After a happening late Saturday night, many of us prefer to start late on a Sunday and head for a brunch in our neighbourhood to continue our indulgence in good food and drinks. In Hyderabad, we have Sunday brunches of all sizes and shapes with restaurants trying to differentiate themselves with innovative offerings. The Sunday Brunch at Verandah, the all-day dining restaurant of The Park Hyderabad has now been expanded to include Aqua, the al-fresco poolside area too. A huge spread and a large number of live counters have made this brunch even more attractive.
When you visit Sunday brunch at The Park, it becomes difficult to decide where to start from. Just at the entrance of Verandah, counters have been lined up offering delicacies like sushis and sorbets. As you proceed inside you have the chaat counter just next to the bar. Outside at Aqua, you have at least five live counters offering among others Italian fare like pasta, kababs, Hyderabadi delicacies, dosas and a Pan-Asian kiosk, not to forget the Irani chai station. On the other end, there is the play area for kids with a cricket pitch set up and the Kid’s Buffet. And finally, as you go inside Verandah, you have the main courses and desserts set up at the main buffet counter.
As we came in we were offered a Paan Martini from the bar, which got us going. The chaat counter looked very inviting, I immediately got going there trying out three types of pani puris, sweet, tangy and with curd. They were offering a novelty of chaat prepared with boneless chicken in it. I could not resist trying this, but had an afterthought that chaat is best with veggie options only.
Next was the Kabab Counter. Seekh Kababs, Tawa Fish, Hara Chicken and Kaleji were all being prepared on hot charcoal, and I asked for a little bit from all four. The Tawa Fish had absorbed in the marinade well, making it clearly the star from the stall. The Kaleji at the other end of spectrum needed some more masala with it.
The Chai Station was serving hot Hyderabadi tea with about four varieties of local biscuits and cookies. But the bhukkad in me made a dash for the next counter, which was serving Haleem. Aish at The Park is known for its good Hyderabadi food, and haleem at this brunch did full justice to its reputation. It was one of the best haleem I had in some time, with the perfect balance of meat and wheat and the right amount of spices and ghee.
The counter was also serving the Barkas special Chicken Mandi, the Arabic rice dish which is finding a lot of favour in the city during the recent times. And yes, the flavourful rice and chicken combo again worked well for me.
I have this special love for simple dosas (not the contemporary types butter cheese or pizza dosas), and the plain ghee dosa from the Dosa Counter made a lot of sense, especially with some freshly prepared chutneys to accompany them.
At this point, a friend asked me to try out the Beer Ginger Sorbet from the sorbet stall. Its taste was simply amazing and something new for me in sorbets, and I went for a refill. By the way, there were lots of good quality alcohol and cocktails being served at the buffet, however, I was not in a mood to try them out. However, my spirited friends were making frequent visits to the bar counter.
Back to trying out more food, I was at the Oriental Counter. Some extremely inviting noodles in red sauce were being prepared on the wok, and I sample a little bit. The sauce used was fiery but extremely tasty. I was suggested to taste the Chicken Bao by the young Bengali kid manning the counter. She was not wrong, as the soft bao tasted really delicious.
The Sushi Counter was near the entrance. I tried out an assortment of sushis but was not impressed. They had dried out a bit as they were kept exposed on the counter for a long time. The Bruschetta and Mezze Counter had some good dips like Hummus and Tzaziki. There was another counter with assorted stuff like Banana Cakes and Beetroot Croissants.
The colourful Kid’s Buffet was interesting too. I was tempted to try out a few things like doughnuts but restrained myself. Candy Floss can bring out the child in anyone.
Done with the live counters, I went inside for the main courses. The salads had some interesting preparations like Beef Carpaccio Salad and Prawn and Thread Noodle Salad. Among the starters, the Paneer Satay with peanut sauce and Kaju Matar Croquettes were very decent. The best dish of the mains for me was the Whole Roasted Bhetki, soft and juicy. Gnocchi in Spinach Sauce and the Szechuan Noodles made their mark too.
I am not much of a dessert person, but still, their Rich Chocolate Pastry impressed. And who can resist the temptations of Hot Jalebis freshly prepared in front of you?
If I need one word to describe The Park Sunday Brunch it is “extensive”. There is something for everyone and the variety available is huge. There is a festive touch to the ambience and the live music is also very enjoyable. The bonus is, of course, the grand view of Hussain Sagar. The Brunch is priced Rs 1500 without alcohol, and Rs 2000 with select Indian spirits.
Location:
Verandah
The Park Hyderabad
22 Rajbhavan Road
Hyderabad 500 082
Telephone: 4499 0000/77992 88000
Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.
When you visit Sunday brunch at The Park, it becomes difficult to decide where to start from. Just at the entrance of Verandah, counters have been lined up offering delicacies like sushis and sorbets. As you proceed inside you have the chaat counter just next to the bar. Outside at Aqua, you have at least five live counters offering among others Italian fare like pasta, kababs, Hyderabadi delicacies, dosas and a Pan-Asian kiosk, not to forget the Irani chai station. On the other end, there is the play area for kids with a cricket pitch set up and the Kid’s Buffet. And finally, as you go inside Verandah, you have the main courses and desserts set up at the main buffet counter.
As we came in we were offered a Paan Martini from the bar, which got us going. The chaat counter looked very inviting, I immediately got going there trying out three types of pani puris, sweet, tangy and with curd. They were offering a novelty of chaat prepared with boneless chicken in it. I could not resist trying this, but had an afterthought that chaat is best with veggie options only.
Next was the Kabab Counter. Seekh Kababs, Tawa Fish, Hara Chicken and Kaleji were all being prepared on hot charcoal, and I asked for a little bit from all four. The Tawa Fish had absorbed in the marinade well, making it clearly the star from the stall. The Kaleji at the other end of spectrum needed some more masala with it.
The Chai Station was serving hot Hyderabadi tea with about four varieties of local biscuits and cookies. But the bhukkad in me made a dash for the next counter, which was serving Haleem. Aish at The Park is known for its good Hyderabadi food, and haleem at this brunch did full justice to its reputation. It was one of the best haleem I had in some time, with the perfect balance of meat and wheat and the right amount of spices and ghee.
 |
| Barkas special Chicken Mandi |
The counter was also serving the Barkas special Chicken Mandi, the Arabic rice dish which is finding a lot of favour in the city during the recent times. And yes, the flavourful rice and chicken combo again worked well for me.
 |
| Tawa Fish |
I have this special love for simple dosas (not the contemporary types butter cheese or pizza dosas), and the plain ghee dosa from the Dosa Counter made a lot of sense, especially with some freshly prepared chutneys to accompany them.
At this point, a friend asked me to try out the Beer Ginger Sorbet from the sorbet stall. Its taste was simply amazing and something new for me in sorbets, and I went for a refill. By the way, there were lots of good quality alcohol and cocktails being served at the buffet, however, I was not in a mood to try them out. However, my spirited friends were making frequent visits to the bar counter.
 |
| Sushis |
Back to trying out more food, I was at the Oriental Counter. Some extremely inviting noodles in red sauce were being prepared on the wok, and I sample a little bit. The sauce used was fiery but extremely tasty. I was suggested to taste the Chicken Bao by the young Bengali kid manning the counter. She was not wrong, as the soft bao tasted really delicious.
The Sushi Counter was near the entrance. I tried out an assortment of sushis but was not impressed. They had dried out a bit as they were kept exposed on the counter for a long time. The Bruschetta and Mezze Counter had some good dips like Hummus and Tzaziki. There was another counter with assorted stuff like Banana Cakes and Beetroot Croissants.
The colourful Kid’s Buffet was interesting too. I was tempted to try out a few things like doughnuts but restrained myself. Candy Floss can bring out the child in anyone.
 |
| Beef Carpaccio Salad |
Done with the live counters, I went inside for the main courses. The salads had some interesting preparations like Beef Carpaccio Salad and Prawn and Thread Noodle Salad. Among the starters, the Paneer Satay with peanut sauce and Kaju Matar Croquettes were very decent. The best dish of the mains for me was the Whole Roasted Bhetki, soft and juicy. Gnocchi in Spinach Sauce and the Szechuan Noodles made their mark too.
 |
| Prawn and Thread Noodle Salad |
I am not much of a dessert person, but still, their Rich Chocolate Pastry impressed. And who can resist the temptations of Hot Jalebis freshly prepared in front of you?
If I need one word to describe The Park Sunday Brunch it is “extensive”. There is something for everyone and the variety available is huge. There is a festive touch to the ambience and the live music is also very enjoyable. The bonus is, of course, the grand view of Hussain Sagar. The Brunch is priced Rs 1500 without alcohol, and Rs 2000 with select Indian spirits.
Location:
Verandah
The Park Hyderabad
22 Rajbhavan Road
Hyderabad 500 082
Telephone: 4499 0000/77992 88000
Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.
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