I’ve developed a liking for long lazy Sunday brunches lately. It’s a nice way to bond with friends and spend time over something that I love and if you’ve read my blog on and off you won’t have any doubts : eating, of course.
I mean what can be better than 3–4 hours of conversation and chatter over prawns, dum biryani, dahi puri, aloo chat and marshmallows with chocolate sauce! I like the idea of catching up with friends and dear ones over tom yum soup. It gives me a nice warm feeling inside. And unlimited martinis. And sparkling wine.
I’m always on the look-out for good Sunday brunch places : they’re not always very reasonable though (is there such a thing anymore, but on the bright side the alcohol is unlimited :-). Over the years, I’ve had the chance to sample a few of Bangalore’s brunches. Here are a few.
Casa del Sol: The ambience is nice on Sundays. There is a live musician singing. You can make your own pot, get some face painting done. There are kids running all over the place. And there’s also unlimited wine and sangria and beer. The food is decent and the live counters : pasta, omelets are good : and usually crowded so get there early if you want your food on time! It’s priced at around Rs 600. 131, Devatha Plaza, Residency Road, Bangalore. Call 80 41510101‎.
Limelight @ Royal Orchid: I like the space that RO offers : the lawns are also there expansive and good for kids to run around. They have a decent spread of salads which I like. And also lots of truffles and goodies and chocolate covered delights. The main course usually has both continental Indian selection and the sparkling wine and beer is unlimited. There was even a tarot card reader who gave me the answer to my “question” (ask any question, she said!). She looked at the cards I picked for a minute and was ready with her answer in a trice, leaving me in a tizzy. Go forth and have fun! Rs 950 (all inclusive). The Royal Orchid, Airport Road. Call 080 25201330.
Olive Beach: This is sheer indulgence. But the spread is lavish and decadent to say the least. The salads are a delight and they have among other things : cheese and breads, live counters for pasta, seafood, and most of all, great cocktails. And of course, unlimited martinis : orange, pineapple, chocolate, kiwi, peach… whatever you want! That of course, pretty much settled it for me. The spread was priced at 1800 at one time and I’ve heard its gone upto Rs 2350. Which means it will probably be an annual pilgrimage for me now. Woods Street, Ashok Nagar. Call 080 41128400.
Lido @ Ista: I still remember the prawns from the lunch. Luscious, with just the right amount of seasoning it was prepared in the grill right in front of us. The desserts section had a variety of tricks and treats, which is a pity, because I like desserts more for their visual impact than for taste! The food itself was okay, I enjoyed the ambience of Ista most of all. The sun deck beside the pool is ideal for lazing around after a long and sumptuous meal. The one with alcohol is priced at around 1200+, but do confirm before booking! Swami Vivekananda Road, Ulsoor. Call 080 25558888.
Citrus @ the Leela: What can I say? I’ve never seen so much food together in one place at one time! I had a difficult time deciding where to start and for the longest time I took deep gulps of champagne while I mulled over the decision. They have all kinds of exotic meats cuts, cheese, salads, and besides Indian cuisine they usually have dishes from a few other countries. Basically, every kind of food available to mankind and that’s the brunch spread for you. You probably don’t need to eat for a week after. Thoroughly enjoyable especially under those umbrellas enjoying the lovely Bangalore weather! This was around 1800 the last time I visited and I’m sure it’s gone up now. Airport Road. Call 80 2521 1234 .
If you know of any other brunch buffets worth sampling, please leave a comment.
(This post seems incomplete without tantalising pictures of food, I’ll get to it sometime soon!)
Hey anita,
The resourceful woman that you always are spreading good information over.
Im eat well too and indulge heartily.
The part where u mention how deep it pinches your pockets is most helpful and lets me plan in advance :)
Thanks!
Arv
Posted by Arvind Dwarakanth | June 18, 2008, 10:21 pmCasa del Sol and Olive Beach have been on my to-do list for too long a time. It is sooo going to get some quick attention now ! :) But, did you say 2 grand at OB? Phew. It better be worth that dough. :)
Posted by Lavanya | June 19, 2008, 10:41 amOberoi has a fantastic sunday brunch too. Rs. 1250/- per head with sparkling wine (indian) and a kiddy section with cotton candy and face painting :) Rogue MOnkey didn’t really take to it though.
we MUST do the Olive brunch together. ogay?
Posted by Aqua | June 19, 2008, 11:52 amIn the not so costly ones, there is ‘The Beach’ on 100ft Road, Indiranagar.
Posted by Anuradha Goyal | June 19, 2008, 3:34 pm@ arvind: yes, that’s important.. it also determines how often i can visit the place! :)
@ lavanya: yes, more than 2 grand! if you like unlimited salads, and martinis… i still feel it’s a sinful amount!
@ aqua: haven’t tried the oberoi one as yet! olive brunch yes. it’s in my annual calendar now :-)
@ anuradha: the beach? is it any good?
Posted by Anita | June 19, 2008, 7:30 pmLooks like the rising inflation has not affected you. God bless your apptetite :)
Posted by Vijay Ganesh | June 19, 2008, 10:32 pmoh somany places to eat , so little space inthe tummy..no wonder someone is happy there, champgne, martini marshmallows with chocolate sauce… you are having loads of fun aren’t you young lady? LOL
Posted by Az Azura | June 23, 2008, 7:06 amI really miss having sunday brunch with my girlfriends.… save me a seat next time, eh? ;)
Posted by smallsquirrel | July 1, 2008, 7:09 amAfter reading this post, I’ve just come to realize that I’ve been an ardent of the Sunday-Brunch Philosophy from god-knows-how long??Lol
Posted by Chillpilgrim | July 4, 2008, 4:23 pmDid we meet in the Auroville half marathon and the run in Chennai? Love sunday brunches…any good ones in Indira nagar. I recently moved to Bangalore and live in Indira Nagar now. Do you run in Bangalore?
Posted by Shumit | August 25, 2008, 6:26 pm@ vijay: hehe :-)
@ azura: true! so little space, sometimes i wish there was much much more to do real justice!
@ smallsquirrel: but, of course!
@ chillpilgrim: good to know!
@ shumit: i was at auroville but not in chennai! i think there are a few in indiranagar on the 100 feet road. royal orchid is also very close by! yes, i do run in bangalore, with RFL, RGI and also with friends!
Posted by Anita | September 3, 2008, 7:19 pmAhhh..thats it. I guess Auroville was probably where i met you. I plan to run with RFL sometime soon and I’ll probably see you there but if you ever want to run n Inidiranagar, I am always game for it
Posted by Shumit | September 8, 2008, 4:31 pmcaperberry has one of the nicest brunches and light on the pocket as well. the restaurant is known to pamper its customers. fresh oyesters, seafood paella , kids loved the waffles and the kiddie corner. relief for the mother!!!!!
Posted by anindita | October 3, 2009, 11:03 pmHi anita,
You info is really helpful. Iv been to some of these places myself. There was this once I went to the leela.
At citrus and had the best sunday brunch ever. At that time I also met with the most famous Sheela Bajaj , she’s from bangalore and the best reader I think.
She was there only that once. And her readings blew my mind away. The effect of the unlimited alchohol dropped.
I quite liked the other places as well.
Nice blog Anita.
Do post some more
Muni
Posted by muneera | August 2, 2010, 2:29 pm@ Anita– Lovely Blog. Nice description of the different places.
Yes all these places have some nice attractions.
@all the others — Another nice place to try is Cilantro. Nice grub there.
Iv seen the tarot readers around too. Some of them are real new and freshers,
Sheela Bajaj is a big name in the city. Her readings are almost magical. Sweet lady.
Posted by Ashfaq | September 14, 2010, 1:08 am