I love Sunday brunches. They can be at a restaurant or at a friend’s place, but the idea of spending my weekly off with friends and food always excites me. I’d rather spend my Saturday nights tucked in at home so that I can enjoy a good and early Sunday brunch. (Shameless Plug-in: Read about my previous brunch experiences here and here) Another brunch happened a few Sundays ago. This one was special because our very own Mumbai Food Lover was invited to be the Guest Instagrammer for J. W. Mariott’s #BehindTheBoulevard Sunday brunch. We got our stomachs ready for a fun, food filled Sunday afternoon.

We braved stormy rains and flooded Juhu by-lanes, all for the love of good food. Lotus cafe at J.W.Mariott does this ‘Limitless Sunday Brunch’ which consists of counters and counters of some of the best meat, seafood, cheeses, desserts and more. Not to forget free flowing cocktails on the side. Here are my top 5 favorite picks/moments from the entire brunch:

1. Cocktails with a View

Anyone who has been to Lotus Cafe knows it overlooks the most lovely poolside view. And when it has been raining outside the view gets even better. We drank and dined overlooking the pitter-patter of rain over the pool. The brunch is co-partnered with Belvedere vodka, and they make some interesting vodka cocktails. The cutest was this little bar-on-wheels that they drove upto our table where we could order what we like. 

2. Cheese Please!

Most brunches at luxury hotels offer an extensive variety of cheeses and breads. This one was no exception. We got to try a variety of cheeses from brie to Emmental to Pecorino to Gouda to Machego. (I may be missing out on some names here). These cheeses paired with assorted breads made my day, since I’m a huge cheese fan. And I got to try some new cheeses such as the Spanish Machego which I had never eaten before.

3. Meat Feast

The brunch has tons of options for the non-vegetarians. Pick from roast chicken or lamb chops or smoked ham. There are lots of seafood choices too; scampi, shrimp, salmon and more. These are all prepared at the live stations and brought to your table. I personally enjoyed the cold cuts.

4. Bachpan Ki Yaad

My Sunday breakfasts alternated between french toast on one Sunday and eggs or Maggi the next. The tradition no longer stands but I got to relive it that Sunday. The live Maggi and Egg counter was an interesting addition. Pick between white, brown, or quail eggs to be made as per your choice. These eggs paired with steaming Maggi noodles make a fun breakfast. I ate a quail egg omelette for the first ever time. The French Toast was average but the drizzle of chocolate sauce on top made it yum.

5. Sugar Rush

The minute I entered my attention was caught by the huge dessert counter situated right in the center. Willy Wonka would have been pleased. There were atleast 30 varieties of desserts including pastries, tarts, Indian sweets, ice creams and more. Pre-dominantly chocolate based sweets, I wished there were more fruit desserts. Those with a sweet tooth will be pleased. Some of them were exceptional, some lackluster. Overall, quite an extensive spread of sugary goodies.

My Opinion: The Mariott Sunday brunch works because of the sheer amount of options. The non-vegetarian diner is spoilt for choice. The meat and seafood produce is flown in exclusively from different parts of the world. It was mind boggling for us to pick and choose and narrow down what we would like to eat. Our vegetarian counterparts had a different story to tell, however. Vegetarian options comprise only about 30% of the menu. There really wasn’t much on offer for them. 

The pricing is another factor that works negatively for the vegetarian. The alcoholic brunch is priced at Rs, 3986.49/- (including taxes) and at Rs. 2727.19/- (including taxes) for the non-alcoholic option. It is definitely a pricey affair. They should consider having a separate price point for the vegetarian brunch. A meat eater may be able to do complete justice, a vegetarian will not. Also, the lack of a live pizza and pasta counter was something we all missed.

Overall, the Mariott Limitless Sunday Brunch was a good experience, in terms of the quantity and quality of food it offers. You can spend hours and hours eating through your Sunday. It is definitely on the pricier side, so it’s an option many of us would consider only on occasions we want to celebrate. But considering how packed the place was on that Sunday afternoon, guess the brunch is already a hit!

Kemps Corner in Mumbai is a busy junction, teeming with traffic and shops. However, there is a dearth of eating options in that area. Which is where Vicinia comes into the picture. Situated in this busy locality, Vicinia is a hole in the wall, all-day eatery and bar. Vicinia which means ‘neighborhood’ in Latin, stands true to the meaning. It aims to be your neighborhood watering hole, ‘where everybody knows your name’. Does it stand true to it’s name? We were there to find out.

Vicinia is a small, quaint place with a two level seating. It has a monochromatic decor and dim lighting which works well at night. I would love to go visit during the day to see the restaurant’s ‘day look’. They have a well stocked bar, with booze bottles on display for you to ogle at. My favourite corner in the room, is this little show-case displaying curious and knick-knacks. Shelves of souvenirs, mugs and books for which make for an interesting view.

Lemon Grass in Bandra has been at that landmark Turner road corner ever since I can remember. I had my first ever Khao Suey there, a desi version of the Burmese dish, but delicious nevertheless. Many random lunch and dinner plans were made there over the subsequent years. It was our go to place, for a quick, filling Pan Asian meal, with no frills attached. If you want fancy, fine dine stuff please head to Royal China down the road. 

However, with the advent of so many new restaurants cropping up in the area, I forgot about Lemon Grass. Till they revamped and relaunched themselves to become Lemon Leaf. I decided to go eat there anonymously, and find out if the sequel was as good as the original. 

Ambiance: 

The place looked pretty similar to me except the addition of a few paintings and murals on the wall. White, traditional lanterns hang from the ceiling and nicely contrast the green on the wall and the chairs. We skipped the indoor air conditioned seating for the outdoor area, where the pitter-patter of the rain was the perfect accompaniment to our conversation. 

Nowadays, everyone seems to be a fan of Japanese cuisine. Every restaurant is serving sushi and sake. But there is more to a Japanese meal than just that. Mumbai Food Lovers were invited to a preview of the latest Japanese food menu at Spices, J.W.Marriott, Juhu and yours truly was there to report. Chef Emmel Muya recently got on board the restaurant and has some delicious food up his sleeve. We lucky few got a chance to taste the new menu, and here is what I thought.

Spices at the J.W.Marriott is one of the lesser known restaurants at the hotel. Mezzo Mezzo and Lotus Café are far more popular. I wonder why the discrepancy since Spices wowed me with the décor and food. Done up in red and black, with sparkling, dim lights this is such a ‘date place’. Also they have a ‘Teppanyaki’ counter where you can see the chef preparing the food on the grill and sit around it and have your meal. I don’t know where else in the city do you get to see that.

We were all seated on a large table with fellow foodies and bloggers with sparkling wine to keep us company before the food arrived.