In Baywatch in the WelcomHotel Sheraton, New Delhi, that’s where.
Located in Saket, right near the malls, the ground floor coffee shop of this business hotel is currently offering the world on your breakfast plate. I was invited to experience this buffet along with a fellow blogger, traveling companion and young friend, Charis, who runs an excellent food-centric blog.
A leisurely 2 hour breakfast, much of it in the company of the charming, knowledgeable chef Neha, was a great way to ease into the weekend.
Being a complete caffeine addict I stuck – somewhat unadventurously, I admit it – to coffee, and had a very acceptable cappuccino :
Charis, however, got into the spirit of things and had a cup of “cutting chai”:
Love love love the coloured glasses. So much prettier than the usual clear (and probably smeary version) you see in the street.
Our round the world over breakfast tour started in Japan, and we were treated to miso soup, grilled salted fish, sticky rice and a delicate Japanese omelette :
I enjoyed this selection, though the fish was perhaps a weeny bit dry, but the miso soup was delicious. Felt odd having soup for breakfast, but this was not meant to be a conventional breakfast, now, was it?
The next stop was Sri Lanka, with dodol and beef curry. I skipped this, since I do not eat meat. Correction, I skipped this, and then shamelessly shared Charis’s gravy – the sauce of the curry was utterly, utterly divine. Since my not eating meat is nothing to do with religion, I had no hesitation in depriving my companion of the sauce. It was too good. Probably my favourite thing on the menu, if the truth be known :
There was a piquancy and peppiness in the sauce that was fabulous. On a personal level, it showed me how far I have wandered from my own cultural roots that I could find a spicy curry so delicious for breakfast.
From Sri Lanka we moved onto China, and were served delightful un-stodgy “bao” :
I have eaten many a “bao” or steamed dumpling, over many years of traveling in China, and these were some of the nest I have ever eaten.
Firstly, they were small and bite-sized, as opposed to the usual large, difficult-to-manoeuvre ones I have eaten in the past. Also, they were less stodgy tasting – perhaps a factor of their smaller size. And because they were small, the filling didn’t fall inelegantly out.
Charis had pork bao and I had vegetable, and mine were delicious. The accompanying bean sauce was seriously fab. And, for the first time ever, I liked congee.
So all in all, an eye-opener.
The bean sauce (below):
And the congee:
From China, we flitted over to Spain, for a tasting of Spanish tortilla :
These were generously filled with olives and tomatoes and peppers, and were tasty.
We stayed with the Latin tradition, and next tasted Mexican “chilaquiles” – salsa poured over crisp tortilla triangles, and the whole topped with cheese and a fried egg :
An interesting mix, and the crispness of the tortillas was unexpected and nice. I had imagined they would go soggy with the cooking and the egg, but no.
England and Lebanon were next on the menu, both offering sweets.
I am not a sweet eater at all – well, I used to be, hugely so, until the need to trim the flab became pressing and so for – what? – some 3 or 4 years now I haven’t tasted a pudding or a cake.
Not even birthday cake.
So I surprised myself by taking a bite of the Lebanese “kunafa” which tasted baclava-ish. Nuts, honey, raisins and topped with a rather crunchy shredded wheat. Nice, but not my cup of tea. Ditto the carrot cake .
I had no space left to even think of seconds, but had I done so, it would have been for the Sri Lankan curry sauce. Too good.
World breakfast is part of the regular breakfast buffet and is on a rotational basis, with a different country being showcased on a different day.
Timings- 6:30am- 10:30am
Price- Rs 850 plus taxes
Delicious, good food, and it makes you think beyond your usual cultural limits, which is fun.