Bountiful Brunch

“A Sunday brunch is a new concept in Chandigarh and we’ve deliberately gone all out to make the concept popular,” says Ashish Bali,the restaurant’s executive chef. Beginning 11 am onwards,every Sunday,the brunch menu tosses up new surprises,including the quintessential Punjabi family meals like choley bhature and tikki-chaat. These find place alongside dishes like steak with barbeque sauce and chicken satay. We found the main course menu very plump and the black bean sweet potato chilli soup was a pleasant surprise. The Sunday brunch at Hometel Chandigarh,is priced at Rs 475 (excluding taxes) and if you are looking for some free spirits (two pints of beer) to guzzle along with your meal,it costs Rs 775 (excluding taxes).

If that is not fancy enough,then head to Zazen,the Oriental fine-diner in Panchkula. Here,the brunch priced at an all inclusive Rs 999,offers a four course meal and a choice of unlimited drinks from the bar (house brands only). But if you are in a mood to detox,opt for the all inclusive package for Rs 699 that lets you start with an Oriental soup. We settled for the former and opted for a Caprioska,which is in the line-up of choices. The brunch at Zazen is timed between 12 noon to 4 pm and the service is very efficient. The starters,which are a good mix of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes,arrived just as we settled down. The Amritsari fish was delectable. Dittto for the Hosin glazed chicken wings. But for those who prefer the Oriental specials at Zazen,the vegetable spring rolls bursting with cheddar cheese and corn kernels will tempt you for a second serving. To add variety to the brunch,Swatantra Gautam,the executive chef has introduced a ‘meal in a bowl’ option,which is the second course. Standing behind the live station as he willingly tossed our choice of ingredients into the wok,Gautam remarked,“We wanted to personalise the eating out experience and therefore dishing a meal in a bowl is based on the diner’s tastes. There are a lot of vegetarians in this town,” says Gautam. There’s also a live pasta counter for those looking to twirl spaghetti instead of pad Thai noodles in their forks. Even though the two courses more than filled us up,there was the main course buffet that boasted predominantly of Pan-Asian fare. To keep the children happy,Zazen offers mini meals packing in potato ‘smileys’,mini burgers and the like. The big fat brunch ends here with a platter-full of desserts and fruits.

The Sunday brunch trail would be incomplete without mentioning Kava’s lineup. The brunch (Rs 900) begins with a spread of salads,cold cuts,cheese platters,mini-sandwiches,eggs of your choice,cornflakes and cold coffee. Themed around “The Emperor’s Meal”,the spread brings in starters,followed by a main course buffet,which includes two cuisines,cocktails and beer. While we were a tad satiated after nibbling on the starters,the salads were impressive. In the main course,we liked the Thai red curry and the wok-tossed super-thin noodles. The dessert spread,meanwhile,dished out regulars like mousse,chocolate,custard,tart and cakes. It is advisable to head for the meal post-noon,rather than 11 am (when the brunch starts),to make the most of the lavish spread. A prior reservation is recommended.

Contacts: Hometel Chandigarh- 4299 999; Zazen- 4266666; Kava- 0172-5043666

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