A New Brunch in town - B:Brunch at Bene, Sheraton Bangalore

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I'm always on a lookout for new and interesting experiences. What I get even more excited about is; sharing with you a new and exciting experience that I really enjoyed. Sheraton is probably a hotel I frequent often for it houses splendid dining options in the form of Feast, Bene and Persian Terrace.

Last week, Sheraton Bangalore at Brigade Gateway launched not just the newest and the coolest brunch in town but also an exclusive and unique brunch in various ways viz..

 - While every brunch focuses on world cuisines, this one is exclusively; I repeat exclusively an Italian and Mediterranean brunch.

 - This brunch at Sheraton is a lavish spread of food with 80% or more coming from live counters; the way you'd like it prepared.

A perfect outdoor setting with the lovely Bangalore weather, live music and DJ, 3 bar counters (Main bar, martini & Mojito Bar, Bubbly bar), activities to keep the kids entertained and live counters dishing out freshly prepared food. The ambiance and set up is perfect for a relaxed and leisurely Sunday Brunch.

We were welcomed with shots of different liquor base setting the mood for the rest of the brunch.

There is loads of food and drinks laid out all the way from where you enter (indoors) to the end of the Al-Fresco (outdoors) section. It begins indoor with soups, salads and dips, live counters serving up customised salads, cold cuts, cheese platters, desserts at the heart and extending outdoors to the live Persian and Italian mains and grills. All of this, well alternated with different bar counters.

The salads and dips as always were delicious and aplenty to choose from. Puja loves the cheese platter with crackers, nuts and fruits by the side to accompany. We sat outdoors, enjoying the lovely weather of Bangalore, the fresh salads, delicious dips, cheese and sipping on Kir Royale (a sparkling cocktail) and wine.

My new favorite was the finely sliced Parma ham with Parmesan cheese strips. A really simple combination of cured and thinly sliced parma ham with cheese slivers and that's all it takes to enjoy this lovely dish with a glass of medium bodied red wine.

On the weber grills were assorted starters for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. I tried the chicken sausages and the fish from the non-vegetarian section and cottage cheese and mix veg sticks from the vegetarian. Except for the sausages which were perfect, i found the marinade on the rest to be quite bland for my liking. I'd have preferred it to be a little more robust in flavor.

All through the brunch, I tried various beverages like the Kir Royale - a champagne/sparkling wine based cocktail, the very innovative Paan martini, mojito and some good wine as well. The cocktails were well concocted and made for a good company for the day. My personal favorite of them all was the Paan martini which apparently also made for a great finisher after a complete meal - Well, that's the paan lover in me speaking. 

Moving on to the next course or the mains if they may be called - It again primarily comprised of live counters for burgers, Italian and Persian food. We settled down with pasta of mix sauce, pizza from the wood fired oven, and also some delicious Persian rice and kababs - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Like always, they all tasted good but would have preferred to have more options to choose from bot in terms of dishes and the meats offered.

Desserts were inviting right from the the very beginning and our eyes were all set on them. So when we arrives to this final course, we were in a fix on what to eat. We settled for an assortment that we plated ourselves from a really generous selection. Oh Boy! I absolutely loved their Banana-Walnut cake, carrot cake and the subtly flavored coconut cake.

Tiramisu at Bene has always been a signature creation and it wouldn't be justified to not have dug my spoon into it.

To sum it up - it was a lovely day, perfect weather, great ambiance, live music, fabulous spread of delicious food and the premium beverages and interesting cocktail concoctions to add to the zing. For the kids, there was tattoo art, interesting balloon creations and more. Memories are to be treasured and hence, Sheraton goes the extra mile to get you photographed during the brunch and as you are all set to call it a day and step out; Surprise! the you'll spot your picture printed and ready for you to take back home.

Address: 4th Floor, Sheraton @ Brigade Gateway, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560055
Landmark: Adjacent to Orion Mall in the same campus

Phone Number: +91 80 4252 1000

10 Downing Street, Hyderabad

We were on the final day of our holiday at Hyderabad and after lazing around in the morning we drove down to 10 Downing Street for lunch. The plan to visit this resto-pub for lunch on a Sunday had always been on our radar since the time we decided upon going to Hyderabad. 10 Downing Street is a resto-pub/night club with its footprints spread across 10 cities of India. Does the expansion stop at the number 10? I hope not..

Menu:

Sundays at 10 Downing Street are special. They have a special a la carte brunch menu which includes Indian, chinese, Italian and continental classics. What makes it special is what it has to offers – every main course dish ordered comes paired with a beverage of our choice and is also followed by a dessert of the day. Of course; the beverage selection offered as a part of this brunch combo is limited to a select few alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

What we ate:

My wife and I having arrived there early decided to get started with a drink. As we waited for the rest of the group to arrive, my wife sipped Cherry Martini and I settled for a pint of beer. 

Not too long later, the rest of our group arrived and with the order placed; we were on our way to a culinary feast. Drinks were served on our table. We sipped our drinks while conversing rather planning about where and when our next trip would be. 

‘Kung Pao vegetables with shezwan rice’ was the first to arrive; with the rest following in quick successions. The Kung Pao vegetables was delicious and was all cleaned up with the accompanying shezwan fried rice. 

The next two preferred dishes were Chinese too. One was shredded chicken in hot garlic sauce and the other was chicken in Hunan sauce with veg. fried rice and butter garlic noodles respectively. Both of these dishes tasted good.

Shredded Chicken in hot garlic sauce served with veg. fried rice

Chicken in Hunan sauce served with butter garlic noodles

Moving on from Chinese, we had fish & chips on our table. Fried fillets of fish came along with a slice of toasted garlic bread, tartar sauce, boiled vegetables and potato wedges. The fish tasted fresh and the batter coating on the fish was nice and crisp. 

Next arrived, a chicken steak drowned in mushroom sauce and garlic bread and boiled veggies on the side. The sauce was nice and flavorful and the chicken was succulent and tender. The bread was just toasted and had no hint of garlic flavor while the boiled veggies were fine.

The vegetarians on our table also called for an Italian dish, the name of which I do not seem to recollect. I did not try this either but the buzz on our table was this dish tasted heavenly. Heavenly; is what it seemed, going by the pace with which this dish was all cleaned up.

In desserts we were served a scoop of vanilla/strawberry ice cream each.

Verdict:

On the service front, there were both strengths and weak links visible. Their strength was in quick service. In spite of being full house, our order was brought to our table in about 15 minutes. The food was served hot and fresh. The biggest disappointment for us on the service front was being serving an incorrect dish in the name of another; yet not accepting this mistake. 

10 Downing Street had a nice ambiance, plush interiors, and lots of polished wood; giving its patrons a feel of an English pub. The bar counter looked elegant. There was a good mix of crowd which included groups of friends, families, couples and business associates. In all, we had a good time listening to some good English numbers, sipping the well made drinks and not going by authenticity, the good food that’s for sure to leave you satisfied. I definitely look forward to coming back here when in town again; not just for Sunday brunch but also for their weekend night events. 

Though located in a shopping complex, the restaurant provides for valet parking which can be availed by driving up to the valet counter placed by 10 Downing Street. 

We ate all this and paid just a little less than Rs. 2000 which is a steal for a place like 10 Downing Street. Bangalore... Take Note..

Address: 10, Ground Floor, My Home Tycoon, Lifestyle Building, Begumpet, Hyderabad

Phone Number: 040 - 66629323