Olive –Sunday Brunch

Rest : Olive
Meal : Sunday Brunch
Loc : Pali Hill, Bandra (West)

I have not been one for Sunday brunches, not for me is the expansive spread, the limitless alcohol and the copious consumption. Sunday for me is preferably something light, something interesting and no alcohol. Of late i have even given up serious lunching on Sunday afternoons, instead i prefer catching a flick and then heading to a bookstore.

This Sunday however turned out to be different. A few of my mates from college and the wives decided to get together to spend the afternoon feasting. The initial plan was to head to Indigo, however since a few were coming in from the suburbs we decided upon Olive in Bandra

I have never been very fond of Olive, they have always been a part of the party and social scene and been less about the food. Leaning towards form rather than function. Yet, here we were.

Things began very quickly with a severely watered down Mojito. Absolutely unimpressive. Stick to the caipiroska

The bloody mary was up next, impressive, i wish they had added the ice before to chill it nicely, it was jalapeno infused giving it the additional bite.

the shiraz was dry, not my fav wine in the world this one.

The daquiri was like a fresh lime soda on steroids..

The white gold was white wine, apple juice and apples. Not bad, although not my thing, the girls loved it.

After drinking like sailors on shore leave, we got together to scramble out to the food, which was laid out inviting and attractive.

the spread is expansive but not excessive. Mediterranean with some mezze. There are salads (caprese, cous cous, peppers) all pretty good. On the money.

The Asparagus was average but the Dips (hummus, tzatziki, harissa)were splendid.

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The mushrooms were average as was the terrine

the pita chips were way too crunchy, not fun to dip.

the paella was distressingly like a risotto, not bad but nothing spectacular either.

The Arabbiata was average, not great flavour no great taste.

The grill section had paneer (cottage cheese) mushrooms and potato. Possibly the most fun thing of all, really enjoyed the soft, tasty paneer, the spicy mushroom and the buttery potato.

The pizza was surprisingly bad, as attractive as it looked, thin, crispy, inviting, the sauce had absolutely no flavour, completely sour and tasteless.

The dessert counter was fairly expansive, the tiramisu was nice, the rum n raisin on sticks was decent too. I really liked my chocolate covered strawberries.

Overall, the ambiance was fun and youthful, the space was packed and its advisable to get a table if going out for Sunday brunch.

The food unfortunately was below par in almost every respect. Quite shocking that they got their pasta and pizza wrong which should be essentially second nature to them. They have a few hits but the entire meal was littered by misses.

While we had a fantastic time, due to the company and in no small part the booze, I have never regretted not being a regular patron of Olive, they have never tried to prove me wrong.

Food : 5/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 1500 + taxes per person inclusive of cocktails.

Olive Bar & Grill
Pali Hill Tourist Hotel, 14 Union Park, Khar (W), Mumbai
Phone: 26058228