I don’t remember the last time I woke up at 7. I don’t remember the last time I had breakfast. Oh wait, it was that one morning back in middle of June when I stayed up the whole night waiting to gorge on Maharani-r kochuri torkari that Baba would bring on his way back from morning walk. I had it for breakfast and then went to sleep. But waking up at 7 and having breakfast? Nay, that’s not me. But habits do change (well…occasionally) and years of failed attempts at early to bed, early to rise finally saw the light of day last weekend when, on a breakfast invitation from ITC Sonar, I was forced to listen to my alarm and pull myself up from bed at what was otherwise midnight to me.
Excited to meet my friends from KFB after quite a long time, we headed towards Eden Pavilion to sample their breakfast spread, of which the highlight was “Signature Mornings”. Signature Mornings include local flavours, comfort foods and forgotten foods with a special emphasis on fresh and seasonal produce. In the words of ITC group, “each dish has been guided by a ‘caringly sourced; mindfully prepared’ approach to showcase locally-sourced, free range, Indian super foods, forgotten ancient grains, ‘good for you’ breads with increased focus on gluten free and lactose free breakfast options”.
The menu for the Signature Mornings, we were told, is the same across all ITC hotels in the country and is changed every 4-6 months. The current dishes on offer include Muesli and Berry Brulee flanked by Amaranth and Jaggery Brittle, Finger Millet (Ragi) and Almond meal pancakes with Aloe Vera and Black Currant Chutney, Eggs Benedict prepared with free range eggs and pampered with an extra virgin olive oil hollandaise and locally-sourced Birchwood smoked chicken rashers instead of bacon or ham and a Salmon and Milk Clafoutis with Salmon Roes. The muesli was softened in orange juice instead of yoghurt/milk, which chef said was a breakfast dish he could have everyday. But never a fan of muesli myself, my eyes were set on the Eggs Benedict and the Salmon Clafoutis. The clafoutis was creamy and comforting but slightly lacking in salt. However if you chose to team each spoonful with a couple of salmon roes, the balance of flavours was just perfect. Eggs Benedict can never be the same without bacon but what piqued my curiosity more was the eggless hollandaise with EVOO and powdered egg substitutes. True, I missed the butter and real egg yolks, but inkeeping with the idea of substituting healthier ingredients to create big bold flavours this one made the cut.
Apart from the items that are on offer as parts of their Signature Morning collection, you can also take your picks from the regular breakfast buffet, which undoubtedly is one of the most comprehensive and elaborate spreads that I’ve seen in top notch restaurants. A major attraction of their offering has to be the cold-pressed Pavilion Pure that aims to present juice blends from in-season local ingredients. These include home grown wheat grass, sprouts of horsegram, fenugreek, pumpkin seed, flax seed, mustard seed etc. The juice blends include combinations of Celery. Spinach, Cucumber, Neem; Indian Gooseberry, Aloe Vera, Tomato, Tulsi; Aloe Vera, Home Grown Cress, Spinach, Ginger; Carrot, Ginger, Apple, Beet, Basil; Apple, Celery, Grapefruit, Spinach.
The breakfast buffet closes at 10.30 am but you can discover the array of wholesome delicacies that awaits you at Eden Pavilion 24×7 and at a price of 850 INR + taxes per person. If you want to reserve a table 033-23454545 is the number to dial.