Lazy winter afternoons in the capital are incomplete without lavish brunches. The New Year has already ushered festivities, and if you are a fan of late morning feasts with a generous spread of salads, soups, main course and breakfast dishes along with delicious drinks, then we tell you how you can savour weekend banquets.
Brunch is usually a generous combination of breakfast and lunch dishes served with a variety of fresh juices and drinks, informs chef Tapash Bhattacharya of Machan, The Taj Mahal Hotel. He says, “Brunch has its origins in Church guidelines, which require a period of fasting before taking communion, meaning the congregation must wait to eat until after Sunday Mass. Brunch was therefore developed as a heavy meal meant to take the place of both breakfast and lunch.”
For lazy foodies who start their days late (often on weekends) brunch is the best option, opines sous chef Ajay Chaudhry of Courtyard By Marriott. He says, “Brunch is a combination of lunch and evening hi-tea. It can originally be served everyday, but it is more popular like a Sunday meal. There are open counters and large buffet systems with several options. But some prefer live counters, open grill (seafood, chicken, lamb, etc) cheese steaks, sushi, risotto, biryani for the main course.”
Chef Rajev Bansal of Jaypee Vasant Continental, informs that a wide array of dishes served at the bunch are a mix of appetisers, salads, pancakes, waffles, signature egg preparations, snacks like burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, seafood, poultry, meats, vegetables, pasta and desserts. Since many people attend brunch dos after partying late the previous night, there should also be options of fresh fruit juices, non-alcoholic drinks along with white spirits or wines.
For health freaks there can be a section of low-cal dishes in the brunch menu, recommends chef Rakesh Talwar of F Grill and Lounge.
He suggests that the brunch menu should be fresh, flavourful and filling yet not too heavy. He says, “There can be bread station with different varieties of butter and cheese. Then one can also have a separate section of desserts served with fresh fruits.”