The Brasserie — Restaurant in Mumbai

The Brasserie - Hilton at Mumbai International Airport: A Pleasant Dining Experience with Room for Improvement

When dining at The Brasserie, located inside the Hilton at Mumbai International Airport, you’re greeted with a mix of first impressions, starting from the entry itself. The entrance to the hotel can feel a bit cramped, with space limited to accommodate just 2-3 cars at a time on the flat surface, combined with a steep slope for both entry and exit. While valet parking is available, the service felt slightly understaffed, with seemingly only one person managing both the boom barrier and valet parking.

Once past security, you’re welcomed into a cozy and elegant Hilton lobby. Although it’s not grandiose in size, its beauty lies in its thoughtful design. The elegant couches and a glossy white grand piano create a subtle yet refined atmosphere, making it an inviting space. To the left of the lobby is The Brasserie, where we had a lunch buffet.

Ambiance: The restaurant itself is on the smaller side, accommodating about 50 people. Despite its compact size, the restaurant wasn’t crowded when we arrived for our 2 pm reservation on a Saturday. The place was 80% empty, offering a calm and quiet environment. However, the overall ambiance didn’t exude the level of luxury you might expect from a Hilton property. The seating arrangements were functional but could have been more comfortable, particularly if you’re expecting a more lavish dining experience.

Food: The buffet featured a wide variety of options, with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections available. The spread included:

• Soups: 1 veg and 1 non-veg option. • Salads: 9 different varieties. • Starters: 4 options (2 veg, 2 non-veg). • Main Course: A mix of Indian and Chinese cuisine, with 4 gravies (2 veg, 2 non-veg), rice, noodles, and a few Chinese gravy dishes. • Rice options: Chicken Biryani, Dal Tadka, and Jeera Rice. • Non-Veg: Chicken, fish, and egg preparations. • Live Counters: Pizza, pasta, and a choice of breads (roti, naan, etc.). • Desserts: A decent variety with fruits, pastries, mousse shots, Indian sweets (Barfi, Malai Sandwich), ice creams, and a hot melted chocolate brownie alongside malpuva.

The quality of food was excellent, earning a solid 5/5. Every dish tasted fresh and well-prepared, although the overall taste ranked slightly lower at 4/5, as a few dishes didn’t fully hit the mark in terms of flavor depth. Still, with the wide variety on offer, there was something for every palate.

Service: The service was decent, but could have been better. With only a few tables occupied, you’d expect more attentiveness from the staff. While they were polite and quick to respond to requests, the overall experience felt a bit lacking in terms of personalized service. For a property under the Hilton name, the expectation of seamless, luxurious service was not fully met, leading to a score of 4/5.

Cleanliness and Ambiance: The restaurant was clean and tidy, giving off a neat and well-maintained vibe. However, the ambiance didn’t quite match the luxury you’d expect from a high-end hotel dining experience. It was pleasant but lacked a certain “wow” factor that you might anticipate at this price point. This led to a score of 3/5 for both the feel of luxury and sitting arrangements, as these could have been more comfortable and plush.

Overall: For INR 3,221 per person, including taxes, the buffet at The Brasserie offers decent value if you’re looking for a variety of food in a quiet, elegant setting. The food quality is top-notch, and there’s enough variety to satisfy most diners. However, the experience could be enhanced with a more luxurious ambiance, better seating arrangements, and more personalized service.

Ratings:

• Food Quality: 5/5 • Food Taste: 4/5 • Cleanliness: 4/5 • Service: 4/5 • Ambience: 3/5 • Feel of luxury: 3/5 • Sitting arrangements: 3/5

In summary, The Brasserie at Hilton is a solid choice for a good meal, but with some room for improvement in terms of atmosphere to fully match the Hilton brand...

Easter = Turkey / Beer Hilton , The Brasserie it was on a lazy sunday afternoon. My first visit to this place after Hilton Took over. Compact Boutique Hotel and this 24 hour coffee shop as the class. Overlooking the Pool and the Green. It's a nice chill out place. Half the battle is won once you feel the positive vibe. Easter Buffet is what we were invited for. Spread is conceived and this is what i frankly like about the place. A handful of places where they differentiate between Breads which are with eggs and without. Impressed. Coming to what we had - there were some dishes like the waldorf Salad , took me memory lane. Again this is one salad which has been neglected in other places. It's simple let classy. All about Apple and walnut. Perfect balance.

Roasted Turkey - Well done ( We like it this way ) lovely glaze and texture. Lovely dish to be had with sweet jus. This is what Easter is all about. Paired with Potatoes. Nice combination.

Cheese Spread was conceived yet good. To be tried with Cracker.

Salads - Waldorf ( done well ) There was one ( can't get the name ) Sausage/Onions/Capcicum - had a tangy spicy feel to it. Beautiful.

Taco counter looked interesting. Veg and Non Veg. Opted for Veg. Crunchy small tacos stuffed with condiments and salsa. Had that tangy taste. Missed the cheese though. Skipped the Egg Station.

Coming to the Mains - There was Asian/Indian/Continental. Stir Fried Tofu in black bean sauce had a lovely texture and balance was even. Tasted good. Mixed Vegetable in schezwan - missed out on the punch ( chef please look into it ) Roasted Potato and Red Onions in Balsamic - lovely. Had rosemary and tasted good. Tunisian 3 beans stew - looked good. Tasted a tad sweet. Overall nicely done. Grilled polenta with Mushroom - loved the texture. Subtle light and a great dish to have. Creamy Parsley Potatoes , another dish worth trying if you happen to be at the buffet. PUNJABI CHOLE - wow. This was a killer. Perfect balance of spices, done well. Takes you to North. To be had with Naan. Paneer Masala - diced pieces of paneer ( had it been soft ) would have been a great dish. A tad hard. Taste was good. Methi Mutter Malai ( i didn't have ) my partner loved it. Roasted chicken with caper Jus - lovely. Soft chicken with aromatic flavour and balance of spices were good. Onion and Tomato Scrambled eggs ( lovely velvety texture ) a bit less on salt. Overall good. Add some pepper and good to go. Maple Cured Bacon ( unfortunately missed out on this ) Had a good glaze though. Dal was a bit on the salty side and rice.

Coming to the Live counter - Tried the Pizza ( pepperoni ) and margarita with onion and jalapeno - thin crispy served hot. Nice texture. Loved the small Triangle pieces they serve - No wastage. Penne with arrabiata sauce and exotic vegetables was made good. Shredded parmesan on top. Al dente - perfect. Had that spicy hit ( sauce ) Overall full marks to the live counter.

Chicken Biryani - Long grain basmati rice with herbs/spices full of aroma and Chunks of chicken pieces. Trust me i can vouch for their Indian food.

We were served Chicken Tikka , lovely marination curd and cardamom. Juicy and soft. Mutton Seekh ( Nailed it ) Just fantastic , can come for this anytime. Perfect balance of spices and herbs. Tandoori Aloo - Boiled aloo marinated well. Overall No flaws.

Desserts - being Easter, there were special desserts made. A couple of them stood out but creme brulee needs some tweek. Ended with Lavazza coffee.

Overall a good Easter Sunday spent. Would love to be back. Guys keep up the good work and see you soon - till then cheers and...

The Hilton International. A building that looks like a normal hotel from outside but as soon as you enter the big doors your eyes lit up in joy and you are amazed by the feel. The vibe. The interiors are like a 19th century palace. When you walk down the stares to the Brasserie you will experience a vibe that is so welcoming and easy. Seeing happy and smiling faces all around surely makes a dinning experience ten folds better. The inside area features big bay windows overlooking the pool which is open 24/7and have a option of an elaborate Buffet or A-la Carte. The Brasserie only the name is enough is that kind of restro.The restro is huge and just amazing.The enterance is just grand and is decorated well. The buffet is just outstanding.I have no words to describe the buffet it was that lovely and amazing.Such a kind of buffet is unbelievable. To start with it had starters and salad counter. 1.Classic Caesar Salad- It is tossed with romaine heart with roasted garlic and was just tasty. 2.Greek Salad- A combination of diced vegetables with kalamata olive,feta crumbs,oregano and served with garlic bread.This was really new to the tastebuds. Pasta and Risotto 1.Penne Arrabiata-Penne pasta with roasted vegetables mixed with chilli flakes,garlic and shallots.It is also toasted in tomato basil sauce. This was just yummy.It is highly recommended. 2) Lamb Chops and Gravy: A nice, soft, pink lamb chop served on the bone with a peppery gravy to add depth of flavour and a moreish spice to the dish. The lamb was complemented by the roasted potato served that brought out the texture of the lamb and the spice of the sauce a lot more. The only drawback was that the chops served were cooked differently. One was medium while the other was a lot more on the medium-rare side. 3) German Sausages: Subtlety smoked sausages done on an open grill that paired surprisingly well with the cold brews. Nothing too fancy, just a nice sausage that gave us the tiniest of tastes of Germany! 4) Grilled chicken in Mediterranean spices: Now we love a good chicken leg and we were happy with the soft/tender texture and the strong spicy flavour as well.

5. Cold Cuts of Meat: A selection of pork and chicken cuts with marinated olives that were a nice wrap-up with our last pints of beers. The pepper pork was the highlight of the selection. Dessert 1.Pear Tatin- It is served with cream cheese ice cream and caramel sauce.It is the first time i had tasted such a combination of dessert. It was really mouth watering.It is highly recommended. 2.Kesari Matka Phirni- It had saffron and rice custard served in traditional kind of pot.It was tasty. Overall, the evening was pleasant thanks to the ambience (outdoor seating by the poolside). We just wish there were more vegetarian options because there was only one option which seemed lacking, and we're surprised to find only Indian bottled/draft beers on the selection of beverages for what was a celebration of Oktoberfest The experience was really amazing and i enjoyed a lot.The place is really huge and has an amazing spread of buffet with different varieties of food for everyone. I would love to...