New Menu Tasting- The Sassy Spoon, KP, Pune

The Sassy Spoon had launched a new menu. This menu has some very good starters and delicious pre-platted mains.

FoodProwl team was invited for a food tasting on a Saturday afternoon.

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Recommended Dishes: Morning Brew, Pulled Lamb Croquettes, Chicken Wings in homemade Buffalo sauce, Japanese Battered Prawns with Sweet Chili Sauce, Quinoa and Chickpea Poppers, Ricotta Asparagus and Water chestnut Tortellini, Chicken Scallopini.

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Drinks: This menu includes some very good cocktails and mocktails.

Sour Cooler: which was s kokum syrup based mocktail. Perfect as a soothing afternoon drink.

Very Berry Khatta: A fruity and sweetish drink, available as cocktail as well as mocktail.

Mojito: A classic cocktail in tall glass with lot of mint and lime in it.

Morning Brew: This cocktail was the best. Whiskey with espresso topped with orange zest served in a old fashioned glass with couple of ice cubes in it. Very flavorful and aromatic drink. You should definitely try this cocktail. Highly recommended.

(L-R: Morning Brew, Mojito, Very Berry)

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Food:

Appetizers-

Pulled Lamb Croquettes with Feta Cheese and Mint Aioli: This looked just simple regular fried finger food dish but when we tasted it, all of us simply loved this appetizer. Perfectly cooked pulled lamb batter fried. Outer layer of these croquettes was also perfect. Thickness just right with beautiful golden colour. Mint aioli went very well with croquettes.

Chicken Wings in homemade Buffalo sauce: Fried chicken wings were tossed in homemade buffalo sauce. The highlight of this dish was the buffalo sauce. Perfect balance of sweet and spiciness.

Japanese Battered Prawns with Sweet Chili Sauce: I personally liked this appetizer being a prawns lover. Batter fried pieces of prawns tossed in sweet and chili sauce. A nice version of batter fried seafood. For those who are tired of having tempuras of fish fingers, this is a good change.

Quinoa, Chickpeas, Sweet Potatoes and Bell pepper Poppers with Sassy slaw and Hummus: Non-veg appetizers were good. But this veg appetizer was also remarkable. By reading the ingredients, I did not expect this crunchy small cutlet like preparation to be so delicious. No ingredient had overpowered the other. Chef had managed to balance this taste perfectly. Highly recommended.

Baked Phyllo Pastry with olives, artichokes, water chestnuts and sundried tomatoes: This one looked appealing. It was served with peri peri sauce. I felt the stuffing was too less and mostly all I could taste was the outer covering of pastry. Little more stuffing in pastry could have helped this dish.

(L-R: Chicken Wings, Quinoa, Chickpeas poppers, Lamb Croquettes, Japanese Prawns, Baked Phyllo Pastry)

Mains-

Ricotta Asparagus and Water chestnut Tortellini in Aglio Olio cream with Balsamic glaze: This stuffed pasta in super delicious creamy sauce. I loved it. Tortellini was perfect. Not too thick, not too thin. Sauce was spot-on. A flavourful main dish you should try.

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Bocconcini: After trying Tortellini I had high expectation with this dish. But Tortellini was a clear winner. Rice was well cooked and mingled with sauce well. But the flavor itself were missing. Couldn’t taste bocconcini either. I found this dish bit bland.

Chicken Scaloppini with Herbed Mushroom Rice: Star of the mains. Comparatively less appealing when it came to platting, but was super delicious. Sautéed tender chicken topped with creamy sauce. Meat was served with aromatic mushroom rice. This creamy sauce and rice went perfectly together. This one is a must try.

Braised Lamb Shank with berries served with raisin pilaf and apple cinnamon sauce: This dish was okay. Nothing great about it. Rice and meat did not go well together. Pilaf was too sweet for the meat.

Scottish Salmon with sautéed spinach, water chestnuts and glazed carrots: From platting to taste, it was a disaster. Too much of garnish had ruined the appearance of this dish. Fillet of the fish looked good but was overcooked. Even spinach and baby carrots did not add any flavor to this dish. Spinach was simply wilted and looked overly covered with dressing.

(L-R: Tortellini, Scaloppini, Salmon, Lamb Shank, Risotto)

Desserts-

Sassy Spoon is known for their good desserts and 2 desserts in this menu aren’t really exceptions.

Peach and Green Tea white chocolate Mousse: Beautifully platted dessert. White chocolate mousse with apricot sponge served with raspberry sorbet. When all 3 parts are eaten together, it tasted good. Especially raspberry sorbet was very good.

Caramelized White Chocolate and Watermelon Mousse: Again, nicely platted dessert having 3 parts. Guava chili sorbet was slightly pungent on its own. But tasted good when eaten with mousse.

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Ambience: Very good. Right from chandeliers to huge book shelves, everything adds a visual appeal to this colourful place. For lunch timings, it is a brightly lit place with natural light.

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Value for Money: Yes

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Rating: 4/5

New Menu Launch, Independence Brewing Company, Pune

Independence Brewing Company has recently introduced a new menu. This menu consists some beautiful cocktails and super delicious starters and mains. This entire menu which has Indian as well as continental preparations is a must try. FoodProwl team was invited here for a food tasting.

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Cocktails: We were served some amazing fruity cocktails.

Ouzo Effect was the best among all those cocktails. This one had Jim Beam, Sambuca, Fresh apple, mint and lime with lots of crushed ice. Lono’s Makahiki was the second best. It had Bacardi, Old Monk, Cinnamon, Kiwi crush, fresh apple, mint and soda. The Beetroot Project which had Eristoff, Beetroot Juice, Kokum crush, Worcestershire sauce, tobacco and smokey and sinful torched bacon put on top. Really interesting. Blushing Lady had Smirnoff orange, captain morgan, cranberry juice, orange bitters and egg white. Black Hole was made up of Bacardi, Agave Nectar, activated charcoal, fresh pineapple and lime.

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Food:

Starters:

There was not a single starter that I can say can be given a miss. Those were simply superb.

Gunpowder Button Idli: Small idlis fried in ghee with gunpowder, curry leaves and red chilies. Served with a spicy coconut chutney. All vegetarians are sure to love this one.

Stir Fried Chicken Liver in Green Masala: Chicken liver in smooth and spicy green masala. If you are not a liver lover, this dish might get you started liking it.

Bohri Style Smoked Mutton Kheema Samosas: Star the meal. Superbly flavored Mutton kheema in a coating which was crispy from outside and just soft inside. Served with pudina chutney, these golden fried samosas were not oily at all. I am still drooling over these.

Chicken and Prawns Dumplings in Sichuan Chilly Sauce: The sauce was super spicy and perfectly complimented dumplings.

Pulled Pork Tacos: I got to taste soft shell tacos after edges. Shredded pork was juicy and nicely spiced. Make sure you eat these tacos as soon as served as the juices from meat might make the soft tortillas soggy. Do try it with salsa served in side.

 Masala Fry Calamari: A nice appetizer to go with your drinks.

Dry Rub Cajun Wings: The coating on these wings was dry but flavorful.

 

Salads-

Quinoa and Soba Noodle Salads: These healthy salads were looking nice. Nice presentation and good portion size.

Mains:

Grilled Fish Burger: 3 thin fillets of Bhetki grilled and put between slightly toasted buns with lettuce, onions and lots of tartar sauce. It was served with house salad, house fries and lots of tartar sauce on the side. An unconventional but tasty burger.

 Achari Paneer Sandwich: It looked good but I found it little salty. It was again served with house salad, house fries on the side.

Four Cheese Pizza: A thin base spread with a tomato sauce and topped with lots of cheese.  A simple pizza which had 4 types of cheeses. One of them was blue cheese which gave it a distinctive taste. Do give this one a try for it’s blue cheese flavor.

Spaghetti Carbonara Pasta: Outstanding pasta. Al Dante spaghetti tossed in a cheese sauce of coating consistency with hearty portion of bacon bits. It is served with garlic bread.

Soya Pork Chilly Chops: Pork chops in a delightful soya-based sauce. Pork was perfectly cooked and falling off bones. Pork lovers, this one is surely for you.

Independence Butter Chicken: Tandoori boneless chicken chunks in tangy tomato-based gravy with lot of cream giving it a nice thick texture. Served with parathas. Loved this Indian main course.

Classic Lamb Stew: Tender lamb in tangy sauce having fresh vegetables. served with a potato mash.

Nasi Goreng: Beautifully presented rice dish with chicken satay and egg.

Desserts:

We had Coffee and Coconut Pudding and Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Tart for desserts both were good. Chocolate souffle is anyway our all time favorite here.

PC: Anupam Potdar

As I said earlier, this entire menu is a must try. Please do visit this place. You won’t be disappointed at all.

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Rating: 4.5/5

 

Arth- Westin, Koregaon Park, Pune

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Rating: 4.5/5

Kadaknath Chicken Thali @ Zaga, SB road, Pune

Kadaknath Chicken, also known as Kali Masi, is a fairly new thing for Pune food scene. This bird is completely black, right from toenails to beak. Even the bones are black and organs are dark colored. I have been told that very few places use an authentic Kadaknath bird. Rest all serve a regular chicken soaked in a black dye. This of course isn’t the first-hand information. However, I am very sure that the chicken served here in Zaga is authentic Kadaknath- The Black Chicken. Zaga is serving Kadaknath Chicken thali. Right now, it is only on weekends and priced at INR 650+ taxes.

Siddharth Mehta who handles Zaga- The Art Café told me that he has a poultry farm near Pune where he had bought around 50 birds around 2 years back. With proper feeding and care, today he has almost 950 birds and counting. They use same birds here in this café.

Kadaknath is a very hard meat and very difficult to cook. Siddharth told me the process they follow to serve you this delicious preparation. The process starts at least 2 days before when they marinate the chicken. After 2 day this meat is cooked on a gas for 2 hours and then on the Chul- an earthen stove which primarily uses wood or sometime charcoal for burning. This 8 hours of cooking finally breaks muscles and tissue of the meat and make it chewable. If you are cooking this meat at home, 3 days of marination and at least 11 whistles of a regular pressure cooker would be required to soften this meat. This give a fair idea of toughness of the meat. However, this meat is very rich in nutrients, at least 10x the protein of normal chicken and very less fat and cholesterol. Siddharth sources the masala from a lady based in Kolhapur. A very aromatic a flavorful masala which gives a superb taste to the gravy. This gravy is non-oily and spicy all right.

This thali contains a bowl of rassa- a gravy with 4-5 chicken pieces in it, unlimited soft chapati, unlimited rassa, a portion of buttered jeera rice, lemon wedges and an onion salad. This onion salad also has some preparation involved. Sliced onions soaked in Kokum water for couple of hours for a slightly sour taste. They it is mixed with curd and given a tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves. This quantity may look or sound very less. But trust me, this meat is very heavy and you feel completely full even after having just 4 pieces of this chicken. You should really try this thali if you want to try Kadaknath chicken.

What: Kadaknath Chicken thali

Where: Zaga- The Art Café, near Symbiosis College Signal, SB Road, Pune

When: On weekends

Price: INR 650+ taxes

Overall Rating: 4/5

I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg- Baner, Pune

I’m Lion Strictly non-veg is a very successful food joint in Bavdhan where they have been consistently serving delicious non-veg Maharashtrian food. They have now opened their 2^nd branch in Baner. Situated near Balewadi phata, this place has now even more sitting capacity than the Bavdhan branch while maintaining the consistent delicious taste.

I was invited here for a food tasting. We were served some outstanding appetizers, mains and a dessert which made my evening. A true non-veg lover, especially a seafood lover should not miss the delicious food here.

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Recommended Dishes: Bombil Rawa fry, Konkani triphal kokum red chilli surmai, Crab masala, Neer dosa, Kokani Kolambi Pulao, Chocolate MudPie

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Food:

Solkadhi: A welcome drink which was really refreshing. Unlike most of the places, it had more coconut milk and less water. Also, cumin was in moderate quantity, had only coriander leaves and not stems. We could not resist to order couple of more glasses for us.

We had 5 appetizers. Seafood was simply outstanding.

Bombil Rawa fry: One of the best bombil fry I have ever had. I have tried this appetizer at many places and I was served super oily or soggy or stale or too thick batter cover. But here, bombil fry is hands down superb. Perfectly battered fresh bombil fried till golden brown and then drained to remove excess oil while keeping the crispiness intact. The batter was perfectly spiced and covered the fish just right. Do not miss this appetizer while you visit this place.

Mutton Panchali: Pan roasted tender chunks of mutton tossed in a thick masala paste which also had some white rum. Slightly sour taste which we suspected was from vinegar. However, while keeping the recipe secret, the owner confirmed that there was no vinegar. This appetizer tasted fine. I liked the hint of sourness in it.

Konkani triphal kokum red chilli surmai: Another beautiful appetizer. A fresh surmai smeared with a spicy home-made paste, kept in banana leaf and then baked. The masala which gave the fish its spiciness was tasty. Loved the hint of kokum in this fish.

Chicken Cafreal: Chicken tossed in green masala. As compared to other appetizers, this one failed to impress. The masala was bit bland and meat had not captured the flavor of marinade.

Sukat papad: Dry fish tossed with onion and spices and put on fried papad. This is their version of masala papad. You might feel quantity of fish is slightly more than required on that papad. But owner confirmed that he wants people to taste their sukat and papad should not overpower its taste. Sukat lovers can definitely give it a try.

Prawns Mangalorean curry: A coconut based tangy curry with well-cooked tiger prawns. Curry tasted fine. Neer dosa went very well with this curry.

Crab masala: Simply outstanding curry. River crabs in a delicious curry. The flavor of crabs in curry took this preparation to next level of deliciousness. This went well not only with neer dosa but with rice as well. Even if you don’t like crabs or do not eat crabs in public, please do not give this curry a miss.

Neer Dosa: A delicate pepper thin dosa. Went very well with both the curries.

Kokani Kolambi Pulao: An authentic Konkani pulao with tiger prawns. Flavourful and aromatic rice preparation which did not need any gravy or accompaniment to complete the dish. Loved it.

Chocolate MudPie: A goodness of dark chocolate in a slightly moist tart. I am still drooling over this dessert. For a chocolate lover it would taste heavenly. They make very limited of these per day. So make sure you reserve this dessert while you are ordering for appetizers.

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Service: Very professional staff. Their menu knowledge is up to date and you can rely on them for recommendations. Lead time is also fairly short.

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Ambience: More sitting capacity than Bavdhan branch. Neat and tidy dining area with black and white design décor. Not only walls but even the AC’s are lined with same black and white design stickers which camouflage AC units just fine. Even their service refrigerator which is kept in dining area has same sticker on it. A very innovative and eye appealing idea. This décor is done by owner’s father himself who is an interior designer.

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Rating: 4.5/5

The Urban Foundry, Kalyani Nagar, Pune

After a huge success at Balewadi High Street, The Urban Foundry has opened another outlet in Kalayni Nagar. Located just beside D-Mart this place has even better ambience than the one in Balewadi. 360-degree bar, fancy glassware, unusual coasters, revolving chandeliers, comfortable sitting and most importantly some very innovative cocktails and fusion food preparations. This place has lot to offer. Do not be under an impression that this place is a replica of the Balewadi Outlet. Right form the ambience to food, the Owner Suryabhan Shinde has tried to distinguish this outlet from other branches.

FoodProwl team was invited for a Pre-opening food tasting. We were served around 10 cocktails and lots of food.

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Recommended Drinks and Dishes: Smoke Star, The First Man, The Cube, Wiki Waki Woo, Chicken Flatbread, Asian patrani murgh, Prawns Gold coin, Chicken Tandoori roll, Yangon Prawn curry with Jasmine rice, Calcutta chilly chicken with Egg fried rice, Frozen gajar halwa

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Drinks:

We were served 10 innovative cocktails which I had not tasted or heard about before. Depending on your liking order taker will recommend a cocktail for you.

Not so old fashioned: Bourbon with cranberry juice, orange juice, fresh rosemary and honey. Herb based sweet cocktail which is variation of classic old fashioned. If you are a whisky based cocktail lover, this one is for you.

Black is black: Beefeater gin with activated charcoal, coconut water, jasmine and sweet and sour mix.

Casting Couch: Beer, gin, lemon juice and honey.

Passion Blaster: Another beer-based cocktail.

Smoke Star: Parmesan infused Bourbon with pineapple juice, lime vanilla and smoke. Slightly sweetish in taste I liked this fruity cocktail.

The First Man: White rum, tropical juices and caramel. Superb cocktail served in a fancy earthen black colored glass. Tropical juices gave this one a refreshing taste. A must try cocktail.

The Qube: Vodka and sparkling wine poured over a huge cube of frozen orange juice with added elderflower. It was served in a wine glass.

Wiki Waki Woo: Whiskey, vodka, pineapple, coffee and coconut put in a bulb glass which was put on a crushed ice. It predominantly has a coffee flavor. A little potent cocktail. I would recommend this to try.

The Journey: A spicy cocktail made of gin, wasabi white wine and orange water.

Vanilla Sky: Vanilla vodka, elderflower, cucumber, lime and ginger ale.

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Food:

Chicken Flatbread: Lot cheese and chunks of boneless tandoori chicken on a thin crust. Delicious appetizer. Chicken was well marinated and was of just right quantity. Though csrust was thin, it wasn’t burnt and had the required moisture.

Edamame Bhel: Bhel made of immature soybeans i.e. edamame beans, pomegranate, tomato, onion and sev with little tangy dressing. A fusion of Indian and East Asian ingredients. It was good.

Asian patrani murgh: Excellent appetizer. Boneless chicken flavoured with Asian flavoured marinated, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Simply superb. The marinade did all the trick. Do not miss this appetizer.

Titwala Paneer: Tender pieces of paneer tossed in spicy sauce. All in all a good option in appetizers section.

Malai Tandoori Murgh Tangdi: Chicken leg spiced with black pepper topped with creamy sauce. Chicken was tender and cream sauce complimented the pepper flavor.

PC: Anupam Potdar

Baconnaise: A cold appetizer. Bacon based thick deep which looked bit like Haleem served with thin crunchy bread.A little more bacon could have helped this dip more.

Nawabi Seekh Kebab: Nicely spicy and juicy minced lamb seekh kebabs served with mint chutney which complemented the meat just fine.

Bacon cheese poppers: This deep-fried appetizer could have used some more bacon. Cheese overpowered the meat and I could not feel any flavor of bacon.

 

Prawns Gold coin: Minced prawns in a bread coin. A deep-fried appetizer served with spicy sauce. It had beautiful golden-brown color and did not have any excess oil. A perfect appetizer to go with your drinks.

Mushroom Tunday Kebab: Just like Galouti kebabs but made from mushrooms. Tasted good. Nothing to complain about.

Kalimirch Chicken Dumplings: Slightly spicy dumplings sprinkled with black pepper powder. The coating could have been little thinner, but these dumplings tasted good. I liked them.

Magik Mushroom Dumpling: A crystal cover with finely chopped mushrooms. My second favourite from dumpling section.

Kheema ghotala Shumai: Nicely shaped shumai which had meat paste as stuffing.

Malai Broccoli Dumpling: Lovely dumpling. Very thin cover and subtle flavours of the stuffing made this dumpling stand out.

Tandoori Momos murghwala: Indianized version of dumplings. Kalimirch Chicken dumpling basted with spicy marinade and grilled in tandoor. It was okay, did not taste as interesting as it sounded.

Tuna & truffle pizza: A Must Try. Thinnest crust I have ever seen spreaded with cheese sauce and topped with cold tuna and cucumber slices. We all simply loved this pizza. Cheese sauce with cold tuna tasted heavenly.

Chicken Tikka Carpaccio Chaat: A cold salad which had cold cuts of chicken, pomegranate, green leaves, mint chutney and flavoured with Indian chaat masalas. I did not like this one much.

Sushi: We were served 4 different maki rolls- Dynamite Lobster roll which I simply loved. Cheesy cream roll was my second favourite. Creamy asparagus roll tasted all right. But Chicken Tandoori roll which was a fusion sushi failed to impress.

After so many starters we were already full. But the mains were yet to come.

Daal bati Khow suey: A fusion between concepts of daal bati and khow suey. A bati cooked in pure ghee was served with flavorful daal and traditional accompaniments of khow suey were served with it. This at first might sound little crazy but trust me, this preparation tasted very good.

PC: Anupam Potdar

Yangon Prawn curry with Jasmine rice: This was the best main course among the 4 served. No doubt the curry was flavourful and very creamy, but what was even more appealing for me was the simple steamed jasmine rice. This fragrant sticky rice was just delicious. Any gravy could go very well with this rice. If you are a rice fan, please give this one a try.

Calcutta chilly chicken with Egg fried rice or Veg Hakka Noodles: Chilly chicken was beautiful. A piping hot gravy preparation served with rice or noodles. After heavy appetizers, this can be a perfect main course for you if you are left with very little appetite.

Dabba Gosht: Succulent lamb pieces with boiled egg whites in medium spicy gravy. Served with roti. Nothing great about it.

Next up were desserts.

Frozen Gajar halwa: Kulfi coated with grated carrot. Something very innovative, eye appealing and equally delicious.

The foundry cheesecake: Nicely presented slice of cheesecake which had gulabjam in it.

Motichoor sushi: If you like motichoor, this appetizer is for you. Some people might not like the idea of this sushi, but for me it worked.

PC: Chinmayi Bhambure

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Ambience:

Here are some pics of the decor.

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Rating: 4/5

 

1BHK Superbar, Baner, Pune

There wouldn’t be a food lover in Pune who hasn’t heard about 1 BHK Superbar. There has been a good buzz about this restaurant. I have been hearing lot of good things about this place. So when I went, my expectations were really high and this place simply exceeded those.

The management wanted this ‘Bar, Haute Kitchen’ to be unique and showcase high standards. And this uniqueness starts right from the name. Not only the food here is delicious but the décor also is commendable.

Rajat Grover- the Director of this place and the master curator of their menu is an experienced hospitality professional who apart from being a hospitality consultant, manages few restaurants in Delhi. He has a clear vision about what he wasn’t to offer to his customers maintain the authenticity of the dishes. 1 BHK offers preparations from all the regions of the World. You will find on their menu, dishes from countries all over the world. Australia, Thailand, Russia, India, Morocco, Arabia, Spain, Bulgaria, Britain, Americas to name a few.

There are some salient features of their menu Rajat asked us to go through. Here are those.

I was invited here for a food tasting.

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Recommended Drinks & Dishes: 1 BHK Vodka Cheese Cake, The Butter Chicken Nazza, 1 BHK Prince Non-veg Mezze platter, Grilled John Dory with Almond Rosemerry dressing, Smoked Chicken & jalapeno Soup, Butter Chicken with butter garlic naan, 1 BHK Blueberry Philly Cheese cake

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Drinks:

1 BHK Vodka Cheese Cake: For the first time I have seen a cocktail which has a cheesecake as a side portion. You may not feel comfortable with the combination. But trust me it worked like a charm. A cream-based vodka cocktail shaken and strained, served in a martini glass with a small slice of their signature Philly Cheese cake garnished with paper thin slices of apples and a cherry. Drink was smooth and sweetish. Cheesecake went very well with the drink and did not taste off even a bit. I would strongly recommend this cocktail.

Watermelon Mojito: Vodka and fresh watermelon juice could never go wrong. A beautiful looking drink which was equally refreshing. Vodka poured on a shaved ice in a tall glass and topped with watermelon juice and chunks with some mint and sugar syrup.

Taxi Call: A potent cocktail which had lots of rum in it. If you are a orange flavor fan, you can give this one a try.

Beer Blaster: Tequila and beer poured together in a beer glass to make this golden coloured drink which had lots of ice and garnished with mint leaves. Looked good. Tasted fine.

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Food:

The Butter Chicken Nazza: Rajat informed us that they are the one who introduced Nazza to the world. He also mentioned that the correct spelling of this word is NAZZA and not NAANZZA. Order taker recommended us to have butter chicken nazza. And I must give it to him. It was the best Nazza I have ever had. Naan so soft with lot of cheese over it topped with some delightfully flavoured butter chicken pieces served with a mint chutney. Absolutely lovely. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT you miss this nazza while you are visiting here.

Samak Mashwi: This means Grilled Fish with an Egyptian Twist. Deboned Rawas marinated in Egyptian spices and grilled in tandoor. Fish was cooked well. Accompanying dips went very well with the fish. However, I found this dish a bit dry. Some flatbread or a portion of rice might have helped.

1 BHK Prince Non-veg Mezze platter: This platter consisted of chicken, fish and mutton seekh kebebs served with 4 traditional Lebanese accompaniments- Hummus, Tabbouleh, Fattoush and Baba Ganoush. It also had a pita bread to go with it. Lamb seekh kebeb deserve special mention. Perfectly spicy and juicy lamb kebabs were really delicious.

Grilled John Dory with Almond Rosemary dressing: An imported Australian fish- Jon Dory grilled to perfection. Almond and Rosemary dressing complimented this fish perfectly. Picture below shows a half portion of this dish as per our request. This dish usually comes with 2 fish fillets.

Garlic Bread with Cheese: The only not so good dish of our entire dinner. Bread was fresh and crunchy. However, the slice was too thick and proportion of cheese to bread was really imbalanced. A thinner slice of bread would be better.

Smoked Chicken & jalapeno Soup: A thick soup with hearty chunks of smoked chicken and sliced jalapenos. The base of soup was fine but the outstanding character was the smoked flavor of chicken. I completely loved the taste of chicken in this soup.

Butter Chicken with butter garlic naan: A tasty Delhi style creamy yet tangy tomato-based gravy which had boneless chicken pieces cooked in tandoor. This is not a regular sweetish and extra buttery butter chicken which is served here in many restaurants. Rajat want Punekars to taste something which is, in his words- ‘very very close to authentic recipe’ of butter chicken. If you are a diehard fan of sweetish buttery gravy, this one is not for you.

Napoli Tiramisu: A traditional Italian layered dessert. This tasted okay, not very impressive.

1 BHK Blueberry Philly Cheese cake: Amazing. Highly recommended. Rajat especially mentioned that they use Philly cheese and not mascarpone. Thickness of bottom crust was just right. This baked cheesecake was topped with blueberry sauce. Wonderful. Please try this dessert. You would not regret your choice.

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Service: Very professional. Staff menu knowledge is up to the mark. You can rely on their menu suggestions.

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Ambience: Out of 3 seating section they have, the one upstairs is the best one. This has regular tables and chairs, high tables, bar chairs on a bar which is open form 3 sides and even a VIP table. Rajat was telling that he personally dictated the decor and had most of the things made under his supervision in that very place. Right form the lighting to the 1800 wooden panes hanging on the ceiling has some thought behind it and it is not just a copy paste work. Even the wooden serving plates are made in-house. Here are some pics of the ambience.

Seating tables

Open air seating

High tables

Bar

VIP table

Smoking room available upstairs would save you some trouble of coming down and step outside the restaurant to have a smoke.

Jhoola Table- You have to put this flat board up with a pully of you want to go to other side of this table.

They also have put all smaller equipment they use for core operations on a wall.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here. Good hospitality and great food.

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Rating: 5/5

 

 

The Travelling Dim sums Festival, Shizusan, Phoenix Market City, Pune

Known for its Pan-Asian delicacies, Shizusan is a well-known name to Pune’s food community. They always come up with something new and innovative fests. The Travelling Dim sum Festival is one of them. They are celebrating this festival till 13^th of May in which you get to try out 11 different and really lip-smacking dim sums from various Asian counties.

Here is the menu of this festival.

The non-veg dim sums are priced at INR 375++ and Veg and dessert dim sums are priced at INR 325++.

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Recommended Dim sums: Asparagus & Kimchi Mandoo, Cottage cheese & Sambal Dumpling, Activated Charcoal & Crab Xiao Long Bao, Poached Sea Bass, Pan Fried Crystal Duck Buns.

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Food: I came across some new dim sums which I had never heard about before tasting those here.

Cottage cheese & Sambal Dumpling: Cottage cheese, spinach and golden corn minced and put in a crystal covering. Delicate and delicious dumplings. This is a must try for vegetarians.

Spinach, Dates & Cashewnut Buns: Minced spinach, dates and cashew mixture stuffed in a bun and then steamed. Tasted fine. Slightly thinner bun could have helped this dish even more.

Asparagus & Kimchi Mandoo: A spicy dumpling from South Korea. Kimchi and asparagus with Pokchoy, celery finely chopped, put in a thin covering spiced with gochujang and steamed. Delightful dumpling. I loved this one. Subtle taste of gochujang was the unique characteristic of this dumpling.

Tung Tong Peanut Moneybags: Golden fried moneybags which had curried veggies tossed in peanut sauce. Perfectly fried dumplings had beautiful golden-brown color. Sauce served with it also complemented the dumplings. However, the flavor of peanut sauce was missing. A peanut sauce on the side might help this one.

Chicken & Water Chestnut: This dumpling was also tasty. But what gave it an even better character to this was the coconut curry served as a dip with this. This dip was outstanding and took this dim sum one level up of deliciousness.

Activated Charcoal & Crab Xiao Long Bao: Outstanding dim sum from Vietnam which is not to be missed. This dim sum has a crab meat and stuffed with Pho- a Vietnamese flavourful soup. This dim sum has so many flavours and is a real treat to your taste buds.

Seafood Sui Mai: An open-faced dumpling from Japan which had a minced seafood stuffed inside a thick covering and steamed. This tasted okay however, I felt that the covering could have been thinner.

Poached Sea Bass: A lovely dumpling served with Singaporean superior broth and coriander cress. Piping hot and absolutely delightful in taste. The broth gave this dumpling a subtle flavor and helped to keep in juicy.

Pan Fried Crystal Duck Buns: A beautiful looking pan-fried buns having spicy shredded duck meat. Buns were drizzled with Cinnamon Onion Sauce. I am not a fan of Asian buns. But this one is not to be missed. Perfect amount of dough to meat and spiced just right.

Green Apple Pie Moneybags: A dessert dim sum. Shizusan claims that it is the first time ever that dessert dim sum is being introduced. Green apple with palm sugar put in a moneybags and golden fried. It was drizzled with caramel sauce. Innovative yet not very impressive. Some other fruit instead of green apple could have been better. I am not very sure though.

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If you are a dim sum lover do give this festival a try. They also have suggested a cocktail to go with each of these dim sums. I am sure, you won’t be disappointed.

What: The Travelling Dim Sums Festival

Where: Shizusan, Phoenix Market City, Pune

What do you get: 11 innovative dim sums which touch your heart.

Price: INR 375++ for non-veg and INR 325++ for veg (4 pieces to basket)

Till When: 13^th May 2018

 

 

Asia in a Bowl Festival, Panash, Nagar Road, Pune

Four points by Sheraton is celebrating Asia In A Bowl Food festival which offers you 10 different Asian delicacies served in a bowl. This festival is from 19^th to 29^th April 2018.

Executive Sous Chef Tenzin Nyandak is heading this festival.

Food Prowl team was invited for a food tasting.

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Recommended Dishes: BBQ Pork Belly Bowl, Homemade Fresh Chili and coriander Prawns fried rice Bowl, Roast Cantonese Chicken, Spicy Minced Basil with Frsh Thai Bird Eye Chili with Jasmine fried rice.

 

Food:

Spicy Minced Basil with Fresh Thai Bird Eye Chili with Jasmine fried rice: A spicy bowl with stir fried basil, scallions, chili and chicken on Jasmine fried rice. I liked this bowl. Nice flavors and perfect spice level.

Rendang Curry Bowl: Tender chunks of chicken tossed with paste of mixed ground spices, ginger, garlic, turmeric, lemon grass, chili and poured over steamed rice.

Panash Goreng: Chef’ take on Nasi Goreng. Fried rice tossed with Sambal and spicy peanut sauce with chicken satay, prawn crackers and a sunny side up egg. I felt this was bit dry and lacked flavours. Some more spiciness could have helped.

Chiang Mai Curry Noodles: Thai curry flavoured with ginger and turmeric which had lots of chicken pored over steamed noodles and garnished with fried noodles. Those who love Thai curry should definitely try this bowl. Subtle flavor of coconut milk. Curry went very well with noodles.

BBQ Pork Belly Bowl: A Must Try. Thick slices of thoroughly cooked pork belly tossed in BBQ sauce. This preparation had lot of gravy put on rice. Meat was perfectly cooked. Sauce was flavourful and tasted absolutely delicious. You do not want to miss this one.

Miso Ramen Chicken: Boiled chicken chunks and a soft-boiled egg put in a broth made with fermented beans. This was served with egg noodles and garnished with chopped scallions. These soupy noodles tasted just fine.

Homemade Fresh Chili and coriander Prawns fried rice Bowl: My 2ns favourite of the evening. Very spicy yet delicious. This bowl had lots of chilis and some fresh coriander. A thick sauce put on a fried rice with sautéed prawns on it. This bowl looked amazing and tasted even better.

Chirashizushi: Scattered sushi rice topped with slices of fresh fish. It did not have any sauce of flavor. Rice tossed in chili soy or any other mild sauce would have helped this bowl. Fish, however was very fresh and tempting. Though this was served as kind of Nigiri, I ate is as Sashimi.

Roast Cantonese Chicken: My 3^rd favourite of the evening. Marinated chicken chunks with soy, honey and cinnamon powder tossed in a sweet and sour sauce with bell peppers. Served with mango flavoured fried rice. Saucy bowl with mango twist.

Lemongrass Pannacotta: This is not on the menu. However, this dessert was served to us just to finish our meal on a sweet note. Outstanding Pannacotta. Consistency was just right. No extra gelatin or sugar. Just the hint of lemon grass. This was just perfect. Do not miss this dessert here.

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Service: This is a pre-platted, or should I say pre-bowled preparations served piping hot. Quantity is enough for one.

Do try this fest before it ends.

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What: Asia in a Bowl Festival

Where: Panash, Four Points By Sheraton, Nagar Road, Pune

What do you get: 10 innovative Asian delicacies served in a bowl

Price: Each one priced between INR 425 to 525

Till When: 29^th April 2018

Sushi Trail, Miyuki, DoubleTree by Hilton, Pune

Alert for Sushi lovers!!!!

If you are up for some delicious and Unlimited Sushi, here is what you need to do. Just visit SushiTrail- A Sushi Fest which is going on in Miyuki, Double Tree by Hilton, Pune.

There are 8 Sushi Rolls which are being served in this fest. Made fresh right in front of you, there are 4 veg and 4 Seafood sushi rolls. And trust me, they are simply delicious.

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Food:

Here is the menu for this Sushi Trail.

We tasted 5 out of these 8 Sushi.

Rainbow Roll: 7 different fish and veggies are used to make this 8-piece platter. Salmon, Tuna, Yellotail, Crab Sticks, Avocado, Scallops and Horse mackerel. These beautiful looking sushi were garnished with Tobiko.

Shrimp Explosion: My favourite. Rock Shrimp Tempura and little jalapeno bound with rice mixed with some black sesame seeds. Some batter fried shrimp pieces on side. Subtle flavor of jalapeno added to the character of this sushi. This is a must try.

The Seafood roll: Mixed sashimi with cucumber, avocado topped with mayonnaise and flying fish roe. This have most of the fish meat mixed together and bound with sticky rice.

The Tear Roll: This very spicy veg sushi had crispy tempura crunches, spicy mayonnaise and Tempura fried Thai Bird Eye Chili. Super Spicy. You will not feel the spice level on first bite. But aftertaste is really spicy. Hence the name. Tempura crunches took this veg sushi to all new level of deliciousness.

Vegetable Dragon Roll: I found this one even better than Tear Roll. Seasonal vegetables mixed with mayonnaise rolled in rice and topped with avocado slices. So much flavor in this simple sushi. If I am asked to choose one from This sushi and shrimp Explosion, I won’t be able to do that. This is another must try sushi in this fest.

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Ambience: This festival is being held in Miyuki- a seven-seater restaurant with Japanese Teppanyaki covers. You can see your food being prepared in front of you on the Teppan grill or on sushi counter. But even if your group has more than 7 people, do not worry. You will be served in their café which is just outside this food outlet. However, I would strongly recommend reserving your seat in Miyuki as it will be an altogether different experience.

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So, all in all, a sushi lover cannot afford to miss this fest. Please hurry and experience this fest.

What: Sushi Trail- A Sushi Fest

Where: Miyuki, Double Tree by Hilton, Pimpri, Pune

What do you get: 8 different Sushi UNLIMITED

Till When: Fest ends on 30^th April

Price: INR 1199 AI per person plus 5% service charge