Reef - Igniting the Buffet Vibes!

It was our second visit to the Sheraton Grand Resort after having first gone there to experience their fine dining restaurant C Salt. This time we wanted to engage on the buffet in the restaurant titled "The Reef". It was an evening rendezvous with the restaurant being quiet and giving a peaceful yet inviting vibe. We were one of the first to arrive and were greeted to a sumptuous buffet spread.

This one ticks the box on almost all counts. Apart from having various multi cuisine options, there were also live counters ringing in the fray with respect to options such as Dosa, Chaat, Pizza and Pasta. Though it's set up at a distance away from the beach the blow of the breeze just outside the restaurant gives a comforting feel. The ambience inside is cozy and dim. It's quite a large enclosure with well spread out tables and the pastel shades of the seating ignites a comfortable vibe with the interiors being quite tastefully done up.

I've been to a bunch of buffets at star properties within the city as well to these resort type settings. It's quite a call as to where to place this one but this definitely can be said to be belonging in the top tier category. The first thing you look for at a buffet are the options at hand and this one was lavish virtually catering to all sections at hand. I enjoyed the Greek fare with variety of Hummus and pita bread. The salads had a large offering with plenty to choose from. The starters alone could have been a tad better. They had some nice cutlet tikki type entres but we missed the good old Panneer and Gobi which has kind of become a staple.

A few dishes stood out being on the unique side. The first one among that was the Hasselback potatoes with saffron sauce. The potatoes felt jocularly joyful when submerged in that yellow saffron gravy. Another item which stood out was the poached pears with ricotta and nuts. This looked pretty appealing with the pears engraved in red cut over and inserted with pieces of nuts and smudged ricotta. The apple & pear waldorf salad also passed the colours in fine fashion both on looks and taste.

On the main course side, I got myself a nicely done up podi dosai. They had various kinds of podis available. Apart from that went for a standard veg pizza and pink sauce pasta which tasted decent. Also had a small shot at a Dahi Papdi Chaat. On the North Indian front, got myself a cheesy garlic Naan and to accompany was Paneer Butter Masala, Dal Makhni and an Aloo Dum gravy. The dessert section did see it's share of finely curated pastries and sweets.

The service was par for the course. Just felt the replacement of plates & refilling of water could have been done a tad quicker. The pricing is definitely at the high end but we did get a flat discount yet we still ended up paying 2200 bucks per person.

Overall the experience is worth it. It's a lovely sea facing resort where you can relax and laze around. Also at the restaurant it infuses an insouciant vibe which makes it laidback, appealing and comforting. It's a lovely space to spend some quite time with family with a bristle of calmness around that you don't get in most of the city buffet restaurants. If you're heading over this neck of the woods and on the mood to gorge on a delectable spread, "Reef" can certainly satiate that to your heart's content.

Bay 6 - Decked up at the beach side!

It was an extremely hot summer afternoon when we decided to venture out towards the ECR side and eat some food at Bay 6. The ambiance instantly wins you over as you can witness the waves of the sea right at the onset as you're gorging across your food. It's very simple by design but they have captured the view of the sea in all it's glory. Though the weather outside was shining bright as ever, the zephyr blowing over kept us really soothed making it a calming influence. 

It is located in one of the many tiny streets that leads you up towards the ECR beach. This one is right at the end and it appears that it's a house which has been constructed into a restaurant and what they've crafted out comes across as just the most cozy place to welcome an insouciant lunch or dinner. A lot of brown adorns the place with a touch up of white to give it an appealing texture. 

The cuisine is a melange of continental, Italian and a skosh of North Indian. The major page filling up the menu happens to be small plates and that's what we mainly dug at during our encounter with this place. The Kabuli Panneer was a certain win. The minced mix of chole interspersed inside fresh rolled out chunks of panneer gave it a delectable taste. The Malai Brocolli & Pineapple was a decent fair. Brocolli florets and cut pieces of pineapple were dunked into cream cheese but somehow the cheesy bits weren't that evident. The button based stuffed mushrooms however had an enticing taste with the char grill taste flashing out. The best of the starters were however the Hara Bara Kabab which was nailed to perfection. The mix of carrot, peas and spinach came out jocularly well and were lip smacking for the taste buds. 

On the main course, we tried a pesto based penne pasta. This was kind of nice with the flavour of the green pesto ruling supreme but however it didn't feel like a spectacular dish overall. Just quite a little nice pasta but nothing really to rave about. Their signature Bay 6 pizza was quite a win. It looked amazingly alluring with a bunch of toppings that felt perfect for a summer afternoon. On the North Indian side just had a shot at the Paneer Butter Masala which was quite creamy and pleasing. Didn't have the stomach for a dessert and just settled in for a pineapple juice which was purely plain jane. The sugar element was somehow missing and this was a pass. 

The service was neat and quick. They were honest with their suggestions and open for feedback. The rates appear a tad bit on the higher side but on expected lines. 

Overall it was quite a delightful experience. On the food side some hit the bulls eye but a few were quite off the mark. The scenic spot makes it an attractive juncture for tourists with the location and atmosphere perhaps their biggest take away. Some minor work around on the food side can help elevating the experience a further notch.