A Class Apart; To Eat Or Not To Eat in Harajuku

Name: Harajuko

Location: O Hotel, Koregaon Park, Pune

Date of Visit: 4^th March 2012 (Lunch)

My sister and I have been looking forward to eating at this place ever since it opened a few years ago. We were never able to go for Japanese since the rest of our family was not keen on experimenting especially the vegetarians with Japanese food! After nearly two years of making and breaking plans Stuti and I finally went for this much awaited Bento Meal on quiet afternoon. Although it was Sunday afternoon very few tables were occupied, this made for a peaceful and laid back lunch in my lovely hometown. There was a child, about six year seated at the opposite table, he looked at the food and exclaimed, ‘This is not food!’ with an adorable frown on his face.

 Reasons To Eat

1.     I loved the Ambience of Harajuku! It was a class apart. The gorgeous golden panel on its ceiling defining the bar counter and the dark wood furniture redefines fine-dining in Pune city. Even their chairs have an exceptionally high back and the upholstery is done in beautiful floral prints in light colors. The designer of this place deserves a standing ovation.

2.     There are few places in Pune city that serve Japanese food. It is rare to find a Japanese specialty restaurant. With Sushi and Teppanyaki on their menu, I think it is safe to say that a Japanese menu is a breath of fresh air for diners in Pune city. I love my butter chicken but raw fish surprisingly refreshing change.

3.     Good Food. I remember the first time I tried sushi. I did not like it. It was new and seemed too bland for an Indian palate, but my palate has come a long way since. I have travelled and begun to love sushi. Sushi in Harajuku as not at all bland as you may imagine. Pieces of seafood and sticky rice stuck together with a dot of wasabi, yummy! Beware, that pungent wasabi is sure to burn up your nose!

4.     The Bento Meals make a reasonable fixed meal set that is filling and utterly satiating. The Sushi Bento Meal included five items in the Bento Box along with Miso soup and dessert with a green tea or pint of beer as the beverage alongside. Although the rest of the menu may seem expensive, if you pick one of the Bento Meals, you will be satiated without a burning hole in your pocket. The green tea was subtle and delicious.

5.     There is a little something for the Indian palate. In the Sushi Bento Meal that I picked there were six pieces of sushi, some salad, tempura vegetables along with grilled salmon and two pieces of a deep fried appetizer that was very tasty but did not seem Japanese. It seemed to me as though they have added a little something to suit the Indian palate. Even the grilled salmon was not bland or subtly flavoured, it was grilled and pleasantly seasoned with salt and pepper.

Reasons To Not Eat

1.     Although Harajuko does have vegetarian meal options on their menu. I would not recommend this place to vegetarians, simply because it may not be as enjoyable for the price you pay.

2.     It is an expensive restaurant. Although with the ambience and choice of cuisine it does not seem over-priced, if you don’t go for the Bento Meal, chances are your meal will pinch your pocket.

3.     If you are not an experimental foodie or a fan of Japanese food, I do not recommend it. This can turn out to be an expensive experiment.

The service here was prompt however, I prefer not to comment on service till I see good service during rush hour. Venturing into a Japanese restaurant is a brave step from O hotel, although in a city like Pune full of foodies wanting to try out new stuff, Harajuko is a breath of fresh air!

Ambience: 9/ 10 Excellent

Value for Money: 6/ 10 Average

Menu: 8/ 10 Very Good

Food: 8/ 10 Very Good

Service: 7/ 10 Good

That Thing About This Place: 9/ 10 Excellent

Excellent Ambience + Average Value For Money + Very Good Menu + Very Good Food + Good Service + Excellent That Thing About This Place = Very Good

Rating: 8/ 10

To Eat Or Not To Eat; At ESCA , Aundh, Pune

Name: Esca

Location: Aundh, Pune

Date of Visit: 5^th March, 2012

 Be honest, do you love your younger sister? She borrows or shall I say steals your clothes without asking. She will tell on you when you sneak around. And just like everybody else’s, my sister too is like a piece of chicken stuck in my teeth since 5^th March, 1991. Esca was a perfect to ruin her birthday. Although, I have to admit, I hadn’t planned it that way.

5 Reasons To Eat:

1)   Esca is owned by Arthur’s Theme, Punekars’ all-time favourite restaurant located in Koregaon Park. The brand brings with it trusted flavours and loyal foodies from around the city. Although, the last time I visited Arthur’s Theme, the service was not satisfactory.

2)   Esca is a contemporary fine-dining restaurant with an elegant setting. The dark wood furniture and mood lighting brings a sense of sophistication to the place. It looks more classy than comfortable.

3)   The selection of items on the menu includes European as well as Indian cuisine. However, oriental dishes are not a part of the selection. Arthur’s Theme is known for unique names given to the dishes. The menu at Esca also includes an interesting and unique selection of items. Dishes, which will be hard to find elsewhere. Having said that there were a few regular items in the Indian selection but what got my attention were recipes that came from the various dynasties in India, as described in the menu.

4)   Their starters selection had always met my expectation. I have tried a few European starters prawns wrapped in a salami, if I remember correctly. This time we tried their Indian selection, Alu Ke Gutke, Mushrooms and Tandoori Chicken, delicious! I compare restaurants based on their talent in making tandoori chicken. Succulent, well-flavoured and juicy. The starters were awesome.

5)   The Nawabi Paneer , creamy and lightly flavoured with fennel with melt in the mouth paneer makes you drown in its flavours. It is a very unique flavor, a recipe you will not come across in every other ‘Multi-Cuisine Restaurant’. The subtle flavours and silken mouth feel is one of a kind.

5 Reasons Not To Eat

1)   Bad Ambience. The music was too loud for a place like that. The restaurateurs need to realize that they are running a fine-dining restaurant not a club. It is impossible to have a conversation with your family and friends when the music is so loud and atrocious. Even when we asked them to turn it down, it still sounded unpleasant. Don’t get me wrong, the choice of music wasn’t bad, it was bad for a restaurant like that.

2)   Bad Service. There are two ways to go with a corner table. Either you don’t set a table in manner that the guest is out of reach for the server. Although, this was not the case, as I was seated on the corner seat it seemed to me like I set my table, served myself and even cleared my table on my own. I would might as well have stayed back home and done it myself.

3)   Clumsy Service. When the server brought my Chicken Matka to the table, the curry was poured all over the sides of the curry bowl. It seemed as though the chef had clearly it spilled over the counter while serving it. The chef did not notice it, the server was just about to place it on our table when all of us exclaimed at the time. ‘Yeh Ganda Hai!’

4)   FYI, Esca Restaurant, just describing a dish well on the menu is not sufficient. The recipe should be as good as it is described. Chicken Matka, recommended by the server, described as belonging to some dynasty and being one of the most interesting items in the Indian selection was highly disappointing. Not only was the chicken dry and overcooked but also, the flavours of the curry were average and not unique. Also, it was not served in a Matka!

5)   The worst part was that the ESCA seems complacent with its standards. The staff seems untrained and disinterested in serving the guests. I have been to this place soon after its opening and a couple of times after that and had never expected the standard to deteriorate so much. I read about some bad experiences in Esca and I chose to revisit the place, only to find that they were right!

A very disappointing experience, I hope that Esca will improve its standards. That thing about this place is its unique selection of items on the menu.

Ambience: 3/ 10 Poor

Value for Money: 6/ 10 Average

Menu: 8/ 10 Very Good

Food: 6/ 10 Average

Service: 4/ 10 Not Worth It

That Thing About This Place:  8/ 10 Very Good

Poor Ambience + Average VFM + Very Good Menu + Average Food + Service Not Worth It + Very Good That Thing About This Place = Average

Rating: 6/ 10

7 Reasons To Eat or Not To Eat At Invitation’s Today; Sadanand Regency

Name: Invitation’s today, Sadanand Regency Hotel

Location: Ahead of National Sports Complex, Pune towards Hinjewadi. Located On the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway.

Date of Visit: 19^th January, 2012 (Dinner Hour)

 You Must Try Dum Ka Murgh at Invitations Today.

Reasons To Eat.

Reason 1: The Location. Being right on the Mumbai- Bangalore Highway and close to the offices in Hinjewadi as well as Infotech Park this place is elegant and affordable.

Reason 2: This place has great ambience for the price bracket it serves. They have a well-lit and well-spaced out setting in the dining area. The bar set-up really stands out and furniture is neat and classy. I have been to this place a couple of times and it is usually peaceful and non chaotic.

Reason 3: The items on their menu and the variety of cuisines they have to offer sets this place apart from others in its category. Although like many other restaurants Invitations Today offers Indian, Oriental and Continental dishes, their selection of pastas, unique starters and soups is a breath of fresh air from regular menus. Tired of regular soups? Try Beijing Soup at this place. It is delicious.

Reason 4: Value For Money. A dinner for six adults with beer and without desserts cost us a little over fifteen hundred bucks. They also offer a regular buffet spread without starters which costs about 250 INR per person as on 18^th January, 2012. With good ambience and good food, this is a good bargain.

Reasons To Not Eat

Reason 5: Recommendations by the Service Staff were not satisfactory. Simply because sweetish kebabs are not my favourite pick, the server ought to have mentioned that those moist, succulent kebabs he had recommended were sweet.

Reason 6: Continental Cuisine was not satisfactory.  The Spaghetti Milanese was very disappointing. The spaghetti was very sticky, dry and cold. The preparation was bland and substandard.

Reason 7: Dessert Selection. Although most multi-cuisine restaurants with an ala carte menu have limited items in the dessert section, since the menu of this restaurant was unique and special, a little more variety in desserts wouldn’t hurt.  

Clearly, the reasons to eat in this case are more than reasons not to eat. Do try out this restaurant at Sadanand Regency, it is clean, elegant and reasonably priced.

Ambience: 8/ 10 Very Good

Value For Money: 8/ 10 Very Good

Menu: 8/ 10 Very Good

Food: 7/ 10 Good

Service: 7/ 10 Good

That Thing About This Place: 7/ 10 Good

Very Good Ambience + Very Good Value For Money + Very Good Menu + Good Food + Good service + Good That thing About This Place = Very Good

Rating = 8/ 10

Sasta, Sundar Aur Tikau; Chung Fa, East Street

Do you ever wonder what Chung Fa means? I don’t think that their cook knows it either. Indian style ‘rasta’ Chinese is served in a small diner called ‘Chung Fa’ on East Street. We have eaten this kind of Chinese food standing on the street at the hawker around the corner. Chung Fa serves the same kind of Chinese food at similar prices, indoors. It is truly what we Indians call ‘Sasta, sundar aur tikau’ that is ‘reasonable and nice’. The sesame chicken and fried mushroom starters were crispy and satiating. The chicken triple Szechwan with rice, noodles, a spicy sauce and chicken pieces was filling and enough to fill two hungry girls, Nirali and my own.

I was meeting my high school friends after seven long years. The evening called for a venue that was close to our old school which was in the city centre, affordable and a common preference. Chung fa was perfect. It has all these qualities, rasta Chinese is common preference, Chung fa is reasonably priced and is located in the centre of Pune city. The ambience is a loud, cluttered and noisy. The diner is divided into two small dining sections. The inside section can make you feel a tad claustrophobic considering that the diner is usually full. The best part of this place is that it is great value for money. The server kept forgetting that people need a refill of water. Being located in the city, close to schools and a movie theatre it is more reasonable that many outlets in that area. According to Nirali, Chung Fa has another plus point; it is one of the few outlets that accept ‘Sodexo food coupons’. So, employees of those ‘Sodexo’ generous firms, dig in. That thing about this place is that it serves roadside or ‘rasta’ Chinese, indoors.

Ambience: 5/ 10 Below Average

Value for Money: 7/ 10 Good

Menu: 7/ 10 Good

Food: 7/ 10 Good

Service: 6/ 10 Average

That Thing About This Place: 7/ 10 Good

Below Average Ambience + Good Value for Money + Good Menu + Good Food + Average Service + Good That Thing About This Place = Good

Rating: 7 on 10 

Mad House Grill, Pune; It’s a Mooo… Point!

Name: Mad House Grill, Pune

Location: Lane 6, Koregaon Park

Contact: 020 26124779

Date of Visit: 14^th December, 2011 [Dinner Hour]

Do you believe in a dining experience rather than just a dinner? Then you will definitely appreciate Mad House Grill. I have to give full marks to the marketing strategy of this place. It is really popular among my peers. The ‘All you can eat Steak’ nights and Sunday Brunch for six hundred bucks sounds really tempting. Coming back to their selling points, I had heard about Mad House Grill a lot thanks to facebook, my sister, her friends, my friends, my brother and many more wanting to take the ‘All you can eat Steak’ challenge. I have to admitted, I was tempted to see myself go up on that wall of fame. Nonetheless, I passed the challenge bit and moved on to just trying out their steak.

Mad House Grill is among the few places that serve beef steak in Pune. I am a hardcore carnivore and a big fat Steak fan, literally. It’s like falling in love, the first time you try out your favourite food. I remember the rare cooked pepper steak with cream, mushrooms and shallots, in my third year of catering school, ahhhhh! Heaven had come alive. The rare cooked steak in cream and mushroom sauce at Mad House Grill was nothing like that, not even close. Before this latest steak experience at Mad House Grill I used to believe that no one can go wrong with steak. I was wrong. The beef quality wasn’t good; it was chewy instead of tender and juicy. The cream and mushroom sauce had no flavour, it was bland. The mashed potato was sweet with chilli flakes and no flavour again, spinach on the side was tasteless. It was hard to find something flavourful on this plate that would make that meal convincing or satisfying. Similarly, the much recommended garlic steak in tomato sauce, medium cooked, was comsi comsa, although the tomato sauce had more flavour than the cream sauce. The accompanying sausages and veggies were tangy and interesting. If you are about to visit this place for its steak, then drop the idea now and save yourself the fuel.

The chicken broth was okay. The sizzling brownie and ice cream, well, thankfully you can’t go wrong with that. Don’t get me wrong the menu was alright. When I went through the list of items, it offered many options, even for vegetarians and non-beef eaters. Yet, considering that ‘Steak’ is what they are selling, something in the kitchen ought to have gone wrong that day.

It was a beautiful evening though. These little restaurants are what make up this warm, welcoming and care free city of Pune. Mad House Grill invites you, literally. With its big round lamps and live musicians playing those lovely, romantic songs bring out the romance of the city and the Pune life. Mad House Grill really gives you the perfect feel of Pune, with its casual dining, beers and wines for the evening and the sweet melodious live music which makes up for a wonderful dining experience. Besides the reasonable dishes here and service with a smile, doesn’t hurt. The owners are really warm and friendly, they do give due attention to customer needs and satisfaction, which wasn’t usual, yet wonderful. It was a beautiful evening, Mad House Grill made it a beautiful evening.

Ambience: Very Good 8/ 10

Value For Money: Very Good 8/ 10

Menu: Very Good 8/ 10

Service: Very Good 8/ 10

Food: Good 7/ 10

That Thing About This Pace: Very Good 8/ 10

Very Good Ambience + Very Good Value For Money + Very Good Menu + Very Good Service + Good Food+ Very Good That Thing About this Place = Very Good

Rating : 8/ 10

Beyond Dirty Pictures or idlis and dosas; Fashionably South!

Name: South Indies, Pune

Location: Ganesh Khind Road, Next to Pune Central, Shivajinagar

Contact: 020 41047272, 020 41057273

Time of Visit: 6^th December, 2011

I can get a yummy idli and dosa for thirty bucks around the corner. Why should I spend over three hundred bucks on South Indian food? That’s correct, vegetarian South Indian food. I’ll tell you why? This is no regular dosa and idli quick service joint, South Indies is an exquisite South Indian fine dining experience. A chain from Bangalore, South Indies is a one of its kind in Pune.

It is beyond the South Indian food we know; dosas, idlis, appams and stews. The lunch buffet spread of South Indies includes authentic curries, rasam and sweets from the four southern states of India. The ambience and service are classy, contemporary and keeping with the state of the art fine dining restaurants in Pune. While the service was fabulous, the best part was that the staff was well informed about the cuisine, the dishes being served as well as the company.

The buffet spread was not very extravagant in terms of the variety of dishes, but each of the dishes was top class in terms of flavour, freshness and quality. A rare instance in the world of buffet spreads. They have an ala carte menu with an interesting selection of soups, starters and main course, which very unique and interesting. This menu is a breath of fresh air from Indian restaurant cliché, the paneer tikka masalas and Veg Kadhai. For Vegetarians especially, this place is reasonable and a must try.  

From the rasam, green apple mulligatawny soup and podi (gunpowder) idlis to the poppadums, sambhar and stew each item on the buffet had a distinct flavour, yet subtle and tasty. The appam and stew in particular was by far the best I have eaten. If you think that nothing can beat chicken and beef stews from Kerala, you ought to try their small onion stew you will begin to rethink your preference. The appam was delicate and by far the best that I have eaten. There were dosas, idlis and chutneys as well, and they were fantastic. Yet, I preferred the vada curry, mushroom preparation with crispy, lachhaa Kerala parathas and coconut rice over them. For a meal that does not give you stomach problems and sweets to die for, you must try South Indies.

Haven’t you eaten the same old chocolate mousse and gajjar halwa a million times? You may not get over it, but you have to try yummy payasam and sweet made with potatoes with pumpkin halwa. It is unique, tasty and perfect. With the flair bartending mixing trick of filter coffee by the server the afternoon ended quite pleasantly. So, what are you waiting for Punekars? You have the passion for food and an appetite for searching something new. I bet, this is a menu you can’t memorise but that which you will remember. Go ahead, you will love it!

That Thing about this place is that it is a breath of fresh air from the same old menus where you don’t need to read the menu to place the order. This place is fashionably touching your Indian cords.

Ambience: Very Good 8/10

Value for Money: Very Good 8/10

Menu: Very Good 8/10

Service: Excellent 9/10

Food: Excellent 9/10

That Thing About This Place: Excellent 9/10

Very Good Ambience + Very Good Value for Money + Very Good Menu + Excellent Service + Excellent Food + Excellent That Thing About This Place = Excellent

Rating : 8.5/ 10