The Scrumptious Sunday Brunch at Okra, Marriott

Sunday Brunches have become an integral part of the food scene in Hyderabad. Many of my friends are avowed fans of the Sunday afternoon spreads at various hotels, and they visit a different one of them every week. Some others are loyal to particular hotels. Whereas for the residents of Banjara Hills and Hitech city there are many options to choose from, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre near Hussain Sagar is the only place offering a gourmet fine dining experience close to the older parts of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. For this reason, the hotel boasts of many loyal diners especially from this part of the city.

Festival Feed: Bengali Food Festival at Hotel Siesta Hyderabad

Hyderabad is fortunate to have quite a few restaurants serving Bengali cuisine. Apart from Oh Calcutta, Call of Bengal and Nabanno, the Bengali food at United Kitchens of India is widely appreciated. Amantran, the value for money Bengali chain serves food from three of its outlets in the city. Kolkata House caters to a lot of Bengalis north of Hitech City and for Kolkata style rolls Roll Call is the go-to place.

Unlimited Hilsa is the highlight of the festival

Festival Feed: The Fajita and Mojito Promotion at La Cantina, Novotel

La Cantina at Novotel Hitech City (HICC) is easily the best Mexican restaurant in town. Still, the fine dine outlet holds various promotions from time to time to provide its discerning customers more insight into the finer nuances of Mexican cuisine. The ongoing Fajita and Mojito Fest is part of this initiative. The special menu for the promotion around a dozen exclusive recipes of fajitas which are being showcased.

The Sumptuous Italian Sunday Brunch at Tre-Forni Restaurant and Bar

Tre-Forni Bar & Restaurant at Park Hyatt, Hyderabad is one of the preferred destinations for Italian food in the city. With its elegant bar and spacious restaurant, the place offers the best of fine dining experiences. Tre-Forni now brings us the all new Sunday Brunch, a complete celebration of Italian cuisine every Sunday afternoon.

Grilled Lobster

Quick Bytes: Mediterranean Delights at Radisson Blu Plaza

The culinary team at Radisson Blu Plaza at Banjara Hills has a new chief. Chef Sarabjit Singh Walia, who has taken over as Executive Chef has wide experience in catering to the taste buds in India and abroad. He has decided to start his tenure here with a bang, by organizing a Mediterranean Food Festival at Chill Restaurant and Terrace. The promotion showcases dishes from the countries all around the Mediterranean Sea, which means there are delicacies from Spain, Italy, Greece, West Asia as well as countries of Northern Africa. The festival is on from 19th to 29th September, as part of the regular buffet.

New Place in Town: Oh Bean Der

Oh Bean Der, a new all-day dining restaurant has started operations in Jubilee Hills. The outlet has taken the place of “Leaf” restaurant on the ground floor of Amogh Boutique Hotel, under the management of the Butta Hospitality group. Nicely redesigned into a bright café look, the place serves global cuisine in both a-la-carte and buffet mode.

Quick Bytes: Goan Magic at Vivanta by Taj

Come monsoons, one of the coolest tourist destinations to visit is Goa. The incessant rains, calmer beaches, cheaper stay and homely food are some of the attractions of this season when many commercial tourist establishments take a break. This September Hyderabad is having an extended monsoon with heavy rains lashing the city almost every day. While the beaches of Goa cannot be brought to the city, Vivanta by Taj has done the next best thing – host a promotion of sumptuous Goan cuisine.

Onam Sadya at Marriott Hotel, Bangalore

Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, is one of the rare festivals in the country which is attributed to a state and is celebrated by all, irrespective of cast, creed and religion. The festival lasts 10 days and culminates with a sumptuous feast, the Onam Sadya. The Sadya is made from fresh produce and is typically vegetarian, although there have been newer places coming up with non-vegetarian options.

Onam Feast

Quick Bytes: Mamagoto Hyderabad Unveils Their New Menu

Mamagoto, the Pan-Asian restaurant has been creating quite a buzz in Hyderabad, with their a-la-carte offerings, as well as the hit weekday anti-buffet. As part of their plan to evolve continuously and to provide more options to their loyal clientele, the restaurant has revamped their menu adding more than two dozen new dishes. The new menu was showcased at a Bloggers Meet held recently.

Mamas Spicy Ramen Bowl

Quick Bytes: “Drunch”-ing on a Saturday Afternoon at Komatose

Sunday brunch has been a very popular offering from restaurants in Hyderabad and elsewhere. After a late night on a Saturday and on a delayed start to Sunday, it has become a usual practice to head straight to the favourite brunch destination to spend a few hours with food, drinks, and friends.

Egg Florentine

Odia Bhoji: Finally a food festival from Odisha at The Park, Hyderabad

In the late eighties, as a travelling salesman, I used to travel to Odisha almost every week. Not restricted to our office in Bhubaneshwar, I had to often move out to interiors of the state, places such as Angul, Jharsuguda, and Baripada. It is during this period that I was exposed to the Odia cuisine and some of its irresistible offerings. What I loved most was that in most of the dishes there was a fine symphony of the spices and ingredients, with no flavours overwhelming the other, resulting in a very balanced taste.

Quick Bytes: The Carnival Sunday Brunch at Smaaash

Smaaash at Inorbit Mall Hyderabad has become a preferred destination for families on Sundays due to their huge repertoire of virtual games which kids as well as adults enjoy. Now, the place has become even more attractive by the introduction of the Carnival Sunday Brunch, a novel concept that bundles a nice spread of delectable dishes and access to arcade games together. Families can now enjoy the entire afternoon in a relaxed atmosphere, indulging in whatever one likes – playing games, enjoying the live music or relishing some scrumptious food. The multi-cuisine buffet is hosted at Mighty Small, the carnival-themed restaurant of Smaash.

Punjab Grill: Bringing Authentic Punjabi Food to Hyderabad

Punjab Grill is perhaps the best-known restaurant brand in India for food from the land of five rivers. Founded by the legendary Jiggs Kalra, the chain has been taken over by Lite Bite Foods couple of years back. The group has restaurants in all major cities of India as well as in Singapore and have recently opened their latest one in Hyderabad.

Chaamp Tajdar

A Journey across Western India with “Best of the West” at Novotel

Recently there was a Gujarati food festival at Marriott which I had to miss due to work. When I was told later that there were some excellent preparations by a home chef, I was feeling a bit upset at missing out on some good Gujarati food. But little did I know that soon The Square, the all-day dining restaurant at Novotel, Hyderabad airport will be hosting “Best of The West”, a festival celebrating cuisines of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, serving some good dishes from that region.