Good food and conversation. This was the Sunday brunch experience of yore. Let’s time travel for a minute. Fifteen years ago, a boiled egg and two sausages were a luxury. If you were really lucky, there was bacon too! And if the meal was at a five-star hotel, there was probably a lone crooner in a corner, with a keyboard for company. The whole affair, including a main course lasted an hour, maybe an hour-an-a-half tops. Then it was time for household chores, homework, a cricket match on TV or god forbid...visiting relatives.
Back in the present, brunch has evolved into a year’s worth of single restaurant experiences, rolled into one. Honestly, where else can you find sushi, dahi puri, Eggs Benedict, spaghetti carbonara and liqueur-laced jelabis all under the same roof? And the concept of breakfast-meets-lunch (brunch) has made a clear transit from the concept of a meal alone. “It’s more than that, it’s an experience,” says Chef Rajesh Radhakrishnan, area director - food production at The Park. He elaborates, “Instead of just afternoon out with the family, we try to make it a mini-vacation.”
The idea falls in line with the increasing number of city-holidays that families are trying these days, for a stress-free weekend, minus the exertion of travelling. With early bird offers on a room and pool facilities included in the Sunday brunch package and fun activities for the kids like balloon sculpting, face painting and video games – one has to agree with the chef. It’s not just brunch, it’s a full-fledged family getaway. If only for a couple of hours, parents couldn’t be happier.
And the range of play activities for the little ones goes on and on. Tattoo artists, customised ‘little people food’ like mini-burgers and smiley french fries, and even an in-house bouncing castle as available in the Courtyard by Marriott. A personal favourite among the kiddie list at the hotel were the dual chocolate fountains on display – white chocolate and milk chocolate. Dip, swirl, lick...yum. Now that, is satisfaction.
And if that sugar trip wasn’t enough, try the exclusive dessert brunch menu at Häagen-Dazs, Nungambakkam. Choose from waffles, pancakes, crepes and fresh fruits, alongside what the brand is best known for – their world famous ice cream. It gets better. Says Sam Paul, franchise head of the Chennai outlet: “We haven’t restricted this brunch to Sundays.” He adds with a smile, “You can brunch with us any day of the week.”