Sunday brunch at Fratelli Fresh

    Whenever I heard the word Sunday, the first words to strike me are laziness, relaxing and brunches. Now a perfect brunch according to me would be one where you're having a quality time with a few loved ones, sipping on some great wine/drinks and gorging on some delicious food whilst enjoying the pleasant view outside. We were able to do all of the above with some amazing artwork on display during our recent Sunday Brunch at Fratelli Fresh. 

       First off, we definitely must start with the ambience. The sheer beauty of the Renaissance is such that as soon as you set foot inside, you're bound to never come back. The Sunday brunch at Fratelli Fresh is one of its major attractions. We were invited to Art and Lunch - R Art Series by artist Ram Kamath, followed by an exotic Italian Sunday brunch by Chef Cristian. 

       Here is some of his well-known work -

       The spread at Fratelli Fresh is a humongous one, including some gorgeous breads, cheese platters, salads, pastas, pizzas, cold meats, over 30 varieties of desserts and what not. It is an absolute treat for the eyes and the body and the taste buds. The spread is beautiful and leaves you tantalized.

       Our favourite out of these would be the jalapeno ones. Bread with a strong flavour of jalapenos, topped with cheese and an jalapeno in the middle didn't need any other component alongside and were baked to perfection.

       Out of the main course, the best would definitely be the Chef's specialty - the ravioli. One of the best things about them is that they make their own pasta in their kitchen. Their pizza, lasagna and pasta were pretty ordinary and didn't meet our expectations. 

        Next, we moved on to the desserts. Just looking at the variety took us on a sugar high. We had to take 3 rounds of the entire round to taste even 1/4th of the desserts. Did I mention that they have a chocolate fountain too!? Here a few pictures of the desserts to leave you drooling -

        Lastly, we would like to thank FBAI and Renaissance for organizing this lovely meet. 

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Gobble On!

Hoppi Times are Good Times!

Are they, really?

           Thursday night, mustering some courage, I managed to walk through the Todi Mill Compounds & headed towards the doors of Hoppipola for the third time since its opening. Finally, we were allowed in!

Location - Lower Parel! Need we say more? Proving to be one of the most happening places in the city, it has become the go-to place after office hours and on weekends! Todi Mills is home to a lot of great restaurants serving varied cuisines.

Ambiance - As it is known to be a drinking place/a place to get rid of your weekend woes, most of the visitors were below 30. The music played at 7 was a wee dull and failed to liven our moods; the crowd wasn't that interested either. Post 8:30, it was all uphill! People started flooding in, funky music brightening up everyone's mood & a new wave of energy in the air! One of the most unique and best parts of this place is the number of games & books they provide! Want to enjoy a good meal alone? Grab a book and you're good to go!

Seating - They have 2 seating arrangements, indoor and outdoor. The outdoors are far more beautiful and appealing, but with this scorching heat, who can dare to sit outdoors? They can accommodate at least 50 people at once.  

Service - The service was a bit too slow, they definitely need more staff. For a moderately huge place like this, they had really few people to tend to the tables and take orders. 

What our order comprised of - Hoppi Bomb Shots, French Fries with Buffalo Sauce, the Hotato Burger, Cheesie Pizznezz, The Immigrant's Favorite - Classic Mac and Cheese & Peach Iced Tea. 

What you must try - 

• Hoppi Bomb - 

A beer based alcoholic drink, with a hint of coffee in it. As a person who doesn't like alcohol much, I must say that the beer did not overpower the taste of the drink & leave a foul, unpleasant aftertaste unlike other alcoholic beverages. 

• Fries with bufallo sauce - 

 The fries - crisp and salty; just the way we like them. The buffalo sauce however is what makes the dish a winner. The sauce, a balance of tangy and spicy, went really well with these well cooked frites.

• Cheesie Pizznezz - 

Cheesie Pizznezz - The 4 cheese pizza. Because a pizza with a single type of cheese isn't enough.
The pizza, as you can see, is divided into 2 - both with different toppings. Needless to say, we loved the pieces with the chunks of buffalo cheese & strands of oregano and basil on them. The other side tasted like a regular pizza that needed a generous helping of a strong flavor.

• The Immigrant's Favorite - 

Definitely our favorite too! 

The Immigrant's favorite - The Classic Mac and Cheese. We've had some really mixed experiences with mac and cheese at a number of places in Mumbai. And it was proven to me that people can screw up the classics also! Well, this place definitely knows how to cook up some mean mac n cheese. Baked to the right temperature, giving it a perfect consistency and bringing out the perfect bouncy texture of the cheese, we give it our thumbs up! Just a minor complaint - it needs a bit of seasoning!

What you must NOT try - 

• The Hotato Burger -

The only Vegetarian burger served here, is an absolute no no for a lot of reasons. The burger consists of 2 patties & a few veggies tossed together. That's it. There is no trace of any mayonnaise or any sauce to hold the burger together. The coleslaw salad and the fries were pretty decent, but not good enough to compensate for the dry "burger."

• Peach Iced Tea - 

The Peach Iced Tea consisted of 50% ice and 50% what the name suggested. A regular glass of peach iced tea, (good flavor and everything), nothing extraordinary or unique.

In all, I would say the place is a 4 on 5. Good music, quirky interiors and great ambiance make up for a few shortcomings in a few food items! 

Would I go back? Definitely! 

Gobble On!