Unapologetically Italian Brunch by Chef Alessandro at Celini, Grand Hyatt Mumbai

It was a Saturday well spent as I was invited to check out the lsquoUnapologetically Italianrsquo brunch thatrsquos been conceptualised by the very talented Chef Alessandro Persico of Celini Grand Hyatt Mumbai Itrsquos a celebration of the Italian life and I for one was really excited to live itIf yoursquore a brunch enthusiast like me then Irsquom sure yoursquore all pretty used to a multiple cuisinesrsquo setup ndash Usually on a Sunday and here I was on a Saturday ready to indulge in all things only and ONLY Italian One of my favourite cuisines for as long as I remember I had high expectations and it makes me so happy to say that I wasnrsquot disappointed A delectable antipasti buffet with Chef Alessandrorsquos favourite recipes makes this experience a memorable oneThe afternoon began and was graciously supported with some fine champagne cocktails like Donatella Mimosa and Orange Mojitos These perfect Italian cocktails are served by the glass and pitchers while chef brings delicacies from pan to plate all through the afternoonIf you ask me what was the highlight of my meal I got to say they were the desserts But thatrsquos something I will talk about at a later stage All in all the innumerable vegetarian options made me realise how vegetarianfriendly this brunch was and thatrsquos something Irsquom usually particular about even though I eat pretty much everythingethAcircAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircAcircu00c2u0099AcircAcircAcircu00c2u0082The menu changes every Saturday so Irsquom obviously going to talk about the one we savoured on this fine afternoon Certain dishes like the eggplant spicy couscous roasted zucchini quinoa salad basil hummus and roasted roman style artichoke stood out simply because theyrsquore unique and arenrsquot easily available at every other Italian restaurant Therersquos of course the crazy variety of cheeses to indulge in so if yoursquore one of those cheese connoisseurs then this is bound to be enjoyable Our brunch actually felt like an eyeopener towards Italian cuisine and itrsquos lovely to have learnt of so many preparations A lot of them hard to pronounce but definitely worth trying outAmongst the nonvegetarian appetizers the duck orange salad marinated sardine snapper tartar and lamb bresaola carpaccio made for a great start to my meal What I truly loved about the food I ate was basically to have been able to savour the original flavour of every meat no matter what style of preparation it was This is of course a subjective experience and may not appeal to everyone But if yoursquore open to experimental flavours this is your platformNo Italian meal is complete without some good olrsquo classic pasta risotto and of course pizza Since they taste best when freshly prepared you can find them on the brunch menu thatrsquos designed like a newspaper and is pretty cool and order the one of your choice ndash a la carte styleWe decided to try out tasting portions of the pink sauce pasta we found the salt content a bit less but thatrsquos subjective to taste and spaghetti aglio e olio with arugula generously tossed with a whole lot of garlic and both were quite delightful in their respective ways I believe if a chef can make amazing aglio e olio he knows his Italian cooking well after all a dish so simple yet bursting with beautiful flavours deserves to be made perfectlySome of the other pastas and risottos to look out for in this wonderful spread For the vegetarians linguine primavera spinach ravioli saffron cream gnocchi four cheese and porcini mushroom risotto For the nonvegetarians therersquos pork rigatoni fusilli carbonara orzotto braised lamb lobster bisque linguini trofie smoked salmon and saffron cream See what I mean Therersquos enough and more for everyoneAll the thin crust pizza fans in the house The pizzas arenrsquot as wafer thin like khakras I personally do not find those appealing but are thin enough to get your taste buds to go gaga I shared a couple of slices along with satisfied smiles of approval with mumWhat the vegetarians should look out forMarinara Tomato Fresh Garlic and OreganoCelini Eggplant Ricotta Cheese and semidried TomatoArrabbiata Spicy Tomato Goat Cheese and Garlic ComfitFormaggi Mozzarella Gorgonzola Parmigiano and BrieGenovese Basil Pesto Mozzarella Potato and Green BeansThe meat lovers have options likeCapricciosa Tomato Mozzarella Ham Artichoke Olive and MushroomNapolitana Tomato Mozzarella Anchovy Kalamata Olive and CaperDiavola Tomato Sauce and Spicy SalamiTirolese Cream Speck and Brie CheeseSalmone Cream Smoked Salmon and ArugulaJust when you think you could very well make a meal out of the classics the main course section therersquos an entire setup right in front of the open kitchen at Celini has an array of meaty as well as vegetarian preparations to offer I suggest you give these a shot too after all itrsquos meant to be a leisure brunch and you can spend the entire afternoon here chilling eating drinking and the worksVegetarian Main Course includes ndash eggplant parmigiana swiss chard crepes mushroom arancini parsley garlic mash vegetable lasagna roasted tomato stew and baked stuffed zucchini Quite an impressive list donrsquot you think My mother whorsquos a pure vegetarian certainly enjoyed every bit of these offeringsMeat and seafood lovers you guys have nothing to worry about unlike the vegetarians The main course spread is what meaty dreams are made of Like seriouslyPork tuscan stew sausage and pepperonata lamb polpette grilled pepper salmon in amaretto sauce and basa capponata A bite size of everything was my only way to explore all there is to eat I honestly found it hard to pick a favourite so letrsquos just say everything deserves a bite Super flavourful to say the least itrsquos the closest you can get to authenticity thanks to Chef AlessandroAnd of course letrsquos get down to talking about the highlight of my brunch the fantastic dessert spread For once it was such a good feeling to see how quality took over quantity with this otherwise limited selection some five star brunches have wayyy too many desserts and none of them really leave a lasting impression donrsquot you think Chef Alessandrorsquos select few favourites made for a wonderful sweet treat and even though Irsquom quite alien to the pronunciation of most of these preparations my tastebuds understand the language of good food and this was my time to celebrate itThe desserts that made an appearance on this particular Saturday include Baba rum tiramisu torta cioccolato cannoli alessandro baci di dama crostata di mele macedonia di frutta con gelato yogurt Each one surpassed the next and I guess even though I donrsquot have a major sweettooth I would specially want to create one for this spreadThis afternoon ended with a cup of lovely coffee that opened up my senses in a whole new way Itrsquos exactly what you need to get out the foodcoma yoursquove slipped into Especially when you have somewhere else to head like I didIrsquod like to specially mention the exceptional and warm service received from Ms Benaz Sadri She knew what she was talking about and made sure our brunch was a comfortable and noncomplicated one Thank you BenazNow that you know therersquos a brunch that comes before Sunday I suggest you give this one a shot Yoursquoll find Chef Alessandro making his rounds chatting up and bonding with patrons and maybe even take centre stage and sing live for all of you ndash the man is very charming and a powerhouse of talent It was indeed such a pleasure to have experienced this Herersquos wishing you guys feel similarly as and when you visitethAcircAcircAcircu00c2u009fAcircAcircAcircu00c2u0099AcircAcircAcircu00c2u0082This brunch is available at Celini Grand Hyatt Mumbai every Saturday ndash 12 PM to 4 PM at INR 1999 without alcohol and INR 2299 with alcohol A la carte cocktail pitchers are also available at INR 600PS The blogger was invited to try out this brunch Views are and will always be personal