Sunday Brunch is back at The LaLit New Delhi

As the gloom cast by the second wave of the pandemic lifts and the restrictions are eased, the hospitality industry slowly steers itself towards phased recovery. Over a month after hotels across Delhi were allowed to open up, they have been registering a slow and steady rise in footfalls and occupancy. The LaLit New Delhi resumed the operations of its popular 24/7 multi-cuisine, all-day-dining restaurant for Sunday Brunch early in September. 

We visit the restaurant on a quiet, cloudy Sunday. The restaurant, located on the ground floor, is abuzz with people: families, groups of friends seem to be having a good time. Sprawling and spacious, it is surrounded by glass walls on two sides. As you reach the right end of the restaurant, it opens into the Alfresco that’s used as a venue for parties, various events and launches. When we walk in, the aroma of freshly baked bread wafts from the patisserie on the right. A staff member ushers us in and leads us to a table from where we can have a great view of the well-manicured, lush garden of the Alfresco. 

Sitting at our table as drinks arrive, I am reminded of some memorable events in town that were organised at the Alfresco in the pre-pandemic times. It looks beautiful and inviting and I yearn to have those days back when one could freely move through the crowd without being plagued by thoughts of catching a virus that has upended how we live. Soon, it starts to drizzle; raindrops drench the outdoor furniture, and drip off the plants and trees lining the open lawn of the Alfresco.

The restaurant’s drink menu has something for everyone — juices, beers, wine, cocktails and martinis. Its green apple mojito, served with panache, and mocktails will soothe your ruffled nerves. Up next is an impressive variety of salads to choose from at the DIY Salad Bar that uses indigenous and organically-grown vegetables and herbs under the hotel’s ‘We Serve What We Grow’ initiative. One can create a salad of choice, fresh veggies or baked chicken and fish, to go with various sauces and salad dressings. There is green salad and feta salad for the weight-watchers, and couscous salad and beans and baby corn salad for those in the mood to indulge. 

For starters, one could choose from Jalapeno cheese triangles, hara bhara kebabs, to a variety of non-veg starters, including mutton seekh kebab and chilli garlic fish. A chaat counter serves yummilicious samosa chaat and dahi-papdi chaat in their crunchy and crispy glory. There is also a live counter for pasta, pizza, noodles, fried rice, lasagna and lots more. For the main course, there are some Chinese and Thai delicacies. The Indian food counter is rather elaborate — Dal Baluchi (a must-try), Tariwala Kukkad (chicken curry), vegetable biryani, gosht-dum biryani, saag-paneer, corn-palak, malai kofta curry, zeera aloo, mushroom hara pyaza, and assorted Indian breads, etc.

At the dessert counter, one is spoilt for choice: Lauki ka halwa, atte ke laddoo, assorted mousse, gulab jamun, and omali —  the national dessert of Egypt made of bread, pistachios, raisins, coconut flakes, plenty of sugar and concentrated milk. Then, there is Panna Cotta, an Italian dessert that’s cooked cream, made solid with gelatin and topped with raspberry puree. There is more: Fruit tart, Linzer tart, an Austrian dessert, chocolate pastry, coffee mocha cake and berry cakes. All these are spread and presented in a manner that make you reach out for your phone camera and go click, click, click. 

The Sunday Brunch is priced at Rs 2,499 per person, including soft beverages. The brunch promises to be the best Sunday treat for couples and families, offered with five-star hospitality. It was no surprise that all the tables were booked during the lunch hour. The timing for Sunday Brunch is between 12 pm to 3 pm so that people can have a leisured outing and a relaxed lunch. The hotel has introduced its own soft toy, an elephant called “Elphi”, to welcome the kids. There are storybooks and colouring books about “Elphi” — richly conceptualised and produced by the Keshav Suri Foundation — and kids love them. There are art activities organised for kids, too, so that they can get busy colouring and drawing once they’re finished eating. 

The bar is open round the clock. If you are in no hurry, you can extend your brunch well into the evening, indulging in a few rounds of wine or whiskey. Corporate groups or big family gatherings looking to have lunch in a more casual ambience can book the tables in advance. The staff members of the 461-room luxury hotel are friendly and receptive and always eager to help. In the new normal, the Covid protocols are duly enforced; they are all masked up and maintain social distancing. Overall, the 24/7 restaurant at The LaLit New Delhi is a great, cosy place to dine with family and friends. The next time you wonder where to have an elaborate four-course lunch or to indulge in chatting with friends over a drink, head here. You can rest assured: you’ll get great vibes and whatever your poison, they’ll have something for you.