You Only Live Once

Today is our one year anniversary of being in Bangalore. To celebrate, we had Sunday brunch at the Oberoi, one of Bangalore’s upscale five-star hotels. Our lifestyle in Bangalore is comfortable, but far from extravagant. In the year we have been in Bangalore, we have had Sunday brunch twice at the Leela Palace, left, another upscale five-star hotel near our apartment. Twice a month we may venture out with expat friends for a dinner at a hotel or restaurant. Typically we eat at home.

Today we opted to follow some sage advice from the Hollywood actress of yesteryear, Mae West. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

The Oberoi is a regal hotel with an equally regal ambience. The tall imposing doorman sporting a proper set of mutton chop whiskers and dressed in the style of the English raja days greeted us with a smart “Good afternoon,” as the clear glass door opened to the lobby.

Once inside, the chaos we have come to call the normal din of our lives disappeared. Although the Oberoi is located in downtown Bangalore on noisy M.G. Road, behind the compound walls we were in a pampered, cloistered environment. All is first class with a particular eye on the expat community.

Sunday brunch for us today was served in Le Jardin Restaurant. Our seating was outside, on an elegant porch where the green and yellow table runners matched the fabric on the seats. We could hear the gentle sound of water running into the pool right beside us. The bamboo stands nearby swayed to the rhythm of the gentle breezes. All was in bloom in the gardens of the Oberoi. Waiters in crisp white jackets efficiently poured, whisked away used dishes, and replaced silverware.

Our brunch was a combination of western cuisine and westernized Indian cuisine. The mutton biryani was gently spiced, as were the lentils. Naan, the tandoor-baked bread of India, was of the highest quality. Other choices included green pepper slices wrapped with beef strips, lamb shank in a creamy garlic sauce, stuffed zucchini, and fish and chicken prepared in several combinations, all with delicious, delicately seasoned sauces. The seasoned stirred-fried vegetables of broccoli, mushrooms and carrots could have been a meal in itself. The dessert selection of fruit tarts, cakes, crème Brule and many artistically decorated chocolate desserts was a delight to the eye as well as the palate.

This entire epicurean enchantment was enjoyed with never-empty glasses of sparkling Indian Brut. Two cappuccinos ended our stay. Mae would have been pleased.

As an aside, last December, Helen and other members of the Overseas Women’s Club (OWC) were invited to the Oberoi for the annual spicing of the holiday fruit that would be baked into holiday fruitcake. Attended by chefs in their tall white hats, the women of the OWC gleefully plunged their plastic-gloved hands into mounds of fruit to mix an array of spices and liquors copiously applied by the chef staff. The Oberoi is an enchanting place!