Hyderabad: Olive Bistro Blows Your Mind with Their Sunday Brunch!

The most breathtakingly beautiful place in Hyderabad with the most insane Sunday Brunch! You don't enter a restaurant when you come here, you enter paradise in Hyderabad. The route to Olive Bistro, Jubilee Hills is uphill (as the name of the location suggests), so much uphill and into the colony that you almost feel you're going the wrong way. But then you enter a parking where you see the signboard of Olive Bistro and you almost jump in excitement. The walk from the parking to the restaurant is a long one, and a super pretty one. Greenery on your left and right, white stone path on which you walk, a Greece-like look and feel of the place. 

The moment you reach the entrance of the restaurant, you see a sight that matches no other in Hyderabad- a lake surrounded by trees and greenery till wherever the eye reaches. There's an indoor and outdoor seating, both equally gorgeous. The outdoors may slightly have an edge over the indoors if the weather is lovely. Comfortable cane chairs outdoors with cushions on them, wooden tables decorated with white and yellow flowers, flowers and colourful interiors here and there, cute artifacts on the walls and tables, indoors with wooden cushioned chairs and sofas, servers wearing multi-coloured shirts that instantly take you to a shack at Goa. The interiors and everything you see around you has a major effect on the impact this place has on you, and that's the first thing that makes you fall in love with this place. There's a huge bar on one side of the restaurant with a place right in front for live singers/performers. 

Sunday's at Olive are only for brunches, which are table brunches (except for desserts), and they don't serve ala carte during these hours. Priced at Rs.2000 all inclusive, the brunch has such a wide variety of options to choose from! The menu just makes you go- oh my god, what all am I going to be able to try? But they have a solution for that too. The portions are small enough for you to give a try to almost everything (considering you're there for 4 hours). We started from the bar as we didn't have a reservation and they didn't have any table ready. 

The thing that I noticed on each table when I entered was a cuteee basket (see the first picture on the page), exactly like the one you would take on a picnic. I thought it must be for the effect, but I was wrong, the basket consisted of breads, fresh juice, jam, butter, a newspaper- everything you would take with you on a picnic. So much thought put into the concept- totally blown away! 

A Red Wine Sangria, Warm Cheddar Bread and Pork and Polenta to start with. The Red Wine Sangria is brilliant! Chilled, potent, you can very well taste the wine, the fruits are fresh, and that's all you need in a good sangria. The Warm Cheddar Bread, slightly sweet and super duper soft, was a good nibbler to set the Sunday Brunch mood. But what really set my expectations high for the coming dishes was Pork and Polenta. Melt-in-the-mouth pulled pork on polenta, with a sunny side up on it, that when broken into made me go 'wheee!' in joy! What lovely balance of flavours with the sweetness and saltiness. No brunch is complete without ordering a Caesar Salad. A yummy to the core Caesar Salad with fresh iceberg and romaine lettuce, very juicy with that natural sweetness, caesar dressing, parmesan, red onion and some superb croutons and chicken.

We got our table by the time we were done with these dishes. I was then on a mission to try as much as I could. A half 'n' half pizza would be a clever idea I thought, even though the size of the pizza was too small that I could easily order two. But I still went with half 'n' half and ordered Fig Pig Pizza and BBQ Chicken and Mushroom Pizza but without mushrooms. They weren't like your usual pizzas with just any toppings, they were different from the rest. Fig jam, blue cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, caramelized onion, ham and a balsamic glaze for the finish. The end result was a lovely pizza with a sweet tinge here and there. But the barbeque chicken was even better. Cheddar and mozarella with grilled chicken, bell peppers and the thing that gave the pizza its edge- garlic cream. Had it been an only pizza lunch, you can't even imagien how many of these I could gobble up!! Superb thin crust wood-fired oven pizzas that go unparalleled in Hyderabad for me. 

Quiche of the day was a spinach based quiche with a House Salad on the side. Now I'm not kidding, but of course it's no surprise to me that the quiche is lovely, but the house salad with iceberg lettuce, Dijon mustard and Vinaigrette dressing on it, was so damn delicious too. Monte Cristo Sandwich for those who want comfort food. Cheddar, ham, lettuce wrapped around a soft crisp whole grain bread and served with maple syrup. The Burger (we ordered with crumbed chicken) was a no fuss, comparatively light burger, damn fresh, with lettuce, pickles, and a yummy crisp chicken patty. Small in size, perfect in line with the concept of a table brunch, and damn good. Came with some fries on the side.
They have a great deal to choose from eggs too, but I wasn't in the mood for a complete meal made of eggs, so ordered something I order at every brunch if it's available- Eggs Benedict! English muffin, and stacked on that a perfecty poached egg with paprika flavoured hollondaise (I could have done with some more paprika), and ham. There's nothing not to love in this!! They have a made to order pasta section in the menu where you choose everything from your type of pasta, proteins, to the sauce you want it in. So what was up next- Penne Arrabiatta with Chicken and Penne in Pesto Sauce. The Arrabiatta was mind-blowing great stuff but the pesto lacked flavor for me. The only thing that was just okay in the entire menu. 
Shouldn't forget to mention the sangrias again, something that kept me company all along and I couldn't thank the bartender enough for the consistency of each one of them. Each as good as the previous one. Tried the white wine sangria too- delicious as hell and more potent than the red one. 

Desserts were a lavish affaire not because of the variety but because of the quality. Their Pancakes were so soft and fluffy, which really had become a rare sight for me in the past couple of weeks so I got even more excited. Pancakes topped with thick luscious nutella and powdered sugar. The Pineapple & Cherry Creme Caramel had my heart at the first bite. What mind-blowing flavours! A caramel custard flavoured with pineapple, but the cherry was literally the cherry on top for this one. Loved it every bit! The Chocolate Mud Pie was another death I survived. Moist, chocolaty but not something you would loathe after a few minutes. It was just great! Peach & Apple Crumble, Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake and Mango Rhubarb Cheesecake were beautiful stuff! How can you do justice to these desserts after stuffing yourself with such a brilliant menu before, is beyond my mind. 

It was my birthday when I went here, so on request, the restaurant even arranged for a cheesecake slice with 'Happy Birthday' written on it (which tasted simply awesome!). The staff was super nice all along. When we entered, they told us to wait at the bar and start with drinks, when we were contemplating leaving because of no table, they were kind enough to give us the two drinks that we consumed as complimentary. Very prompt with taking orders and getting them to the table, they completed the experience.

For anybody who goes to Hyderabad, Olive Bistro cannot be missed! If you're in the city on a Sunday, even better- do not miss their Sunday Brunch at any cost!! It's everything you would want in a perfect meal, and so much more. 

Brunch Price: Rs. 2000 all inclusive per person
Brunch timings: 12-4PM
Address: Road 46, inside Durgam Cheruvu, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
Contact: 040-69999127
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