The Westin hotel in Rajarhat, Kolkata, is not very different from other 5-star hotels in the city. The lobbies are grandly decorated, plush sofas and couches for patrons to sit on and a large chandelier hanging from the centre of the ceiling.
But this vibe changes as soon as one steps out of the elevator onto the 10th floor of the hotel. There is a man standing beside a bicycle that welcomes guests with coconut water and thus begins the journey of the Sunday Market Brunch at The Westin.
A new range of brunch menu that executive Sous-Chef Ravish Mishra and his team designed for the summer adorns the huge hall. There are more than 15 counters serving brunch from different cuisines. And along the biggest gallery wall, lined up are desserts from different countries. It is the Holy Grail of dessert lovers.
Starting from American brunch to a full English breakfast to a pasta counter to a Turkish stall, this mega brunch buffet has everything. There is a huge table in the central region that just has cold meats. Heaps of salami, pastrami, ham, sausages and other cold cuts were ready for guests to gorge on.
And adjacent to this was a table of the same size but filled with cheese. It had every possible type of cheese one could think of, starting from the basic parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella to the more exotic kinds such as brie.
Despite the fact that it would take any person more than one sitting to go through everything on the menu, it is important to know which are the counters and dishes that one cannot miss.
First, the Salmon En Croûte, an exquisite cut of salmon wrapped in puff pastry and seasoned with European herbs. The fish is cooked perfectly and the pastry wrapping adds the right amount of contrasting texture to the palette. The stuffing was spicy and well seasoned and the butter oozes out of the slice.
Secondly, the pasta counter; a beautiful range of handmade pastas with varied fillings and toppings wait for anyone to place an order and the pasta is served at your table in 10 minutes.
The duck and sage ravioli is the best of them all. The perfection of the pasta dough can be sensed in the taste. It is translucently thin, with the duck and sage stuffing filling it up from the inside. The creamy texture of the sauce seeps into each of pasta.
Thirdly, the dessert counter has too many options for this reporter to have tried all and write which one is best. Nonetheless, the notable ones are the apple crumble from the American section of the dessert table and the baklavas from the Turkish counter.
The apple crumble is absolutely blissful, with the crisp crust underneath and the soft and beautifully over-cooked apples inside. However, the baklavas steal the show. Among the range of different forms of the Turkish dessert, the hazelnut and pistachio baklavas are the best. They are as close to the authentic dish as possible.
In addition to these mouth-watering brunch dishes, there are other dishes and counters that deserve a mention. The Mumbai street food counter is nice, with Irani Keema Paus, and Vada Paus; the English breakfast counter serves a mean sunny-side up with toast; and the chaat counter in the beginning is going to please any street food lover.
The Sunday Brunch is served from 12:30 pm to 3pm. The total cost per person comes to Rs 1,399 (without taxes).