THE REGENT - JM Road

About a decade ago, JM Road boasted of having over a hundred restaurants. However, all these restaurants were very similar in pattern, menu and cuisine. After a considerable amount of culinary evolution, and learning from past mistakes, there has been some variation in these restaurants. There are still a lot of such places that do exist, but I wouldn’t call them genuine or authentic. The Regent of Deccan Royale is an exception. I confess, I always had imagined this place to be no different from any other restaurant. It took me one visit to change my opinion, and I am definitely not complaining. The interiors are well suited to a Four Star restaurant. The surprise element here, is the content of the menu. It is not very varied but has the choicest preparation selected from a global spread. To name a few, Japanesetempura, Korean Bulgogi, Thai curries, Burmese Khow suey, Italian Pastas, Risotto and a vast Indian selection are available on the menu. The ones which I tried were Dhania Makai Shorba, Israili Kebab, Dakshini Jhinga Sukka, Laal Maas, Paneer Kadhai, Prawns Biryani and the Sizziling Brownie. The first three are exceptional while the rest are common yet have a distinctive taste. Having Dhania Makai Shorba in this climate was awesome, while the Israili Kebab was a classic with only cinnamon in the marination with a hint of garlic. It comes with a small roti too! The Dakshini Jhinga was the best. The perfectly pounded marination of curry leaves, onions and lots of coconut gave it just the right taste. The mutton was also cooked differently yet retained the softness of the meat. I must say, for me, it was the very personification of the saying, “Never judge a book by its cover”. I am happy to be proved wrong. Being moderately priced makes it a sure, safe bet. It is indeed a dark horse on the run on this culinary stretch!

The Regent,

Hotel Deccan Royaale

Near Sai Service petrolpump

JM road Pune

PH:

020 41024000

ANGELS and DEMONS - NIBM

The other day I had a discussion with a friend about the growing number of cafés in Pune and how each new one has the scope to flourish. It’s not just that new places are opening up so often, but also that these new joints come with newer, never-seenbefore (at least in Pune) themes. I have observed the menu is some what monotonous at most places — it’s the ambience or theme that makes these newer places memorable. The Angels and Demons cafe is one such place. The name itself (Angels and Demons) does not directly connect to the menu, but does leave a good impression. Every wall has superb art posters of angels and demons. This gives the ambience a

\ slightly different look, compared to other places in town. The upper level serves hookahs, while the lower level has a seating area with an open kitchen. Once there, you can also can also witness all the World Cup action on a large LCD screen. The menu has an allday list comprising of sandwiches, panini’s, appetizers, pizza-burgers, eggs to order, baked jacket potatoes, cakes and pastries, and lots of coolers and shakes. Getting rid of thirst seems to be their top priority here, mainly because they have more quenchers than fillers. The list is good and resembles an American deli. In particular, the Nachos and Barbecued Chicken Sandwich were quite filling. The most interesting dish on the menu is the Pizza-Burger. This is a huge bun with the patty placed on a bed of tomatoes and lots of mayonnaise gratinated with cheese. The name was good, but I found the proportion of the size of the bun to the patty rather odd. The coolers and shakes such as the Devilled Asmoday (a chocolate and coffee shake with lots of ice cubes) A&D Special (strawberry and blue curacao with soda) are nice and so are the desserts — Deviled Chocolate Brownie and the A&D Chilli Dessert. Each was different than what I have come across before, but in particular, the A&D Chilli Dessert something definitely unique. To round it off, the theme for me is a hit! I was curious about whether the theme was intended to reflect in the menu as well. When I enquired, I found that there was no such intention. However, I did find a relation possible though — the sweeter may resemble angelic tastes while the hotter spices gives way to a more demonic side. To know on which side you fall, make a visit!

Angels and Demons

Bhagyasheela Apts, Row houses no 18, 19

Off NIBM Road, Kondhwa

ESCA - AUNDH

Urban dining” is the first impression that one gets after taking in the interiors and the menu of the restaurant. The chandelier is a nice touch to add to the ambience of the place. There are two sections for seating: mezzanine, which is the more enjoyable one, and a bar, which is well-stocked with the best liquors and wine. I was very happy to find Dom Perignon here, as I believe that this is one champagne which defines the class of a restaurant. The food menu is divided into two cuisines, the European one and the Indian one. Both appear very varied yet there is repetition in the ingredients used for both the types of cuisine. For instance, prawns appear as a starter only in European cuisine and not in the Indian one. As for how it actually tasted, the Pasta Soup had the flavour of fresh herbs that balanced well with the taste of tomatoes. After enquiring with the waiter about the use of brandy as a marinade in the Brandied Prawns, I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, I found it a failed attempt to replicate the famous prawn cocktail, which is served in a martini glass on a bed of lettuce with cocktail sauce. This version, lacked the taste of brandy. It could have been better if the cocktail sauce was served in smaller quantities. However, the amount of sauce with this cocktail was extremely overpowering. The Pahari Machchli, however, was very good, very succulent and very tasty as it was prepared from Betki fish which is rarely used by restaurants. I would give the Paneer Tiranga and Gosht Roganjosh a pass as the rogan and the masala stuffed in paneer were less, even though the paneer and mutton were both very fresh and succulent. I was waiting to receive Pan Seared Turkey Medallion with Potato Mash and Cranberry Sauce which sounded very appealing to me. It was designed and presented very well, but the turkey meat didn’t hold on to its warmth and the cranberry sauce tasted like jam, which, I felt didn’t go down well. If it had been a bit more acidic, it might have been a hit. The trio of Indian desserts turned out to be a good ending as the Gulab Jamun, Rasogulla and Gajar Halwa, all in-house products tasted really well. Summing it up, the place sticks to its tag line. As expected, it is not light on pocket (Rs 1800 all inclusive for the dishes mentioned above). It has its ups and downs, but these would entirely depend on customer expectation. For me, I can’t deny the fact that from a culinary point of view, it is very good!

ESCA Ground Floor,

Centriole Mall,

ITI road,

Aundh,

Pune – 411029

Tel: +91-8805210001

MY OVERALL RATING: 7/10

DARIO's

Carefully handpicked ingredients, flour, spices flown down to Pune from where they originate and carefully selected local produce, all keeping in mind the health of the customer proof that there’s more than passion behind this authentic Italian restaurant, Dario’s. The ambience is very simple and reminiscent of an old restaurant. The chairs and benches remind you of an era bygone. The surrounding of the outer area reinforces these thoughts with plenty of trees, making sure you have pleasant, absolutely noise free experience. Inside the restaurant is a long-decked coffee and liquor bar which have some of the finest Italian wines with some great mocktails too. The restaurant serves two different menus, one for breakfast-lunch including sandwiches and burgers and the other is a perfectly designed course-by-course evening menu. The contents of the menu are so fascinating and reading the descriptions makes you feel like

ordering everything on it! Also, the fact that the huge spread is strictly vegetarian, demands more applause for the ability to deliver this daily. I mentioned the importance of the health of their customers and part of the way they enforce this is by washing each salad item and veggies in Mediclorex and rinsed in Silver Colloid. Mediclorex is a type of chlorine which kills almost all types of bacteria, while Silver colloid (actually silver metal water) adds more minerals and neutralises the taste of chlorine. As for the food itself and how it tasted. By this time I was so floored by the amount of care taken before preparation of food and wondered whether anything would interfere with the end product or taste. The answer was an outright NO when we received our Assorted Bruschetta, Pommodoro Soup, the Mediterranean Pizza, Raviolli Pasta (homemade fresh) with mushroom cream sauce, and finally Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Tart and Rich Dark Chocolate Cake. A visit to Dario’s is a must for every Italian food lover and is perfect for couples. The place makes it impressive as it is very reasonable as compared to the overall experience, and the taste provided by the experienced hands of celebrated Chef Dario

himself!

Dario’s

At Hotel Sunderban, Lane 1,

Koregaon Park.

020 – 26053597/ 26053596

MY OVERALL RATING : 9/10