Here’s a reason to bring sunshine back into your life — Your favourite hot Italian food joint Sunny’s now has a new address on swanky Lavelle Road. In a quaint colonial pristine white bungalow, it’s the most talked about food destination in town.
For 19 years, Arjun Sajnani and Vivek Ubhayankar made Vittal Mallya Road a must-dine-at address for their patrons. We ask Arjun about what’s new and he explains, “In 19 years, our menu has only grown. Even foodies who have been dining at Sunny’s for the past two decades, still come back for their favourites.” Passionate about every dish on the menu, he feels it’s a question that props up everytime, “I can add 20 new dishes every month, but it doesn’t make sense as we will end up going back to the specials that most people want. On the new menu, I have introduced five new pastas and a couple of salads, new grilled pizzas and a Renee menu (inspired by chef Renee Senne who was Arjun’s mentor in New York), but I haven’t earmarked them on the new menu. For those who insist, I can always whip up something new. My view is that if something’s going right, why adjust it to make it trendy? I’m quite a purist that way,” explains Sajnani.
Still waking up at six every morning to handpick the choicest of meats, prawns, fish and veggies from Russell Market, Arjun reiterates that nothing has changed over the years, except the place. “The new place has a lovely vibe surrounded by a green canopy. I’m fortunate that Mrs Fordyce and her daughter Meera agreed to give this place for our restaurant. We kept the pillars, walls and the basic structure and the rest was adapted by interior designers Sujata and Soumya Keshavan.”
The new Sunny’s retains its to-die-for Italian classics. Thank God for that! The avocado salad is simple and cut into fine slices, but when topped with a delicious dressing with wholesome flavours, it creates magic on your palate. Arjun admits, “It’s a simple salad with fresh avocadoes sliced fine and plated, but it’s the secret sauce created by Vivek that really makes it flavourful. The ingredients are taken from guacamole and deconstructed. If I wanted to be fancy, I wouldn’t call it an avocado salad and would call it Deconstructed Guacomole. Ritu Mallya comes only for this salad. When people like that come, I know I’m making them happy.” He adds, “There are a few complicated dishes that require a lot of prep like the Roast Chicken with raisin and lamb. The sauce takes half a day to get ready.”
“Our signature dishes are the Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, white wine and cream, besides the Black Pepper Fettuccine with wild mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and cream with a mild flavour of pepper blending seamlessly with the tanginess of sundried tomatoes and also the Almond Crusted Fish Fillet with Leek Sauce and also our Fig Tarts,” he adds, as we sit at the partial al fresco space, which also boasts of a cozy dining space inside.
It’s time to let that sunshine back into your life and the new Sunny’s is a great place to start.