There is no sincerer love than the love of food

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There is no sincerer love than the love of food. And you'll realise it when you are sitting at The La Rotande, the swish restaurant cum 24-hour coffee shop at Imperial Palace, Royal Palms, Goregaon (E) eating piping hot delicious food on a cool, misty rainy day in Mumbai.

La Rotande at the Imperial Palace

The grand lobby of the Imperial Palace

Reminiscent of European classical magnificence with its carved marble pillars, graceful Greek sculptures and vivid grand hand-painted frescoes as it looks out on lush greenery and the serene surroundings of the Aarey Milk Colony, the La Rotande, with its lavish and sumptuous multi-cuisine menu, is the ideal setting for everything, right from a cosy intimate date to an important business meeting to a cheerful family dinner.

Chef Jacob DCruz takes his job of catering to a mixed crowd very seriously. "We have business people frequenting the restaurant during the week and families at the weekends. We get a lot of honeymooners too.

And over a period I have been able to gauge the hot-sellering items from the regular and fine-tune our menu to cater better to our customers," he explains with a courteous smile.

Well, the lip-smacking range of kebabs and tandoor starters, mouth-watering biryani and the wide spread of Italian cuisine that he's devised do seem to be a menu highlight. "There are a lot of takers for continental cuisine as well. Mumbai diners are indeed a cosmopolitan lot," DCruz says.

The food is not the only attraction here though. The hotel's unique location also proves to be its biggest draw.

After all, who wouldn't want to spend a quiet, calm time away from the noisy bustle of our city? The rich greenery against the vista of the open blue skies, the gentle breeze and clean air makes for a breath-taking experience. "Our guests says it's like taking a weekend break without going out of the city," says Manjunath, restaurant manager.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

And, for such discerning food and luxury lovers the Imperial Palace has quite a few facilities for the ideal break.

Apart from the wide variety of ultra-luxurious suites and rooms, the Imperial Palace also has a grand banquet hall to celebrate all your special moments; Palladio, their fine Indian restaurant; Toscano, an executive lounge bar and restaurant; the Empire business centre with all its boardrooms and luxurious ambience, a water court, spa, the list goes on and on. All in all, if you want to live like a king, the Imperial Palace, Royal Palms, Goregaon is the place to be.

Call Imperial Palace at 67133000.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0