HYDERABAD: Imagine this: Sitting by a pool, enjoying the afternoon breeze and sipping on your favourite drink. Doesn’t it sound like a perfectly satisfying yet luxurious meal? But thankfully, brunches (breakfash+lunch) are no longer a thing of the elite — they’ve grown to be a common meal today.
Several restaurants in the city are offering the choicest spread from various cuisines. People from all age groups across the city are making the most of this by choosing to catch up at select places to feast on the interesting dishes.
“Our’s is a mixed scale, family hotel. We invite people to relax and take time off for themselves. Keeping such a demand in mind, we started Sunday brunches. It’s like a perfect Sunday getaway after a stressful week. We offer a plethora of options that not only involve food and beverages but also ensure customers have a good leisure time with family. We have the kids’ arena and a swimming pool and are spread all across the indoors and outdoors of the hotel."
"At our brunch restaurant named Food Exchange, one can find foods from all parts of India. We also have healthy selections of salads and sushi displays where you have multiple options to choose from. We also have various displays of cheese at our live stations and a traditional selection of desserts,” shares Anand Prakash Ravi, director, F&B, NHCC and HICC.
Having started the concept in 2007, he observes that today most people drop in not only for good food but also for a good time. “They walk in as a group and eat and drink away their stress. We recently arranged for live music too,” he tells CE.
Gaurav Ramakrishnan, head chef at Hyatt Place, Banjara Hills says that the popularisation of brunches is a result of people looking to try something different.
“We named the concept the ‘Big Fat Brunch’. We have a widespread of salads and also have a separate organic counter, which is the highlight of the menu. We also have the cheese and cold cut counter. The live stations cover everything and are like a global cuisine under one roof.”
Their Asian and Western live counters are a big hit and once every week, they also have a special regional Indian counter. “We serve everything in small portions and recently opened a chaat counter. We have a kids’ counter that has mini burgers, mac & cheese, potato wedges, roll ice cream, a chocolate fountain and a wide range of desserts,” he adds.
Westin Hyderabad Mindspace is known for its lavish brunch spread. They offer brunches on Saturdays and Sundays and their buffet is an international one, with interesting and unique themes every wee. “Just last week, we had a Peruvian spread and this week we’re gearing up for a Ugadi-themed brunch,” says Prasanna Venkatesh, director, F&B, Westin Hyderabad Mindspace. According to him, people have been growing to enjoy this trend because they’re looking to try newer ways to dine free and fine, post the pandemic.
He adds that Hyderabad has greater scope for brunches to become even more popular than it is today because of the fact that people love to eat with their eyes and taste with their mouths. They also serve as the perfect spread for an Instagram post!
Food blogger Mohd Zubair Ali, better known through his Instagram page, Hyderabad Food Dairies, explains how Hyderabad looks at brunches. He begins by explaining, “A brunch is a meal that is eaten at a time after breakfast and before lunch. That is an ideal time for people who choose to catch up during the weekend because they tend to party the whole night and wake up a little late the next day.
Today, even families prefer doing this often,” he says. He names Westin and Fat Pigeon as some of the places that serve good brunches. He adds, “Earlier, brunches were a simple affair but today, it’s grown to be elaborate and even theme-based. Hyderabad is yet to explore a lot when it comes to brunches and it looks like we’re headed there.”