Is there anything more offensive than discovering a fabulous restaurant that has been hiding in plain sight for years — especially when it is 31 floors above the city and you somehow never knew it existed. Enter Horizon at the World Trade Centre next to Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, where we arrived recently for the FOMO Brunch carrying one thing we hadn’t expected: actual FOMO. Apparently, the restaurant has been around for years, quietly feeding a loyal crowd, most of whom conveniently work in the WTC. So while we were busy eating our way through Bengaluru, an entire 31st floor had been eating very well without us. We were reassured that Horizon was something of a well-kept secret. We chose to believe this rather than confront our own ignorance.
The views, mercifully, softened the blow. From up here, north-west Bengaluru stretches out in all its sprawling glory, making the city look almost organised. Almost. And then there is the brunch — which, given our previous lack of knowledge, felt less like a meal and more like a personal intervention. Forget the usual buffet stampede, where everyone behaves as though the last piece of sushi is a family heirloom. FOMO is served a la carte. You get a one-page menu featuring all the dishes and can order as many servings as you like, all included in the cover price. There’s another entire page dedicated to beverages, so fret not.
The meal kicks off with condiments, followed by soups and salads. We went for Tom Kha Hed Soup, a reliable Thai favourite, along with both salads on the day: Som Tam Thai (Raw Papaya Salad) and Seaweed Chicken Salad. The latter was so good that we briefly considered abandoning the rest of the menu and simply becoming people who eat Seaweed Chicken Salad. Thankfully, our better judgement — or greed — prevailed. Next came dim sum and this was where restraint officially left the building or should we say the 31st floor. The vegetarian selection included Salt and Pepper Baby Corn Dry, Chilly Bean Tofu Dry and Assorted Vegetable Gyoza, while the non-vegetarian line-up brought Lion Head Chicken, Chilly Oyster Fish and Hot Basil Chicken. Each was delicious, which was frankly inconvenient because saying no had become increasingly difficult.
Then came sushi. Because clearly we had not eaten enough. For vegetarians, there was Water Temari Sushi Ball, Inari Bean Curd, Assorted Vegetable Tempura Roll and Vegetable Summer Roll. The non-vegetarian options included Hamachi Nigiri, Kani Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri, Prawn Tempura Roll and Tuna California Roll. The Water Temari Sushi Ball, made with watermelon, was a wonderfully unexpected curveball, while the Inari Bean Curd was another revelation. Both went straight onto our mental list of things to order again — preferably when nobody is watching.
By the time the main course arrived, our stomachs had begun sending strongly worded emails to our brain. Still, we soldiered on. The vegetarian spread featured Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice, Udon Noodles, Vegetable Chowmein and Hot Garlic Vegetable Sauce; while the non-vegetarian choices included Schezwan Prawn Gravy, Hunan Chicken Gravy and Egg Fried Rice. It was comforting, satisfying and precisely the sort of food that makes you start negotiating with yourself about whether dessert is technically necessary.
It was. We finished with Sakoo Nam Kati (sago pearls in coconut milk) and Tab Tim Krob (Water Chestnut Pudding), both providing a lovely sweet full stop to what had just become an indulgence that had to stop. Restraint is not what this space encourages and we really wish they would.
INR 3,999 onwards. Every Sunday, 1 pm to 5 pm. At Horizon, World Trade Centre.