Weekend food plan: Brunch menu and bar takeover

Foo’s new hot and spicy menu, Across outlets in India

The Asian restobar, with outlets across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad, unveiled its annual limited-edition menu, The Fiery Edit 2025, ‘Drop it like it’s hot’. Chillies from around the world are placed front and centre in its food and drinks. Mexican poblano chillies go into a sesame-infused sushi called Roll with the Rumours; salmon, avocado, and mayonnaise infused with chillies from Nagaland spice up the maki roll, It’s Maki Hot; bell peppers, habanero peppers, and water chestnuts are stuffed in dumplings; and chipotle chillies add a spicy kick to wok-tossed noodles. Even the dessert isn’t devoid of chillies, with pink guava vanilla ganache, guava mousse, and guava jelly spiced with peppers. The menu is available until 15 April.

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New brunch menu at HYLO, Mumbai

A grazing table for brunch? Why not! Hylo, the cocktail bar known for serving Indian food, introduces a brunch menu with a grazing table, chaats, and grills. The grazing table features homegrown cheeses and contemporary small plates like Crispy Idli with Mutton Chukka, Neer Dosa with Ghee Roast Chicken, and Milk Bread Tartine with Pulled Raan. The Chaat Station includes Mumbai-specials with eggs like Eggs Kejriwal and Boiled Egg Masala and the crowd-favourite Shakarkand Ki Chaat. There’s regional fare in the Hyperlocal Selections with Gujarati khandvi and patra, Mizoram Sanpiau with rice congee paired with soy-braised chicken or mushrooms, among others. Then there are Indian breakfast staples like Benarasi Bedmi Puri, Nalli Nihari with Roghni Naan, and Thatte Idli with Podi & Sambhar. Go with an appetite.

Bar takeover, Loya, Taj West End, Bengaluru

The city is fast emerging as a cocktail destination with enterprising bartenders, an experimental crowd, and bar takeovers galore. On Saturday, 22 March, Kuala Lumpur’s Reka Bar, which ranked #41 on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list in 2024, will be at the Indian restaurant Loya, Taj West End. The hotel will be hosting Joel Poon, who helms Reka’s bar menu. He is best known for his innovative cocktails that mix science and a playful approach.

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