A weekend visit to Navi Mumbai allows you to reclaim the road as we experienced a long, pleasant traffic-free drive to Turbhe for a Sunday Brunch at Marriott Executive Apartments (MEA), Navi Mumbai. The season offered glimpses of lush greenery and skies pregnant with dark clouds. Located on the sixth level in the swanky Marriott Executive Apartments, Hill View Café understandably derives its name from the superb view of Parsik Hill on Sahyadri foothills. And monsoon is the season to visit this chic restaurant if you wish to catch the cascade of spectacular waterfalls while you indulge in their decadent food.
The kitchen helmed by talented Executive Chef Mohit Bhowar and his team of sous chefs is responsible for multiple cuisines from Mediterranean to vegan options. Wood-fired pizza, live counters, delicate cocktails and world-class beverage selection from their well-stocked bar are major attractions here. The recent millet brunch, in keeping with the International Year of the Millets, helps promote the delicious ways the superfood grains can be prepared and presented. With an impressive selection at various food counters including a section of smileys, mini burgers, chocolates and eye-ball grabbers dedicated to kids, it was one sumptuous and fun-filled afternoon for all.
Spinach Millet Kebab |
We went with bajra raab – an earthy and nutritious broth of pearl millets sprinkled with herbs. The anti-pasta and salad bar promise to be a slap-up meal for the health-conscious with Mezze-lavash-pita bread, bocconcini, compound salads, and fresh salads. Our target was foxtail-millet salad and the cheese board with lavash, cheese crackers and cheese straws all in healthful ragi. Some of the interesting millet starters with subtle flavour of spices were bajra stuffed makhmali paneer tikka, spinach-barley kebab, and murgh-pearls millet kebab.
Ragi Dosa |
Live counters of papdi chaat, paani-puri, ragda pattice, samosa, kachori and pav bhaji proved to be simply irresistible. Other live stations to delve into are Turkish pide, Millet wood-fired pizza, Bajra khichadi, jowar pal panniyaram, ragi pancake and waffle with condiments.
Palak paneer, ragi millet kadi, jackfruit millet, dal makhani made for veg Indian mains while butter chicken, laal maas, and dhungara butter chicken, rogan josh, and gosht biryani tantalised the taste-buds of carnivores. The brunch supports use of local ingredients and recipes like amti, kolhapuri sabzi, kadai jhinga vie with other Indian specialties to tickle the palate of avid food freaks.
Malai Broccoli |
Western mains included spinach-ricotta-millet cannelloni, pearls millet risotto with prawns and pickled tomato, grilled fish with parsley and leek volute, lamb moussaka. Asian cuisine lovers get treated to spicy prawn red Thai curry, kung pao cottage cheese gravy, and aromatic jasmine rice.
Check out the desserts first to keep enough space in the tummy after partaking of this unrelenting brunch. If varieties of yummy pastries and cakes fail to floor you, go for tiramisu, panacotta, rasmalai, millet brownie and Indian mithais like mohanthal, kaju katli, kalakand, foxtail millet kheer, more sweets and the ubiquitous ice-creams.
Chaat |
Accompanied by a live band belting out Indie-pop and Bollywood songs, the Sunday brunch at Hill View Cafe scores on a variety of delish food, attentive service and entertainment with the bonus of undulating hill and waterfall views!
Cost for one: Rs 2500 (all inclusive)
