Christmas Comes Calling in Bengaluru

Conversation around fresh bakes, plum puddings, mulled wine, chocolate logs, cookies and stuffed turkey have taken over the city. People are planning dinners, brunches and restaurants are floating their special menus. I love this time of the year and with good reason. It is one of those festivities where religion rarely plays a part. And if you are not up for hosting a meal at home, there is always something special you can do on that day – something that revolves around good food, to be more specific.

Some of the old favourites such as Sunnys, Graze at Vivanta by Taj, Mynt at The Taj West End, Cubbon Pavilion at ITC Gardenia, The Raj Pavilion at ITC Windsor, The JW Marriott, The Ritz Carlton, and Shangri-La, among plenty others, will definitely be laying out a lavish spread on the 24^th and 25^th. But here are a few that I found quite interesting – you know, just to get the party started.

The Bengaluru Marriott Hotel at Whitefield is hosting a Christmas Eve dinner at M Café – a buffet consisting of a variety of dishes from different cuisines. The buffet, apart from featuring their regulars, will also have roast turkey on the menu. Plus, there are loads of desserts on offer, including Christmas cakes, plum pudding, mince pies, dundee cake, red velvet cheesecake, brownies and so on. There is even a brunch at the hotel the next day.

Olive Beach on Wood Street has a lovely Christmas day brunch on offer. The menu features Mediterranean delicacies such as smoked sausages with gherkins, duck in puff pastry, honey-glazed smoked ham, roast turkey with wild berry and apple compote, turkey gravy and stuffing, smoked lamb leg roulade and an extensive spread of desserts that includes bûche de Noël, mini Xmas pudding with brandy butter, baba au rhum jars, pistachio cranberry bars and sourdough maple waffles. Plus, you can sip on cocktails including the delicious spiced hot chocolate, mulled wine, hot apple cider, eggnog, pina coladas, mojitos and more.

For ardent fans of Sue’s Food Place, there is good news. The restaurant is hosting a Christmas lunch and dinner that is complete with traditional food and some of the restaurant’s specialties as well.

Toscano, across all their outlets, is setting up a special Christmas Eve and Christmas day dinner, which will not only have a special menu featuring good old Christmas delicacies, but will also have a turkey carving station. Plus, there is sangria, wine and mocktails to wash all the food down.

If you want to start celebrating early, head to 100 FT Boutique Bar Restaurant in Indiranagar that is offering a special five-course Xmas special menu for lunch and dinner, right till the end of the month. Begin with a glass of mulled wine and do not miss the turkey roulade stuffed with chicken sausage, dry fruits and nuts, served with a cranberry sauce and red wine roast gravy. Finish the meal with a Christmas plum cake.

Le Jardin at The Oberoi is hosting a Christmas Eve dinner and a lunch the next day. While the fixed dinner menu features a traditional meal, along with roast turkey, plum pudding, mulled wine and so on, the lunch on Christmas day is far more elaborate. Both these meals can be paired with champagne, wine, or even non-alcoholic beverages.

Check out the Xmas menu at Monkey Bar Indiranagar, in case you want to celebrate it differently. They have got pierogies, kababs, tacos, and a special Christmas sundae on the menu. To drink, there is mulled wine, rum with cream and maple syrup, and something called Butterscotch Schnapps that I think you might really enjoy. This menu is available till the end of the month fortunately, because we really do like the idea of an extended holiday season. 

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