Olive Beach

Someone wrote to me through this blog recently, asking for suggestions on restaurants that have buffets. Apart from the Sunday buffet brunch at the Taj, where my first landlord took me to as an incentive to try and get me to extend my lease two and a half years ago, I realized I've never really been to any other buffets or brunches. I started asking around and I did some research on the internet. It was like digging into an old pair of jeans and finding a Rs.500 note! Sunday brunches in Bangalore are such a popular pastime that people discuss the vast variety of options on Internet forums! These buffet brunches aren't cheap though. They range between Rs800-Rs1000 back in 2006, and today you won't be able to find a good brunch for lesser than Rs2000 (excluding tax and service charge).

So for Mother's Day, after some nudging (because "A" can't fathom spending Rs2000 per person on brunch), we decided to take my (soon-to-be) mother-in-law to a buffet brunch at Olive Beach.

I've always liked Olive Beach. I've dined there a few times in the past two years. Heck, I've even attended a wedding party here. The food has always been fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere, though a bit staged, somehow managed to transport me out of India and onto an island in Greece.


The Mother's Day brunch menu. It occurred to us then why they'd charged so much for brunch. The extensive meal also includes an all-you-can-drink, like any kind of drinks, from the bar. Needless to say, "A" and the rest of the family were happy campers.

Fresh Cochin oysters. I was very excited about the prospect of eating raw oysters but was a bit disappointed when the waiter rinsed the shucked oyster in a pail of fresh water before serving them. It tasted a bit diluted but nonetheless, very fresh. I know you're curious, and the answer is no, none of us got sick from eating raw oysters in India.

The widespread buffet. Salads, cheeses, breads, dips and cold cuts, all for our consumption.


From the grill - rosemary marinated lamb chops, medium done. The meat was so juicy and well seasoned, there was no need for the extra sauce that came with it. Also on the grill was steak, fish and sliders but this was good enough for me!

Desserts - on top of what's served here, there was a person who'd make fresh waffles.

I'm not doing justice with the photos here. As you can imagine, I was too occupied with stuffing myself silly and was happily tipsy on my mojitos.

One of the best things about India is that even though it's a buffet, which often means self-service in other countries, it doesn't really apply here. You can sit on your dining table for four hours and just tell the waiters what you'd like and you'll have your choice of food served to you with a smile.

Overall Ratings:
Po's: 8.5/10
A's: 8.5/10

Would we return?
Absolutely!

Address:
16 Wood Street,
Ashoknagar, Bangalore

Phone: +91 (0)80 4123 9483 Reservations Recommended