The lodi has advantage of location over all other Sunday brunch places, says Meenakshi Rao
As Sunday brunches go, it’s the location more than the spread that makes or mars chances of success. As far as the location goes, it can’t get better than the lodi Restaurant. Nestling inside Delhi’s most known, well preserved, clean and feted green mile — The lodi Gardens — it scores over any eatery in town, especially during the winters when eating and sipping the bubbly under the warm sun at a leisurely pace, rubbing shoulders with friends and family, is a long time promise that people make to themselves and keep it too.
The Sunday brunch at The lodi boasts of a limited but tasteful spread which is all herbed and spiced delicately to go with the wines and the brews, like mulled wine which is the most perfectly spice blended drink here as compared to any of the Capital’s restaurants.
Chef Rana has got this one right as the mulled wine here does not overwhelm you with the star anise, for example, or any other spice for that matter. The sangriya is not too sweet and not too stiff either, which makes it ‘right from Spain’ variety. The mimosas and the whiskey punches leave no scope for improvement and that, at a Rs2,599 plus taxes price for Sunday brunch, looks like standard procedure.
The pride of place, however, are the home-grown organic proceeds (grown in a protected farm in Noida) sitting pretty on the special salad bar pedestal next to the boiled eggs and maple syrup pancakes counter next. The rocket leaves and the lettuce are crisp, fresh and marinated well in the chef’s very own dressings which, mind you, don’t make you gobble calories with mayonnaise and the like. The olives, both green and yellow, go well with the cheese, a variety of which is spread out with freshly baked and herbed breads and buns.
As the manager explains, the Sunday brunch menu at lodi is different on two counts — one, it is wholly organic, meat or otherwise, and two, besides the fixed menu on the card, it also has a fully equipped mains counter that changes every Sunday. last Sunday, it was Seabass, herbed rice and chicken curry to serenade a south Indian meets north Indian palette. But you could also order in a risotto or pasta along with your fresh prawn, chicken or paneer grill marinated well and succulently.
Most Sundays, despite the prices, the brunch seating is sold out, both indoors and outdoors, especially when the sun rays play with you from between the lush greenery all around so do book your table before the season fans out into Makar Sankranti and eventually Holi to signal the advent of long summers.