Brunch. A fantastic event that is usually unreasonably priced, unnecessarily long, and exceptionally delicious. It is a judgement-free zone while people take 3 or 4 plates full of food and for some reason society has decided it’s acceptable to drink bottomless mimosas on a Sunday morning/afternoon simply because you’re partaking in brunch. And it’s an excuse to do nothing all day, after sleeping in. I thought I had left this glamorous event back home in the States, but lucky for me the Marriott has brought brunch to Pune.
For some reason, American hotels in India are way nicer than the same version in the U.S. Walking into the Lobby, it looks like the quintessentially beautiful 5-star hotel—leather couches and chairs, coffee tables, Pune Baking Co. in the corner, shiny floor, grand staircase, and finally the dining room with brunch. The dining room is a high-ceiling deluxe space with stone pillars throughout the room, some of which are adorned with various bottles of wine or jars of candy or spices. The bar outside of the dining room has a little ice bucket with our champagne options: Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon and two lesser bottles. Oh you fancy, huh?
When brunch opened at 12:30pm, our group was escorted into the far corner of the dining area right next to our live performers. There was a hipster/jazz-styled dude and a Caribbean-looking girl who looked like she hadn’t made it home from the club. She was wearing 5-inch stilettos and an electric blue mini-dress. Maybe they think that’s what Americans or people with money want to see at Sunday brunch? I won’t judge. They played/sang American pop songs the entire time which provided ample opportunities for sing-a-longs in between courses. We got there a little after noon and stayed until about 330pm when brunch ended. Yes, we spent three and a half hours at brunch. There was also about 15 of us—that group of obnoxious American youths in the corner. Oops.
So here’s the deal: Rs 1000 for unlimited food and Rs 1300 for unlimited food and alcohol. That’s $20 for unlimited food and only about $5 extra for unlimited drinks. And it’s a million times better than most American brunches. They had savory foods, normal lunch food like truffle mash potatoes (delicious), smoked salmon, a fantastic cheese selection, grapes, melon, pineapple, almonds and other nuts, apple blueberry crumble (I had about 3 servings), and then there was dessert. Dessert began with the white chocolate fountain. Upon discovering this fountain, I proceeded to add white chocolate to anything I could justify, mainly fruit. This white chocolate obsession was extended to my heavenly waffle which was actually the best waffle I’ve ever tasted. It was the perfect level of fluffy and delicious. They also had a bunch of little cake squares: apple cinnamon, swirl brownie, chocolate date, white chocolate mud cake, passion fruit delight, mango marscapone, pecan nut pie, and I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting.
We were also extremely excited about the coffee. Generally speaking, Indian coffee tastes like coffee-flavored sugary milk. They don’t understand the concept of normal coffee. But the Marriott actually had black coffee, and it tasted good too! We were so ecstatic that we each had about 4 cups of coffee. Probably not going to sleep tonight. But to even out the caffeine, I took our waitress up on the test-tube shooter she offered our tables. Remember those cool little racks full of test tubes you used to play with in science class? Well, they serve shots in them at the Marriott. I’m not sure what was in mine... tasted like watermelon. It was pretty great.
Every once in a while, the waiters would drop by with a plate full of treats for us—several kinds of gourmet pizza, gourmet tater tots, and more. They also had impeccable timing cleaning off our plates. Literally within seconds of pushing your plate away, one of the waiters would be at your table clearing it for you. And bringing over yet another pot of coffee for our caffeine-addicted group. I actually saw one of the waiters fold a girl's napkin and drape it over the arm of her chair while she was up getting more food.
Oh and at one point two people dressed in animal costumes with balloons came wandering through the dining area. I have no idea why, but it added to the fun.
Per usual, I didn’t have my camera so you’ll just have to take my word for it that brunch at the Marriott is the best thing ever. So if you’re ever in Pune... go.
[Also, if you're wondering about the title: http://bitcheswhobrunch.com/]
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