Arth- an outstanding place which is serving some really good Indian preparations. Located in Westin Pune this place not only offers some lip-smacking food but a great fine dining experience. Be it a plate presentation or the décor, this place is elegant. But that is not all. USP of this place is the cooking method that are used to serve you delicious preparation. This Gas-less kitchen totally relies on traditional method of cooking. Ancient cooking used wood or charcoal as fuel and Chef Amninder Sandhu believes that the taste is rooted to these cooking methods. You will not find any gas burners in their kitchen. Instead they use Smoker, Sandpit, Angeethi, Sigri to slow cook food and in turn enhance its flavor.
Their menu card mentions that some ingredients used are quite unique and recipes they follow are skill sensitive and elaborate, use ancient culinary techniques which are perfected over the years. This was quite evident from the food that we were served.
I was invited here for a food tasting and I must say that it was one of the best experiences I have had in recent time.
Recommended Drinks and Dishes: Golden Malabar, Wale’s Welcome, G- Fashioned, Naga Mushroom Gilawat, Morels Stuffed, Pathar Ka Gosht, Prawns Smoked, Batak, Mamas, Hay Smoked Jungli Murgi, 75% Cocoa & Passion Fruit Ganache
Drinks:
G- Fashioned: For me, this was hands down the best cocktail of the evening. It is Arth’s take on classic old-fashioned cocktail. This one has Scotch, angostura bitters with twist of truffle and ghee. It was served in an old-fashioned glass with a large cube of homemade ice. This Ice bears a logo of restaurant. Aroma and subtle taste of ghee was superb. This is a must try cocktail.
Golden Malabar: A sweetish cocktail which is mixture of bourbon, Malabar nugget coffee, caramel puree and fresh orange. The unique ingredient- Malabar coffee is the soul of this drink. The aroma and taste of this coffee mingled with bourbon to give a refreshing taste.
Naga Julep: Blended herbal tea with bourbon, bitters and saffron served in fancy black glass with lot of crushed ice. It looked beautiful and even tasted good. However, I thought the proportion of liquids to crushed ice was little less and hence after few minutes with melting ice, the mixture become too diluted.
Wale’s Welcome: This sparkling pink potent cocktail had vodka with butterfly pea tea and muskmelon infused Chenin blanc served in a champagne Flute. A nice combination of vodka and white wine.
Phool-tini: Elderflower and chamomile flower combined with Gina and traces of lemon. This clear cocktail was served in a cocktail glass. It was okay. For me it was nothing great when it came to taste.
Food:
We were served different appetizers which they call as Small Dishes.
Pathar Ka Gosht: Slivers of mutton marinated in spicy marinade and cooked with onions, ginger and garlic on stone. Meat was well cooked. Dill chutney complimented this appetizer well.
Prawns Smoked: Prawn lovers, this one is for you. Juicy tiger prawns in black pepper topped with sugarcane glaze. To add a zing to it, a spicy green chili techa is served with it. Prawns were well marinated and had a nice smoky flavor.
Chicken Makhmali: Boneless chicken kebabs topped with whipped egg white and topped with black truffle pate. Though chicken was well cooked, egg whites killed its taste. Little less egg white could have helped this appetizer more.
Mutton Kakori Kebab: Traditional minced lamb meat bound on seekh and cooked on charcoal. Juicy kebabs with lovely Indian spicy flavours.
Morels Stuffed: Kashmiri Morel- Himalayan wild mushrooms, stuffed with smoked mushrooms mince and served on nachani and walnut soil. This appetizer was superb. The subtle taste smoked mushrooms in morels was brilliant. Morels are wild mushrooms which cannot be cultivated. They are to be procured form wilds on Himalayan region. We were told that it costs around INR 35,000 per KG. The nachani and walnut soil went very well with it. Do not miss this superb small dish.
Naga Mushroom Gilawat: A tender patty made of local Naga mushroom topped with chopped mushrooms on crisp saffron biscuit. This slightly tangy appetizer tasted as brilliant as it looked. Another winner made of mushrooms.
Stuffed Tandoori Aloo: Potato stuffed with mix vegetables, golden raisins and cashewnuts cooked in tandoor. A rich and colorful dish with different flavors.
Kalimpong Cheese Chargrilled: Broccoli with cheese from Bengal garnished with cauliflower shards and foxnut. Cheesy appetizer which despite of having broccoli in it, doesn’t taste like it. All vegetarian lovers loved this appetizer.
Large Dishes
Hay Smoked Jungli Murgi: A thick spicy gravy preparation in which chicken is marinated overnight in black pepper and cow ghee. It is served with Chicken stuffed Bhavnagri chilli, charred spring onions, mukka onions and Jowar roti. Gravy was tasty and chicken was absolutely tender. Meat had a hint of ghee. Thick Jowar roti went very well with this gravy.
Crab Meat Xec Xec: Crab meat cooked in red chilli, peppercorn and coriander seeds. This semi gravy preparation was served with short grain Koni Joha rice. This preparation wasn’t that appealing as the spices had overpowered the taste of crab. I could not feel any crab in this preparation.
Batak: For me, this was the best among all the large dishes we were served. Duck slow cooked in its fat served with creamy gravy, mini sannas (idlis), pickled madras onions, white radish, walnut, cranberries and orange salad. Duck was so damn delicious with or without gravy. I could not help but to order another portion of this preparation. It was even presented beautifully with gravy served separately in decanter. Highly recommended.
Mamas: Another delicious large dish. Super spicy pressure-cooked mutton curry served with short grain Koni Joha rice. Mutton was perfectly cooked and meat was falling off the bones. Gravy was slightly thin and spiced up with Indian spices. It had a layer of fat floating on the top. I anyway love the mutton curry and rice combination. This was a perfect meal for me.
Pearl Potatoes: Small grape sized Badami Dum Aloo in mildy spicy gravy. It was served with Dahi ki Khamiri roti which was luscious and went perfectly with this gravy.
Paneer Smoked: Paneer stuffed with spiced green peas served with spinach gravy and Manipuri black rice dosa.
Desserts
75% Cocoa & Passion Fruit Ganache: Dark chocolate on Almond crust with slated caramel ice cream and Naga passion fruit. Super dark and super delicious. If you are a dark chocolate fan, you cannot afford to miss this one. Beautifully presented perfect dessert.
Paper Sweet: Ultra-thin rice sheets stuffed with brown sugar, ghee, almond and pistachio. A delicate yet worth a try dessert.
Jalebi rabdi: Swirl of Dough soaked in saffron served with reduced milk.
Ambience: This is a fine-dine restaurant located in Westin, Pune. Décor lives up to the expectations. Chic and spacious tables with comfortable seating. Elegant chandeliers. The restaurant has 360-degree bar with variety of alcohol available. They also have a private table available in case you need one.
Value for Money: Yes. Considering the location, brand and food they are serving here, I honestly think that menu is priced slightly below average. If you are not ordering whole goat or raan, dishes and cocktails are moderately priced.
Rating: 4.5/5
foodmirer 