It really doesn’t matter which city you’re in, Sundays speak a universal language. Brunch.

It’s a time-honoured tradition I especially enjoy whilst in Bombay as this is the one day in the week when the madding pace of life finally comes to a sleepy standstill – a lazy haze settling across the city, its citizens drawn into a lull by a food-induced coma.

The usually-frenzied roads are mercifully empty and there’s no better time for long and rainy drives, especially across the Sea Link. So last weekend, the girls and I seized the opportunity to head to the burbs for brunch at Bastian…

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Tucked away above the bustle of Bandra’s Linking Road, this new restaurant from charismatic chef Kelvin Cheung and his partner Boo Kim, is an easy-going spot overlaid with exposed brickwork and kitsch elements which shout out the seafood-based focus here (think mammoth crabs, mermaids and a crocodile creeping up against a shimmering wall).

To say that this plaice was seariously buzzing when we walked in, would be an understatement – we spotted anyone and everyone, from long-lost college friends to B-town personalities, all of whom were busy chowing down on Chef Kel’s creative brunch offerings!

The only pescatarian amongst us, went straight for the lobster breakfast tacos – soft tortillas loaded with buttered lobster, avocado and crumbled ricotta cheese…

While we found veggie-friendly options a-plenty to float our boat too, our interest particularly piqued by the sound of a K-Town Purgatory.

This offbeat but devilishly-good dish involved a kimchi jiggae – a warm Korean-style kimchi and tofu-based stew swimming with spicy and savoury flavours. Homemade chilaques (a tortilla of sorts) added a crunchy texture, with eggs (sunny-side up) completing the rather hearty picture!

A crisp kale caesar salad, speckled with charred corn and parmesan, made for a virtuous (if a tad salty) side.

We couldn’t resist a portion of the avocado fritters too (served with sambal aioli and corn butter). Sadly, these were missing Kelvin’s spark though… More oily than crisp, they came across a a bit like soggy corn-pakoras with the pallid avo-based relish failing to add some weight either.

But the sugar-laden weekend staples which rolled out after were spot on, irrefutably proving why Chef Kel is still a Grandmaster of brunch in this city.

For one, he’s found a way to make cinnamon rolls even better… by whipping up a warm, fluffy and deliciously-doughy cinnamon roll-French toast hybrid instead (served with lashings of maple syrup on top of course)!

We were ridiculously excited to see his signature chocolate-chip pancakes on the menu too, having amassed a  vividly tasty collection of memories of these from his days at Ellipsis… And oh my gosh, did the ones at Bastian live up  to (if not surpass) our expectations.

I mean, just look at those chocolate chips.

They sank smoothly into the melt-in-your-mouth pancake, imparting just the right touch of sweetness for a decadent lift!

Frankly speaking, I’m already craving another plate of this by just thinking/ writing about it.

Oh Sunday, why can’t you come around any faster?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXhdGGAkMk/?taken-by=the_foodiediaries

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Which is your favourite brunch dish, and where?

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Bastian, B/1, New Kamal Building, Linking Road, Next to Cafe Coffee Day, Opposite National College, Bandra , Mumbai – 400050