(From above) The live pasta and Thai counter at Zaranj and Jong’s; chef Lian Yunlei shows off the new menu at Chinoiserie; the dessert spread at the Taj Bengal Sunday brunch. Pictures by Rashbehari Das and Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

With the all-new sumptuous Sunday brunch buffet at Taj Bengal, the weekends are all about fun and food.

On till March, the buffet counters have been laid at the Poolside and the Hub. “Sundays are the only days people have time for a complete family meal together. Our idea is to provide families good food, a relaxed ambience and fun for all,” says executive sous chef Nitin Mathur.

Unlimited beer and champagne, a magician displaying tricks and a clown waving, smiling and shaking hands with the kids take care of the fun factor.

As for the food, there’s variety with a capital V. For starters one can choose from a wide range of Antipastis and soups. The Antipasti corner includes Chicken Liver Pate with Herb Crostini, Egg and Tuna Delight, Plum Tomatoes and Homemade Cheese with Basil Balsamico and Fruit Panache with Cr?me Chantilly.

The soup station offers the non-vegetarian Creamy Chicken and Corn enhanced with Parmesan and the vegetarian Roast Corn and Garlic flavoured with Cilantro.

Then you have the cheese counter with almost 12 varieties and the live salad bar where you can choose from a wide range of condiments and dressing.

The Italian spread has Potato Rosmarino, Assorted Beans Toscana style, Pan-seared Beckti Gratinated with Basil Crumb and Stuffed Chicken Leg with Colman Cream Sauce. You also have pastas, pizzas and sandwiches to pick from.

The Indian cuisine corner offers Chaat, Phuchka and Dosa, plus a wide main course. One can dig into delicacies like Bhatti Ka Murgh, Macchli Ka Salan, Gobhi Methi and Ajwaini Paneer Pasanda. You can have them with Steamed Rice or Kathal Biryani.

The Chinese fare includes noodles and preparations of chicken, lamb, fish and vegetables with a choice of sauces like Hot Garlic or Manchurian.

There is also a special kids counter that has Popcorn, Mini Burger, Chicken Tartlets, Smiley and four varieties of bakery desserts.

The dessert section will leave you spoilt for choice. Options include Chocolate Banana Caramel Gateaux, Mexican Brownies, Fruit Fondue, Malpua Roll, Khoya Liquer Barfi to name a few.

The Sunday buffet is priced at Rs 950-plus.

China choice

Still at Taj Bengal, Chinoiserie, the Chinese speciality restaurant, has a whole new menu to flaunt, thanks to the new chef, Lian Yunlei. The revised menu stands out from the previous one in the minimal use of spices.

Says executive chef Sujan Mukherjee: “It is simply amazing how chef Yunlei manages to rustle up such tasty food with so little spices.”

Non-vegetarian starters on the menu include the Lian-style Flavoured Rabbit, Hong Kong Style Soft Shell Crab and Pan-fried Chilli Fish. For soups you have the Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, Seafood Noodle Soup and the Spicy Lemon Garlic Chicken Soup.

If Dimsums are your choice for starters, you can choose from Bao (fermented flour dough dumplings stuffed with vegetables or chicken) or Sticky Rice Suimai (glutenous rice dumplings stuffed with vegetables).

The main course is equally widespread and sumptuous ? King Prawn with Schezwan Chillies (prawns in a gravy of fermented chillies and beans), Pan Fried Pomfret with XO Sauce, Braised Lemon Chicken with a Dash of Orange and Stir Fried Lamb with Scallion cooked in light soya and sesame oil, to name a few.

Vegetarian options include Quick Fried Snow Peas with Fresh Garlic and Chilli and Stir Fried Green Vegetables with Black Mushrooms.

To go with them, vegetarians can order the Moon Faan (five spiced mushroom rice) and Ginger Capsicum Rice, while non-vegetarians can try Sticky Chicken Rice (steamed special rice served with spicy soya chicken) or Chinoiserie Special Fried Rice (prawn fried rice with shrimp paste wrapped in lotus leaf).

For noodles you can savour the Three Flavoured Vegetable Noodles (spicy and sour noodles tossed with sesame and served with vegetables) or the Dry Red Chilli Noodles with Cashewnuts.

Coconut Tofu (plain or fried), Darsaan and Chinoiserie Sundae are the top picks in the dessert section.

A meal for two at Chinoiserie costs around Rs 1,200.

Fine 40

It seems to be raining buffets at hotels and restaurants. And that’s exactly why Zaranj and Jong’s have decided to host an unusual spread ? aptly named The Mother of all Buffets.

On offer are dozens of dishes, 40 to be precise, selected from the best of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Afghani and Indian cuisines.

Straddling the cuisine counters of both Zaranj and Jong’s, this buffet has an elaborate salad, soup, main course and dessert spread.

“The items will change everyday, though some perennial favourites will remain constant,” explained a spokesperson for Zaranj.

Must-trys from the buffet are Prawn Masala, Saag Gosht and Hunan Chicken, Sweet and Sour vegetables, Crispy Baby Corn, Thai Green Curry and Rohu Fish.

There is also a live counter to cook up interesting pasta preparations and some Thai delicacies.

Priced at a steal (Rs 299 inclusive of taxes), the buffet is open for lunch from 12.30 pm to 3 pm on weekdays, excluding Tuesdays.