Sun-n-sand, Pune

I visited Sun-n-sand on Aug 11. This one was a five star hotel located near Bund Garden in Pune. I planned to have lunch buffet there. I expected a lot from the food but found it nothing special.

Salad/ Live Pasta Counter

The first thing I noticed was the salad counter. They had variety in salad but I always preferred self-service when it comes to make your own salad. I was surprised when I realized later that salad counter was also live pasta counter. They did not provide any tossed pasta/ salad. They also had make your own counter for light snacks. I was unable to differentiate various stuff due to lack of tags.

Make your own

Tomato Corn Soup

I had corn-tomato soup but it was nothing special. Event the presentation lacked the feel of a starred restaurant. The chicken starter was very dry and did not taste good. I was comparing the food here with the food I had at Barbeque Nation. Vegetarian starter (Chilla) was not even worth mentioning.

Chicken

Crispy Veg/ Casuni Potato

There was good spread of vegetarian dishes. The crispy veg and Potato were prepared nicely. They had curries with spinach, leafy vegetables, paneer, okra etc. Most of the curries were nice to have. But the non-vegetarian dishes were not great in taste. They had one dish each for chicken, mutton and fish. Even the biryani lacked the aroma and flavor.

Veg Curries

Bhindi Curry/ Pasta

Pasta was good but the noodles did not do justice with the starred ambiance. I was also disappointed with the veg Biryani. They prepared a nice Daal-makhani but the overall spread lacked the luster of a five star buffet.

Right Mix

Main Course

The consolation lied in the dessert counter. Desserts were obviously the strong point of buffet. There was variety and the taste was very good. They provided options to make your own sundae with variety of ice-creams. Besides there was fudge, mousse, brownie, flavored yogurt, fresh cut fruits malpua and basundi/ rabri.                   

Dessert Counter

Cake Shop

Sun and Sand is famous for its bakery items. I expected great food from the lunch buffet but the food there was in no way lucrative. I may never try the buffet there again. Staff was nice and service was good but the buffet is all about tasty food and multiple options, not about the service/ staff or stars. So if you are planning to go there, first think what you want from your buffet.