Unlike in other colder parts of the world (and country), winter is not a season full of blues for most of us in the subcontinent. Instead, it is a particularly salubrious time, when the terrible heat and dust and sweat of the rest of the year give way to Lodhi Garden picnics, farmhouse revelry, Christmas lunches, beach barbeques, and, in general, to much all-round consumption. Some fad dieticians propound that the best and easiest time to lose weight is after March, once we lose the will and appetite to gorge on so much F&B. Having seen way too often what the inexorable march of the party season does to all our waistlines and weighing scales, I couldn?t agree more.
For those of us who grew up much closer to an agrarian world than today?s metropolitan dwellers, idyllic food memories associated with the season may include the famous ?paunk parties? (in Maharashtra, where tender jowar would be roasted and consumed as a snack on picnics), or chewing on freshly harvested sugarcane while basking in the mild sun. At the very least, we may remember indulging in gajak, til ki patti, laddoos made of puffed rice and jaggery or peanut chikkis. All these are winter traditions on the verge of being lost in our globalised world.
In their place, modern food retail has created its own new rituals. Winter brunches have become hot favourites this time of the year in the metros. Of course, the best way to enjoy these is al fresco, sitting out in the sun, getting your fix of vitamin D as well. If you have a farmhouse, it?s easy to put out a table in the open with or without the works. The rest of us need to head to a restaurant with a terrace, garden or pool. So what are my recommendations for this season? Read on:
*Olive Bar & Kitchen (Delhi) & Olive Beach (Bangalore): AD Singh?s Olive has been a leader in the brunch business and can be credited for having brought home the concept. I love both the Olives in Bangalore and Mehrauli for their undeniable charm. Though a clich?d choice, no winter brunch list can be complete without Olive.
*Lodi, the garden restaurant: One of the prettiest restaurants in Delhi, Lodi has been around for a long time but has suffered from a crisis of sorts as far as its F&B goes. It has gone on from being an Indian restaurant to one serving none-too-great ?continental? stuff. But this season, it seems to have found fresh focus, having recently hired a Canadian chef, Camino Cochrane. The brief is clear: Keep the menu light and contemporary, making use of the organic produce taken fresh from the owners? garden. The day I visited, the chef turned out a small menu, all based on one fresh ingredient: arugula, or rocket leaves, as they are called. The setting for the Sunday brunch is almost magical?pebbled pathways, tables fringed by tall trees and fresh air.
*Amour (Hauz Khas Village, Delhi): After years of slumber, the full-of-character Hauz Khas Village in Delhi has been seeing a rash of restaurant openings. Amour is the latest on the block and certainly with one of the most charming views in the city. You can see the Hauz Khas lake and ruins from the wooden deck and the restaurant promises you an uninterrupted view of the sun going down with your glass of mojito. But my belief is that a leisurely brunch, recently introduced, in the open here is hard to beat. The food is competent if not superlative and Italian, there is a wood-fired oven in place and the pizzas are fairly fulfilling.
*Eggspectations (Jaypee Greens resort and spa, Greater Noida): This one?s more a breakfast place and not strictly al fresco. But makes it to my list because nothing can quite beat the charm of having breakfast by a golf course. The newly-opened resort started getting attention because this was where all those F1 stars stayed. But even without the attraction of the motorsport, it can be a good idea to take a break and begin a late morning with perfectly orange-yolked eggs.
*Azok (Juhu, Mumbai): Unlike Delhi, not only does Mumbai not have true winters but there is also a dearth of open-air places sans the crowd and chaos. Azok, on the terrace of a Juhu serviced-apartments block, is a rare restaurant where you can dine by the pool and get a mile-long view of Maximum City. Food by celeb chef Vineet Bhatia is contemporary Indian and may make for an interesting brunch option.
*Aqua, (The Park, New Delhi): Aqua, the lovely poolside space in the hotel, comes alive in winters when it starts hosting Sunday brunches. This year, dim sum (18 types), nicely served in bamboo baskets, are on the menu?with champagne, soups and tea. For R1,000 pp, definitely attractive.
*Claridges (New Delhi): The charm of Lutyen?s Delhi is hard to miss and if you don?t quite have a garden of your own in this part of town, your best bet would perhaps be to sit out in the Claridges garden and feast on salads and grills, tempura, pan-seared foie gras, fondue, kebabs as well as Dilli ke paranthe, and biryani from the live counters. Moet flows around but children are luckily kept busy with tattoos, paintings, stories and games. My favourite brunch!
*Lido (Ista, Bangalore):The al fresco Sunday brunch set next to the infinity pool is very popular with its BBQs and grills. Instead of a common buffet, food comes fresh and hot on the table from the kitchen and there is a flexible price option where kids, those looking to celebrate, vegetarians, et al, don?t have to pay a common brunch rate.
*Fratelli Fresh (Renaissance, Mumbai): The sprawling hotel is known for its conventions space but has a resort-like feel, thanks to magnificent views of the Powai lake. It?s a patch of Udaipur in Mumbai! Tuck into the Italian brunch at Fratelli Fresh with a variety of cheese, seafood, fresh pasta, loads of Sangria and a glorious view.
The writer is a food critic