RANGILA'S

Rangila’s,
Flower Valley,Wanowrie,
# 30422211/88

Indian cuisine varies from region to region, thus reflecting our diverse culture. One of the oldest and most prominent of these is the Mughlai cuisine. Derived from the Persians and Turks, it is found in specialty kitchens of royal heritage hotels across the country. But Rangila’s, an unassuming eatery in Wanowrie, serves the food of the royals without the fancy trimmings.
The ambience is in complete contrast to the cuisine. No royal furnishings, uniforms or even royal tableware. We ordered Shaami Kebab, which did not turn out too well. We asked for a fresh helping, but the waiter came up and explained that the preparation method would be the same, and said he would cancel the order. Full marks to the staff for being honest and gracious. Another starter — Chicken Afghani Kebab (minced chicken stuffed in a boneless breast) — came next. But I felt the curd marinade was a bit sour and the chicken breast was rather too thick
for a covering. For the main course, we ordered the popular Mughlai preparation Mutton Rogan Josh, mentioned on the menu as Roghan Gosht. The mutton, rather the gravy, was excellent. The staff suggested their specialty, Dum Biryani. This turned out to be the best choice by far.
For dessert, we had Dudi Ka Halwa.

MY OVERALL RATING: 5/10

ASIAN MELANGE

Asian Melange
Near Karve statue, adjacent to Kothrud bus stand,
Kothrud, # 25397212


Weekend fine dining options in Pune are mainly either in west Pune or the east, that host a number of restaurants. Eventually more and more eating places are sprouting even in central Pune. To speak of Kothrud, one such place has managed to make a mark. This area has many conglomerates of ‘peoples restaurants’ and few of fine dining. The latest trend in dining is all
about oriental and pan Asian cuisine. This place, opened in February, too serves Asian
cuisine. A glance at the menu suggested it was more of an Indian spread than Asian. This time I
kept my authenticities aside and decided to rate the food plainly on the palate of others. I was accompanied by a six-year-old, a 35- year-old and a 65-year-old. This helped to get an unbiased verdict. The place has three storeys with the ground floor for families, second
for private diners along with a bar and the terrace for open air barbeques. The concept
of live-barbeque-on-the-table has hit Kothrud with this one. The ambience is contemporary,
stylish and service is well managed. We chose to dine on the terrace and had a wide spread
of barbeques. They have a separate menu only for starters. Paneer Achari Tikka, Noorani Seekh Kabab, Murg Rojali Kabab (cheese stuffed chicken) tasted well. I thought the marinade for paneer was less, but they had kept around nine different dips to compensate for it. Tom yum soup was also perfect for the drizzling atmosphere. Tawa Paneer Kasuri was dicey, though the Murg Makhani was different and tasted really well. The Thai curry tasted close to the original.
My critics for the evening gave a round of applause for they liked the taste, the hatke preparation, portion size and most importantly the reasonable pricing. Perfect for a family, couples, cocktail lovers and definitely for Kothrudians who hate to drive through heavy traffic to the other side of the town!

MY OVERALL RATING: 8/10

SMOKE ON WATER - CENTRAL PARK

The Central Park Hotel,
Smoke on the Water,
Bund Garden Road, near Inox,
020-40104000 (7pm-11pm)

At last I found a place that supports my belief (as mentioned in early reviews) that the taste of a restaurant’s food is inversely proportional to the number of items listed in the menu. This means that with fewer items on the menu, you can be assured that each will taste good.
I found such a place after visiting dozens of other places. And I cannot resist talking about it right from the start. All of my earlier reviews mentioned one dislike or another, but to my surprise, and quite unexpectedly, this place does not have anything negative to write about! Simply put,
the food of Central Park’s Smoke on the Water is impressive. Though the menu is limited, there is enough variety. The bar is well stocked, wines are plentiful, as are the cocktails and mocktails.
We started off with Rawas Tikka Peri Peri and Paneer Tikka. The tikkas were served on a small
barbecue, with live coals beneath that ensured the tikka remained hot till the end. The fish and
the paneer were both very succulent, fresh and had perfectly balanced spices. The peri peri sauce is spicy and blended well with the rawas. Next we called for the Tawa Vegetables
served with Roti Mini Basket along with Dal Makhani! Again, very impressive as this costs only Rs 300, and the quantity was more than enough for two people. Of course, it tasted great
too! The makhani had a mixture of two or more types of lentils, but I’m not complaining!
Finally, with desserts, I thought I would get a chance to complain. According
to my experience, this is usually the weakest area of most restaurants. We ordered Fresh Fruit
Brochette and Crème Brule. Both were fantastic! What’s worth a mention is the sugar in the Crème Brule that’s caramelized right in front of you. The service is prompt and staff well-informed as is expected from a hotel of this class. Located by the pool, the ambience is just perfect for a couple to spend the evening. For me, what matters most is the taste of the food taste, and I returned extremely satisfied!

MY OVERALL RATING: 8/10

MOMO CAFE - COURTYARD MARRIOTT

MOMO CAFE,
Courtyard Marriott Hotel,
P No 4 S No 19 & 20 Rajiv Gandhi Infotech
Park, Hinjewadi, Pune,
# 42122222

Courtyard Marriott opened its coffee shop — Momo Cafe — only a couple of months back. The name has no connection with dimsums or oriental cuisine. It stands for ‘modern living modern dining’. So the ambience too is vibrant with splashes of bright colours. The menu too is modern, with a blend of global tastes. They offer a wide buffet spread as well. The buffet has continental style non-veg starters, Indian veg starters, soups, main courses, a wonderfully stocked salad
bar with dozens of condiments and vinaigrettes. The chef can also toss up a salad of your choice. Coming to the taste, the fish served here is truly the best. All sourced directly from Mumbai, with some that we won’t find elsewhere! Barbeque Jerked Chicken and Grilled Calamari were the best. However, Chicken Tikka Marinated in Cream tasted a bit sour and bitter. The salads were amazing, specially the tossed glass noodles. Still I felt something missing, until the
wood-fire baked pizza arrived — very thin, very crispy, very good. The main course was
also enjoyable. What left me frustrated was the wide spread of desserts in the end. Well planned,
well blended and well presented! Blueberry Cream Cheese, Basil Mascarpone, Walnut Brownie,
Black Forest and of course, Tiramisu. It was served in a large margherita glass with the best mascarpone cheese I have ever had. Basil and Mascarpone blended well too! Then, we ordered crispy mushrooms from the a la carte menu. They tasted good, but were soggy from the time they arrived on the table. The cost of one dish was almost close to the buffet. Soft beverages also cost about the same! The ambience, though vibrant failed to give privacy to couples. But the style of displaying the buffet was great and it’s for this reason, along with the
desserts, that I’ll remember the place.

MY OVERALL RATING: 7/10