Known across the city for their unique Sunday brunches JW Marriott Mumbai, Sahar, a luxury five star hotel in Mumbai played host for the ‘Women’s Day Sunday Brunch‘ held at their JW Cafe on March 5, 2017.
International Women’s Day will be celebrated on the March 8, globally, but the hotel opted to celebrate the occasion in advance and club it with their famous weekend brunch. A wise decision I say!
On a rather sunny Sunday morning we arrived at the JW Cafe and the moment you step inside, you can see that the place has transformed itself in such a splendid manner that it does absolute justice to the theme of the day. The first thing in sight are the dessert carts laid with variety of sweet options like macaroons, tarts, pastries, cakes, candies amongst other things…and what better way to start off than this? Without wasting a minute, I grabbed hold of a vanilla macaroon and might I say, it was delightful!
Once we settled in, I ensured that I first take a good round around the cafe which has a vast spread of food to offer. From salad bar, cheese station, waffle and ice cream counter, Indian, Italian to Japanese cuisine, you name it and it was all there.
Hence commenced the much awaited Sunday brunch!
My mother who is somehow always excited at the thought of salads and smoothies, quickly grabbed a blueberry and raspberry smoothie for us ( No, I did not want this but like a good child, I obliged), which were yogurt based and slightly heavy, although, really delicious. We were surprised by our server as he approached us with a bottle of sparkling wine and poured some, he informed us that this was a complimentary gesture from the hotel’s side for all the women present…while I informed him that we were teetotallers! But, for all of you who’d like to indulge in some wine and dine, you know whats in store for you.
Coming to the food, I ordered a vegetarian pizza for myself and tomato, roasted bell-pepper and asparagus bruschetta for my mother. It was rather cute how the pizza was shaped like a heart, I mean isn’t that the best thing, because we all agree that pizza is equal to love is equal to heart. The bruschetta bread were homemade and well toasted, plus the toppings lifted its presentation and taste with its vibrancy and flavours. The spaghetti in Arabiatta sauce was my favourite though as the flavour of the sauce and the pasta’s al dante texture came together so beautifully, like a marriage made in heaven. I paired this with a mixed berry iced tea, while my mom indulged in some watermelon mojito.
Before we moved on to our next course, we took a stroll at the verandah of the cafe where they have a very convenient and tiny kitchen garden with fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, aubergines and chillies growing. It is then that I spotted a man making customised bangles for the ladies in the house. I approached him and he informed me that he is making Lac bangles. For your information, Lac bangles are commonly worn by women in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and special set of bangles of the same material is made for the bride on her wedding day too. The man asked me to choose the colours I’d want my bangle in, and once I informed him, within minutes he gifted me a freshly made bangle. There were a bunch of curious girls between the age of five-six who carefully watched every detail of this process and then sweetly asked the man, “Uncle, are these for money?”
With my hand well adorned with a customised piece of jewel, my mother and I moved on to get ourselves some lunch. On offer was dal makhani, malai kofta, bhuni hui paalak (roasted spinach), kadhai paneer, Awadhi subz biryani and breads made to order. We took a little bit of all of this. The dal was creamy and little sweet but full of flavours, the paneer was cooked in whole spices and was on the spicy side, the malai kofta is a personal favourite and with its rich gravy made of cashews, it was a winner. But what stood out was the paalak, with its garlicky-smoky flavour. In fact, I’d say that it is the best I’ve ever tasted. I paired these with a hot garlic naan. The biryani was well spiced and delicious too.
Now, we come to the heroes of the food spread – the desserts. I honestly don’t know where to begin and where to end, just as the dessert’s assembly line which had no end! Every dessert was as good as art on a plate with the beautiful hues, the fruits and chocolates. But you know what really caught our attention? The fact that they went out of the way to make this a meal to remember for all the women out there with the specially curated Women’s Day desserts. The edible lipsticks were quirky and tasty! The strawberry tart had my heart (see what I did there?), and while the list of desserts is unending, I’ll have to stop here.
This was such a beautiful experience as the hotel and it’s staff went out of their way to make it a day to remember for all the women and guests present out there. I spoke to a representative of the hotel and she informed how the hotel tries to curate a unique brunch every Sunday and this time the hotel who believes in investing into the growth of women and boasts of healthy and equal gender ratio amongst their employees had wished to thank the women clientele in their special ways.
To that I’d say, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, you’ve been successful.
