco-friendly diyas, you could treat your closest ones to a festive feast. My recent experience with the Sofitel BKC weekend brunch tells me it’s perfect for the occasion.
The menu is really extensive and guaranteed to satisfy palates of all ages and tastes. I ordered a mix of all the cuisines to see how they did on every front. They not only aced the taste test but got top marks for packaging, portability and portions too!
The delivery by the hotel’s liveried and white-gloved staff was very professional. The eco-friendly containers arrived in perfect condition with no spillage. I’m quite sure that their pick-up service, where you can place the order and collect it yourself from the hotel, will be just as impeccable.
For the three appetisers that I could choose from the 17 on the menu, I picked the Grilled Pear & Goat Cheese Salad, the Anar Badam Ke Aloo and the Kung Pao Chicken.
While the last one was an ode to the regular Kung Pao from a neighbourhood Chinese joint, the other two were excellent. The salad was like sweet summer on a plate, especially with the caramelised nuts and the separately packed maple vinaigrette, which was the right consistency to drizzle over the succulent slices of grilled pear, crunchy mesclun, cherry tomatoes and crumbly goat cheese. The punchy flavours of the scooped out potatoes filled with pomegranate, cheese, nuts and spices had me salivating, as any good appetiser is supposed to.
The Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup with garlic bread that I had selected was also flavourful and refreshing.
For the mains, it was a really difficult decision to pick just two out of nine vegetarian options and a dozen non-vegetarian ones! After a lot of dithering, I went with the Italian Truffle Risotto made with wild mushrooms and a typical Parsi Salli Boti. The risotto was just right — satisfying and moreish. The lamb chunks in the Salli Boti, which I had to have the next day because this was a LOT of food, had soaked up the gravy very well and the potato slivers stayed crisp. If like me, you like the sweet-sour-spicy of Parsi dishes cooked with jaggery, tomato, vinegar and chilli, then you’ll absolutely love this one.
Surprisingly, the best part of this lavish and delish spread were the dishes that I found under the Staples section. The Pind de Chholey was actually BETTER than the best of what I’ve had in Amritsar! The chickpeas were cooked to perfection and the sauce they had been simmered it was finger-licking good. The rich black lentil Dal Makhani was also just the way it’s meant to be, whether had with naan or rice.
For dessert, I knew instinctively that I should go, French, drawing from the hotel chain’s heritage. And their absolutely delectable Orange and Chocolate Éclairs rose to the occasion wonderfully. Light and delicate but with the right amount of bite and intensity that only dark chocolate can bring.
The little morsels of Apple Strudel were moist enough not to need the Crème Anglaise that was sent as a pour-over. But this custard sauce was so good, it could almost count as a whole other dessert!
My verdict? This is a great way to bring your favourite selections from the hotel’s various restaurants and enjoy them in the comfort and safety of your home. It’s great value for money and you’re so spoiled for choice that you could do a month of Sunday brunches from here and still feel each spread was unique.
Festivals are all about generosity and sharing and I feel that Sofitel BKC’s brunch truly embodies this spirit.
Where: C 57, G Block BKC, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400051
Phone: 022 6117 5000
