A spread that screams freshness and flavour- that's what the first look of their Sunday Brunch tells you. Comfortable cushioned chairs with tables laid inside the restaurant, and goregous setting with greenery, plants and wooden seating is what welcomes you in their outdoor seating. An overhead heater outdoors (what more do you need?), beautiful lush lawns in front of you, and the shining Sun to give you company.
Italian is first eaten with your eyes, and then with your tastebuds. Going by this logic, the restaurant does complete justice with their attractive open kitchens doing grills and pastas, pizzas and breads, right in front of your eyes. You choose your protein standing in front of the open kitchen, choose the marination, and see your food getting prepared, or you do all this sitting at your table and the server gets the food for you. See the pastas being tossed in the pan or the pizas being dished out- it's a sight to soak in!
Cold cuts, an array of cheese, tapas counter, pasta and pizza on order, a bruschetta bar, salad bar, create your own salads, appetizers and grills on order, grills and appetizers served piping hot on your table, a live dessert buffet section, drinks coming uninterrupted- that's what sums up the Sunday Brunch at Sorrento. Oh, and not to forget, the stunning al fresco seating to enjoy the Sunday winter sun.
Started my brunch with a platter of cold cuts and cheese, with crackers, nuts, plums, olives, and the likes, and a glass of Prosecco. Superb selection of cheese, was at it till the very end of my meal- that good!! Chilled Prosecco to give company to the cheese and cold cuts, complimenting the saltiness of the cold cuts with the sharpness of the cheese- absolutely delightful! Moved to the salads and tried the seafood salad, but went completely gaga over the Caesar Salad which had to be made yourself, as per the dressings you like and the content in which you like them. So so so fresh, crunchy iceberg and romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast and bacon, Caesar dressing- divine!
The chef then came with his bruschetta cart to us and made a kickass Chicken Bruschetta with barbecued chicken and cheese, and the other one with rocket leaves, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Crunchy bread layered with butter- the freshest kind of bruschetta you can have.
The pizzas they do are delightful! Tried one with assorted veggies and one with pepperoni. The sauce underneath the toppings, the crisp edges of the thin crust base, and the moist juicy toppings- a crunch in the vegetarian ones and flavor from olive oil and pepperoni in the other one. Cannot remember the number of slices I devoured. Mind-blowing stuff!
There's a menu for ordering on the table which has about 20 things to choose from. Tried the Bhavnagri Chilli with cheese stuffed inside, and grilled chicken skewers with some lamb too. The chilli was too good in taste- fried flavourful goodness, but the chicken and lamb weren't that great. Too dry and lacking flavor. Tried a couple of pastas then- Potato Gnocchi in signature tomato sauce. Droolworthy in every sense! Piping hot with such an intense perfect balance of flavours in the sauce. The Tagliatelle with lamb, tomato and basil was cooked al dente and it was quite evident. The blend of the sauce in this one too was delicious as hell. Meaty, thick sauce poured over pasta. Mix the two and enjoy a beauiful piping hot dish. It was then the turn of Tortellini al parmigiano reggiano. A pasta made with parmesan cheese. I've had this particular sauce at many other places and I'd say I've had better sauces, but this one was good too. For someone who likes a cheese pasta, you should definitely give this a try.
From the grills I tried Grilled Polenta and Jumbo Prawn in Herb Butter Sauce. Both of these dishes were made with such finesse that I couldn't find any flaw in them. The prawn was juicy, the sauce was full of punch- complemented each other perfectly. The polenta was so so delicate and soft, with oven roasted mushrooms on the side that my mother simply adored! Italian cuisine is all about finesse and flavor and Sorrento ensured they kicked ass in both of these fields.
Dessert was a very lavish affair. Baked cheesecake, fresh pudding tart with strawberry, pastries of different kinds, Tiramisu, Chocolate pudding, and a lot of other things, but I felt the desserts didn't do justice to the rest of the meal. The tapas and cheese, pastas and pizzas, and main course were phenomenal, but the desserts not as much.
The drinks in your Sunday Brunch influence your experience to quite an extent! At least for me it does. And the Wine Popsicles, both Red Wine and White Wine, were out of this world! So so damn interesting! You could taste the wine with so much ease, and have a popsicle dipped in wine mixed with some juice was delicious like never before. They also did some very interesting cocktails with gin and orange bitters, and also did the usual Mimosas. A complete brunch with so many nice cocktails to choose from.
The brunch is a great option for Italian lovers. It has a lot of healthy options too, and the freshness quotient, like I said before, is very high. Hot food items, being spoilt for choice from the menu laid out on the buffet and served on the table, and a very gorgeous setting. Not to forget, the sweet staff that they have. Make you feel very comfortable and are very prompt in their service. Not many places in Delhi NCR do an exclusive Italian Sunday Brunch, and Sorrento is doing a great job at it!
Brunch Price: Rs. 3750 (Food+Cocktails and Prosecco)
Contact: 01141191040
Address: 19, Shangri-La's Eros Hotel New Delhi, Ashoka Road, Janpath
Disclaimer: The review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. All views expressed are unbiased in nature but readers are advised to exercise their own discretion.
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