Swirl - Indulging the Buffet Bite!

It was our third consecutive long drive road trip in as many weeks and this time we headed over to Welcome Hotel Kences which is a part of the ITC group. We sat in the lawn for a couple of drinks and were welcomed by the blow of the breeze coming right from the sea side located just across the side. It was a sight to behold and the sea breeze made it a soothing experience.

After our tryst near by the sea with drinks for company, we decided it was time to eat and headed over to their restaurant called Swirl. The last two weeks were greeted with Ala carte options which were not so resounding. This time we preferred to go the Buffet way hoping that they'll be laying out quite a lavish spread.
                                          
The setup of the ambiance was pretty nice from the outset. The outside environment greeted with a nice rich look of a small water area surrounded with plants aplenty. On the inside it appeared cozy and comfortable with plenty of seating space and the items of the buffet placed at a central space.

Normally Sunday buffets in places such as this tend to usually have a massive spread with a magnanimous serving of broadened cuisines. That however was sorely missing. The spread seemed pretty pedestrian. Things you normally associate such as a Live counter wasn't witnessed. Options of Italian, Mexican or Mediterranean were hardly available. Neither were there South Indian tiffin fare such as Dosa, Idli etc or the Indian chaat variety of pani puri, pav bhaji etc. We thought there would be something special served to the table but that wasn't the case. The kitchen area was used only for the Indian bread variety to order for and nothing else.

Though the spread was limited which was quite unexpected but however whatever that was available and tried had nothing really much to complain about. There were couple of starters in the form of a panneer 65 and corn fritters. The panneer chunks were flavorful with a dash of spices added in and the corn was crunchy. There was one pasta item with mushrooms along with a moussaka which was decent and so were the noodles. On the main course, the panneer gravy was signature and so were their Black Dal which added as able folly to the Roti and Naan consumed.

They had a drinks counter placed right at the entrance serving butter milk, mint nannari and rose litchi. Had a small shot at them all and each of them had brownie points going for them. The salad counter however was pretty plain. They had 4 varieties of ice cream in the form of vanilla, chocolate, butter scotch and mango. Filled my dessert plate with one of each and ended up finishing the meal on a high.

The service side was helpful and greeting. However they seemed a little lacked out on manpower as many a time the used plates were taken away only after we had reloaded the new ones and had to ask them many a time to clear it. The pricing at roughly about 2k bucks inclusive of taxes per person seemed on par with other buffets of similar properties.

On the whole, it was a reasonable experience. They should definitely stack up their buffet with plenty more options available. Well one could always argue as what's the point by loading up dishes all of which would be hard to be consumed by the customer. But the point is not just that as having an extensive spread gives way to more variety. The one's visiting such places are spread across all age groups and hence more options can make it more enticing and appeasing. Also gives way for a more laidback and sombre time where one could at his peril be spoonfed with options to pick and choose.

Square - A lavish wholesome brunch!

The 'Square' at Novotel will rake in as perhaps one of the most wholesome brunches I've ever been subject to. It had everything in it's arsenal to appease the taste buds and truly made for an enthralling experience. The spread was replete touching upon a medley of variegated cuisine to ensure a sumptuous feast. The food kept erupting like a lava and kept flowing in abundance. Such was the array on display that you would be virtually spoilt for choice because there was just too much to choose from and you have to take calculated risks in order to have the best of everything.

Quantity accounts for nothing if it doesn't match up with quality and this was where they were streets ahead with most of the stuff being bang on target. There were just a few solitary items which needed improvement but the majority of the coarse made the tongues tingle and crave for more. They covered good ground on all bases and it was apparent from the taste on display.

There were many specialty counters ranging from drinks, chaat, soup and dosa. The drinks section was based on the ad lib concept where you get to make your own drink with help and suggestions thrown in by the bartender to make it exactly the way you want. The chaats had your usual pani puri, dahi puri, pav bhaji etc. They had Laksa soup (A malay version) where you get to pick the type of noodles and veggies which get cooked along and I immensely enjoyed this soup which had a stong tinge of coconut cream to it. They had a plethora of dosa options on the house which were served in an inimitable manner.

The Live Counters account for just a miniscule percentage of the whole course as there were host of other options consisting of an extravagant main course spread, a pastiche of desserts, an eclectic mix of eggs, pancakes and waffles, bunch of starters, assorted salads and so much more in store. They also had fruit juices of different flavors stored in cute test tubes colorfully co-ordinated on the table to get us all set for the big picture.

Another high point of the meal was on the presentation angle. It just made our foray all the more memorable. The attention to detail paid on all fronts really deserves the plaudits. It really showed well and clear the efforts behind the scenes to orchestrate this exquisite show.

The service was top notch and they made sure the customer goes back having the pleasure of dining here. They were amiable, friendly and ever ready to take in any sort of feedback. There was hardly anything to pinpoint as even the minor blips were addressed with care and caution. As we were on an invite, I would have to refrain from commenting on the prices. But I must say for the magnanimous and lavish spread on offer, this brunch would be worth every single penny.

The location maybe a constraint as the place is located at a considerable distance from the heart of the city. But come to think of it, if you're looking for a getaway spot away from the hustle and bustle of the city and have a calm, laidback meal at your own leisure with even a dip in the pool as part of the package and to boot listen to some old school blues and jazz music you really can't complain. In essence a lovely option for brunch to satisfy your desideratum.