Take your furry friend for a hearty meal at a brewery chain that’s offering a canine-special menu all month
Pet parent Lakshmi Varyani holds a bowl of pawsome chicken as Whiskey looks on
There are a lot of restaurants and cafes in Mumbai that claim to be pet-friendly and offer a series of facilities or activities for pets, which is great for dog parents, as it gives their pets a space to have fun outside their homes. So when BrewDog announced a new menu for doggos that they say is a gourmet experience, we decided to check it out at their Bandra outpost.
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We dropped by on a Sunday afternoon by 1.30 pm with a dog parent Lakshmi Varyani along with Whiskey, her adorable nine-year-old boxer. Considering this place is popular for Sunday brunches, and is usually frequented by pet families, we were expecting a crowd. As Whiskey is a big dog and kind of an alpha, Varyani had requested if the restaurant could provide a space that’s away from other pets. When we called for a reservation a day in advance and put in this request, the staff was extremely accommodating and assured us that everything will be taken care of.
Two staff members of the eatery playfully pet Whiskey
When we reached the brewery, we were asked to check out both the indoor and the outdoor seating areas and pick whichever space we thought would be best for Whiskey. So we chose a corner table in the al fresco section that had a wooden deck, which looked comfortable and inviting. The space was clean and the rainy spell made it the perfect weather to enjoy this kind of seating arrangement.
Once we got seated and water was served, Whiskey was greeted by the staff members and he also got his own steel bowl that was filled with water. “I have been to several pet-friendly restaurants with Whiskey, but he has never been served water like this,” Varyani tells us happily, explaining that dogs feel much hotter as compared to people, so this is a nice gesture. Once Whiskey had sniffed and patrolled the deck area, he settled down, and was soon greeted by enthusiastic staff members who were taking turns to pet him.
The special dog menu has four meals: dog-a-touille (veggies, chia seeds, and turmeric in olive oil); pawsome chicken (chicken, veggies, and flaxseeds in olive oil); ocean’s delight (fish, veggies, and rosehip in cod liver oil); and wooly waggin bowl (lamb, veggies, and berries cooked in coconut and wheat germ oil). All these four dishes can be ordered weight wise — 100 gms and 300 gms.
We opted for ocean’s delight (Rs 360) for Whiskey and waited for it to arrive. By now, most of the tables were occupied and the crowd had grown substantially. While we waited for 40 minutes for the food, we noticed that the patrons were extremely comfortable with the presence of a dog, and that too, a big one. Once the food arrived in a sturdy steel bowl, Whiskey was quick to polish it off, licking even the last morsel of it. Doggo approved. A water bowl was brought in for him soon enough, because why not? “I like how they are taking care of the dog. I mean, we didn’t even ask for water again,” observed the dog parent.
A bowl of ocean’s delight
But the water was left untouched as Whiskey was still hungry. So we decided to order some pawsome chicken (Rs 140), but asked if it can be customised, as Whiskey has never tried coconut, and he has just recovered from certain allergies. We were told that these dishes are sourced from Fresh For Paws, a company that makes ready-to-eat food, and so could not be tailor-made. After a little discussion, we decided to order it and it arrived in just 10 minutes. The staff apologised for the previous delay.
Whiskey finished off the chicken with ease and dunked in the water bowl, declaring he was done with the afternoon meal. “I absolutely loved the experience, especially how the staff treated my boy, though I wish the menu had clearly mentioned that these meals are not freshly cooked. It would have been easier for me as Whiskey has certain allergies,” Varyani shared. We feel that if this menu is called a gourmet experience, freshly prepared meals would have been the practical, preferred way to go.
BrewDog
Till: August 31; 12pm to 12am
At: Brewdog Bandra, ground and first floor, Pinnacle House 604, 15th Road, Hinduja junction, PD Hinduja Road; BrewDog Midtown Mumbai, Kamala Mills Compound, Z-Wing, unit 1-2, Tulsi Pipe Rd, Lower Parel.
Call: 8976981272 (Bandra); 8097446944 (Lower Parel)