The name- Raasta Café is not new to Puneites. They have total of 4 outlets in Pune. Newest one- Raasta Café Pubtown is opened in Late December 2017 in Ishanya Mall, Yerwada. Open from Noon to Midnight, this is a good place to unwind with friends or colleagues. Great drinks and some amazing bar bites and mains. The food menu consists of mostly Italian, Mediterranean dishes and some Indian as well.
I was invited for a food tasting here. I tasted some of their Signature Cocktails and some really lip-smacking food.
Recommended Drinks and Dishes: Beach Fizz, Raasta Signature Smoked Iceland Ice Tea, Dredlock Mojito, Tempura Prawns, Jerk Chicken, Caesars Salad, Paneer Tikka Naanzza, Fish n’ Chips, Herb and butter marinated grilled chicken, Tiramisu
Drinks:
Raasta Signature Smoked Iceland Ice Tea: A Version of LIIT with lots of lime, no coke and flamed with dark rum served in a tall glass. Very potent drinks. Even looks beautiful when it is flamed. For LIIT lovers, this can be a good option.
Beach Fizz: Passion fruit juice mixed with Vodka poured on lots of crushed ice and topped with beer. Passion fruit and beer might sound weird, but it tastes just fine. Rather juice and ice tones down the bitterness of beer and makes this one a refreshing cocktail.
High on Heels: A vodka based strained cocktail having cucumber, jalapeno and lime flavors. Served in Martini glass. It was okay. Nothing great about this one.
Dredlock Mojito: Mojito lovers, this drink is for you. Highly recommended version of Mojito dark rum, white rum, passion fruit and mint. Served in mason jar. Slightly sweetish but amazing taste. I loved this drink.
Food:
Tempura Prawns: Must try appetizer. Prawns fried to the perfection. Batter was just of coating consistency and had beautiful golden color. Not at all oily. And another highlight of this dish was the accompanying sweet chili sauce served. It complemented prawns just right and added to the deliciousness of this appetizer. Full marks to this one.
Jerk Chicken: Chicken put on wooden skewers just like satay, rubbed with jerk marinade and grilled. Loved it. Nice and spicy flavor. Meat was tender and cooked well.
Magic Mushrooms: Button mushrooms seasoned and tossed in soy based sauce. Nothing great about this dish. The dish had mushrooms, all right. But had no magic.
Caesars Salad: Salad with hearty portion of smoked chicken, fried croutons and dressed with mayonnaise. I liked this salad. Balanced seasoning and dressing. Croutons were not at all oily and added perfect crunch to the salad. Even lettuce was fresh and had a nice crunch to it. Chef seemed to have his basics just right about this salad. Do try this one.
BBQ grilled chicken pizza: Chicken Sausages cut and tossed in BBQ sauce with some jalapenos on thin crust pizza base with lots of mozzarella cheese. This pizza looked outstanding but did not impress much when it came to taste. Base had the moisture missing. Chicken chunks instead of Sausage might have been better.
Paneer tikka naanzza: Excellent. Paneer, onions, green pepper on a naan with lots of cheese. Naan was soft and held the topping perfectly. I bet you will love this naanzza. Do give it a try.
Herb and butter marinated grilled chicken: Chicken breast grilled and topped with lots of red wine jus. Mashed potatoes and tossed vegetables were served as sides. They also give some more jus just in case someone needs. Chicken was cooked well. Jus was perfect. Mashed potatoes were delicious. This is a complete main more than enough for one person.
PC: Chinmayi Bhambure
Flax seed rubbed lamb kebabs: These minced lamb meat kebabs were bit dry and had no meaty flavor. Also meat was loosely bound and was falling apart while picking the kebab up.
Kheema pao: Just the regular kheema. Spicy and thankfully did not have green peas. Served with 2 pao. It was okay, nothing impressive.
Fish n’ chips: An English main. Batter fried Basa put on bed of potato fries and served with tartar sauce. Slightly oily. Beautiful golden color. Well cooked fish. I would give 7/10 to this main. Little draining of oil would have helped the rating. Tastewise, it was very good.
Burmese Khow Suey: Served in a tiffin box, this Burmese curry was smooth, creamy and flavorful. It was served with fried chopped garlic and fried onions. Curry on its own was very good. But the noodles were bit let down. It looked like noodles were just boiled, rubbed with oil and served. Little more tossing with some seasoning would have helped.
Baked blueberry cheesecake: Nice and soft cheese cake topped with some blueberry jelly. Cheesecake lovers are definitely in for a treat with this cheesecake.
Tiramisu: It was fine. Nothing to complain about.
Ambiance: A funky Caribbean lounge style décor. The combination of white, black orange creates a soothing and warm atmosphere. Wall paintings are around corporate culture theme depicting various corporate scenarios. There are LED message bands on the ceiling which also display corporate life related catchy taglines. High tables and chairs/ benches do not really offer a cozy seating but are perfect for the theme.
All in all a very good place to have drinks and enjoy some good food.
foodmirer 