Weekend food plan: A festive menu and community eating

Bengali food festival
The inventive Indian restaurant Juju in Goa’s Colva is hosting a Bengali food festival named Bengal’s Bounty. They have an à la carte menu with delicacies such the classic ghugni street chaat, a thick gravy-style preparation of dried yellow peas served with chutney and sev; slow-cooked kosha mangsho that can be mopped up with soft luchis; and bhetki fish fry best paired with warm ghee rice. End the meal with traditional Bengali sweet dishes like nolen gurer payesh (palm jaggery rice pudding) and bhappa doi (sweet steamed curd). The festival runs from October 10 to 15.

Also read: The return of ‘old-school, fun’ drinks at a new bar in Goa

Prosecco brunch
The all-day dining destination Cosmo at Hyatt Centric Hebbal Bengaluru has launched an indulgent Sunday brunch. The multi-cuisine experience has breakfast essentials from Indian parathas to Asian dumplings and European pancakes. There’s a special vegan section with tofu scramble, vegan benedicts, and avocado toast with plant-based toppings, among others. Larger tables can dig into the charcuterie-style brunch boards featuring cheeses, fruits, pastries, and cured meats. Diners can opt for three options: non-alcohol at ₹1999 plus taxes, alcohol brunch at ₹3599 plus taxes and Prosecco brunch at ₹4299 plus taxes.

Spiced with history
Mumbai’s experimentative Indian restaurant Trésind has unveiled a new cocktail menu inspired by the erstwhile spice trade in Kerala. There are five drinks, each named after spices that travelled from the state to the rest of the world. For instance, the cocktail called Black Pepper has tequila and grapefruit; Cardamom is a mix of gin and absinthe; Cinnamon contains limoncello and cinnamon liqueur; Clove is conceptualised like a refreshing spritzer with aperol and orange; and Turmeric is a zesty drink with mango, tequila, lillet blanc, lime and mezcal.

A feast from the sea
The pop-up space Magazine St. Kitchen in Mumbai’s Byculla area has a fun, community lunch on Sunday. They have joined hands with the food delivery service Soul Food Mumbai to curate the third edition of Dive Into The Mess 3.0. A heap of seafood with squid, crabs, shellfish, lobsters, corn on the cob and potatoes are placed in the center of the table. Diners wearing hand-gloves dig into this pile, pull out their favourites and eat to their heart’s content. Wash it all down with tequila cocktails. The price per head is ₹5775 (all inclusive).

Also read: Orange wines arrive in India, and go well with tandoori chicken