EATING OUT: GLUTTONY WITH SUNDAY BRUNCH AT HAVANA CAFÉ & BAR, MUMBAI

If one is a glutton, then a Sunday brunch at any place across the city is a perfect setting to indulge. But, the Havana Cafe & Bar is a pleasingly offbeat location to enjoy a brunch. On a hot Sunday afternoon, we made our way to Colaba to The Gordon House Hotel. The Havana Café is located inside this hotel, which is tucked away in a lane right behind the Regal Cinema.

On entering the restaurant you are greeted by a rustic ambience that has walls dotted with funky, Cuban-themed photo frames, quirky quotes and a few even have graffiti. The seating arrangement is pretty spaced out and the booths are comfortable and spacious. The music and the dim lighting further add to the raw appeal of the ambience. This setting for me is a pleasant change from the customary fine dine setting in which most Sunday brunches are offered.

The spread too is unusual yet delicious. I say unusual because the spread comprises of two types of soups, plentiful salads with toasted bread, five types of Cubano sandwiches, sliders, vegetarian fritters and five types of desserts. All this variety currently comes for a very humble pricing of 499 per person. No beverages are part of this brunch package. You need to order them separately should you wish to sip upon something. This entire food arrangement had resemblance to a spread that used to be served in a restaurant near Marine drive area not so long ago.

Here is a pictorial journey into some of the delicious preparations I enjoyed to the fullest.

VEGETARIAN SALADS
There were varieties of fresh fruit, vegetable salads and two types of hummus. My favorites from the array offered were the Cucumber & Tahini Yogurt Salad, Watermelon Ginger Salad and Sweet Potato Salad.

NON- VEGETARIAN CUBANO SANDWICHES, SALADS & SLIDERS, VEGETARIAN FRITTERS & DESSERTS
The brunch had a total five Cubano sandwiches made to order. However, I ended up eating only the three non-vegetarian ones offered.  Same was the case with the sliders where I ended up ordering the non-vegetarian one. Fritters that were available as part of the brunch were all vegetarian, the varieties being - Potato, Corn, Jalapeno Cheese and Chickpea. The desserts offered included  Red Velvet, Pineapple & New York Chocolate Pastries, Blueberry Mousse and Fruit Custard.

A special mention for the jovial and amicable staff who kept serving every table with a smile.

I would definitely love to go back to this café. Do try out this lovely place for food and drinks the next time you are in Colaba.

Till then, HAPPY EATING...