Sunday Brunch at Citrus, The Leela, Mumbai

Brunch is a perfect way to start any Sunday morning. It not only refreshes you, it is also good motivation to wake up. Especially for supremely lazy people like me! So, one fine Sunday, I visited The Leela for a hefty brunch at their Citrus restaurant. Eggs, waffles, pancakes, pizza and pasta, all this and so much more, I couldn’t wait! I reached there at 1:30pm and was pleasantly surprised to find an unending spread of delicious treats. The expansive range included a Japanese seafood counter that comprised an assortment of prawns, lobster, mussels and a sushi platter; live stations that featured salmon, shrimp-vegetable cocktail, a grill and BBQ station that included vegetables, chicken breast, corn on the cob, sausages, lamb steak and Cajun beef steak, as well a shawarma station; an Indian spread with moong dal pulao, kadhai gobi, paneer kali mirch shaahi and masala fried fish; and so much more that I simply couldn’t resist the urge to get started.

The spread...

I began my culinary experience with some Aragula and feta Greek salad and a glass of red wine. Since the brunch includes made-to-order pizzas and pastas, I ordered a mixed vegetarian pizza. I moved on to take a look at the various display counters embellished beautifully with elements like colourful macaroons in tall jars, a variety of cheeses with tiny flags masquerading as name tags and a carved-out bread display. I sampled the tiny Thai coconut rice pudding and dipped a strawberry in the chocolate fountain while I surveyed the spread. I settled for a mix of some corn fritters, pancakes and a corn quiche as appetisers. I really like Thai curry so I was glad to find it as part of the spread.

The dessert counter

When it came to desserts, I was spoilt for choice. I didn’t know how to choose between the creatively-designed black forest, the innovative chocolate mousse with cinnamon apple compote, the milk chocolate berry yoghurt pastry, the chocolate banana walnut sponge cake or the orange sugar-free panacotta! I settled for the black forest and chocolate banana walnut sponge cake, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. They were finger-licking good! And what proved to be a great addition was the retro music that was playing in the background. It was simply perfect; a Sunday like no other.

Mango cheesecake

What made my experience memorable was my meeting with Chefs Birender and Rashna, the Sous Chef and Pastry Chef respectively. Their passion for food was clearly reflected in their enthusiasm as they told me about the various dishes and concoctions. I love food and I bake quite often, but after my experience at the Leela, I’m certainly more interested in eating! So much for food for thought, eh?

All photographs by RAVI BOHRA