AVEES - karve road

Very often people form opinions about a new place based on its size or location. It’s

only after a reference from someone they know who’s tried it, that they might themselves go ahead and visit, which also means they have certain expectations regarding the aforementioned location and size of the restaurant. However, of late, several small eateries that serve quality food have sprung up, in spite of dealing with a space crunch. Today’s restaurant falls into that set mould. One glance suggests ‘tried and tested’ food and a look through the menu could well verify that thought. But then, one may argue, any menu is more than just a list of food items. But the pattern here is relatively familiar — a certain item followed by variations of it. It’s only when the food does arrive that it’s likely you’ll begin to build up an appetite. One bite into the fresh meat eases concerns that it may be a bit over-priced. The Tandoori Prawns and Mutton Sheek Kabab here are tender and flavourful. Avees has a variety of fresh fish, with King fish and baby Surmai being their specialties. Their Chinese food is also tempting — a version of the commonly-found Manchow Soup has a brilliant, un-common taste. The noodles which accompany the Indian version of this soup are freshly fried and served, the freshness of which small detail came as a pleasant surprise. When asked, it was revealed that they are prepared only as and when needed, as opposed to frying in bulk in advance, which is definitely appreciable. In Indian food, the Vegetable Soni Subji and Vegetable Chatpata are different from the usual vegetarian fare. The rotis here come in several varieties and amongst those, the Delhi Naan (required to be perfectly crisp), goes down rather well. The Biryani here is made dum style and the chicken was good too. Every item was diverse as we went over the menu. The texture of the meat gravies came from a fine, thin paste made from cooking fresh pounded masalas. There was no danger of the common permutation and combination scenario we have with basic gravies, which normally end up having that thick, heavy consistency. No gravy overpowered the flavour of the meat, which was a blessing. A meal for four would cost around Rs 1500, including five courses, of vegetables, seafood and chicken. Apart from just one other restaurant, this is the only place on Karve Road that serves fish. Considering the weather, I’d suggest you head here for hot kebabs and of course, the fresh seafood.

AVEES

6, Swaroop Complex,

Opp Ranka Jewelers,

Karve Road,

Pune 411004

020-25410708 /

0808

AHOY! - Aundh

Ihave mentioned the number of small eateries sprouting up in every corner of the city, however I didn’t mention how patrons are generally hesitant to trying out these. In dialogues with the owners and the customers, I found out that in spite of a fabulous concept, it still takes a lot of time to raise the footfall. Initially, customers often think twice before a first time visit, but a glance at the menu should clear all doubts about a particular outlet. Ahoy impresses with the contents of its menu. Though the list of items on it may sound familiar, the preparation is not. For instance, the potato skins served here are house-made with a crisp outer layer; the smooth, sof f e e l of melted cheese and the smoky buttery flavour is a surprise. Rest of the starters which are all deep fried, excluding barbecued chicken wings. Then there are the salads, pasta salads, hot dog, steak burger and even a BLT (bacon lettuce tomato) sandwich. The specialty here seems to be the pasta, as the vegetable lasagne was delicious — its sauce had the perfect tang, an even consistency and the flavourful veggies delicately layered between sheets of pasta were very filling. However, the minced chicken in the Bolognaise pasta wasn’t evenly incorporated in the sauce. lacked the even incorporation of the minced chicken into sauce. If the the chicken was finely chopped with a pair of choppers, lumps of cooked chicken in the sauce would have vanished. There are exciting options to choose from their entrees — Chicken Stroganoff, Chilli Con Carne (spicy Mexican minced lamb stew), Chilli Sin Carne (vegetarian version of chilli con carne). However there are few other options for vegetarians. The Carrot Cake with cream-cheese icing spectacular. The softness of the cake, richness cream and crunchy flavor is awesome. Ahoy is definitely a place to visit for the taste of its food, you’d probably rave about the price as well. I say with conviction that a meal for two including a starter along with a beverage, salad, two pastas and dessert would cost less than Rs 500. And then you’d probably have to take home the leftovers!

AHOY!

Shop No. 1, Madhav Memory, Next to Deluxe

Laundry,Kotbagi Hospital Lane, Aundh,

Pune 77988 26203

YOLKSHIRE - Karishma society, kothrud

Restaurants dedicated to a single cuisine are in abundance in Pune. When ever you think of Italian, Chinese, Thai, Lebanese,Irani, or other such location-specific foods you’ll have at least couple of options. Now, things have gone even more specialised. This time in the case of ingredients. While there have been small joints that evolved around idli, momos, frankies, wraps and the like, Yolkshire is the first eatery which deals only with eggs. The trend of eating eggs only for breakfast has changed. There are and were places which specialised in all-throughthe- day egg preparations, but this place stands out, more appealing if only because of its name. The interiors are very well thought out with frames showing various egg-related monuments, landmarks and graffiti. The menu is divided into two — one for morning and the other for evenings. At the moment, they are serving 10 different styles of egg all day. Pastas, burgers and sandwiches join the array in the evening. Each preparation is accompanied by toasted bread slices, baked beans and potatoes. You have a choice of asking for your dish to be made with the entire egg or only egg whites. This time around I do not have much to criticize about the way the food was prepared. After all, I’ve been told that along with tea, eggs areamonst the first things that people learn as first-time cooks. It is easiest to cook a boiled egg, then a half fry, scrambled, masala and poached eggs. So, by visiting yourself, you can find out which taste suits you best. I would like to mention that a few mastered preparations such as a glazy crescent shaped folded omelet, puffed up frittata, a classic French toast, Scotch eggs or any variation of the egg-nog added to the list would definitely set the bar high and give the customers more exposure to the various preparation styles of eggs.

Maybe all of these are in the pipelines as it is an early stage for Yolkshire — their promotions read Beta testing chota pricing”. Visit this completely new concept café and see if it turns into a r‘egg’ular hangout!

Yolkshire

Karishma Society

Off Karve Road

Kothrud,

020-41308801

SMOKIES - NIBM road

Along with fine dining restaurants, leisure dining is also gearing up in the gourmet circuit. On one side you can enjoy the swanky cutlery, crystal clear glassware, uniformed service and culinary art on the plate. While on other side, where you need to unwind yourself from the stressful day in a style and vibrant atmosphere, this is the place you can head. Being a brew house itself is an added advantage as you have surprise tap beers introduced every week. This day it was the Belgium wheat beer which was being tapped. There are other variants too such as lager, wheat, and cider. I surely missed out on the dark roasted malt one which they had some time back. Coming to the idea of the place, you would be welcomed by a huge blown-out balloon shaped icon of theirs, which is a rocky mountain brown bear. As the name suggests it has barbecued preparations on the list along with some oriental stuff, and a bit of continental and Indian array. In-spite of being a brew house, oriental and Indian food remains to charm the customers here. So, that’s why the menu is influenced more to suit the Indian palate. Among the starters that we had, the Masala Cheese Spinach on a till Naan Pizza was definitely an innovation. The base is actual naan that you get, but the twist is that it is rolled out raw, topped with flavoured spinach and cheese and then baked as a pizza! The best part — even if you’re glued to the on going match on the large screens and this starter happens to cool down, you can savour this in bite-sized cut portions, as it doesn’t get chewy unlike a regular pizza. But it was not same with Mozzarella Sticks and Prawns Tossed in Red Dry Chillies as the latter happened to be chewy and the former not being so stringy and completely melted. In the mains, the Spaghetti with Meatballs happened to score another goal for, a completely balanced pasta sauce and tender meatballs. Having opened just a week back, some preparations are not available yet. I wanted to try the Kakori Kebab! But definitely the ambience, the atmosphere, freshly tapped beer, smoking hot barbecue food, whoa! It needs only a superb match to compliment such an arrangement! If you’re planning to come over here, make prior reservations otherwise, you can also have the liberty to stand and cheer all the way till the end of the match. That would also be a worth visiting! Smokies Brewhouse The Corinthians Boutique

Hotel Nyati County ,

NIBM Annexe, Pune-411060

COPACABANA - Jagtap Dairy

Ihave observed that people visiting restaurants are of two categories, those open to trying out new places and those who are devoted to the tried and tested. The latter, have their own reasons for their loyalties and can’t really be faulted for their lack of adventurous spirit. But often, they seem to be disillusioned or misled about originality, and therefore stick to a single option. But then, at the end of the day, the originality is only secondary to the tastes that restaurant offers, and if thats impressive, any patron will become a regular. Copacabana is undoubtedly one of the biggest stand-alone restaurants I have visited, whether for the spacious outdoor seating, vibrant indoors, a fully loaded retro lounge bar or the aqua scenic banquet area (which is truly fascinating). The restaurant serves global cuisine, mainly far Eastern followed by a bit of Lebanese and Mexican appetizers, a few Mediterranean and a pan-Indian array. Having taken several mintues to go through the menu, we finally selected varied preparations - an Italian Bruschetta, Spicy Tamarind Prawns, Paneer Shaslik Sizzler and Spanish Paella. The bruschetta was tangy, I guess because the olives carried the excess brine (the solution in which they are kept). The Spicy Tamarind Sauce was very tasty, but the taste had not infused with the prawns as they had been cooked separately (they turn pink and get a rubbery texture) and later tossed together with the sauce. The Paneer Shaslik was truly amazing — the paneer was true to its taste. A variation on the original, but it won my heart. Finally, there were few things which put me in a bit of a dilemma while judging this place. The theme was only restricted to the ambience. The staff waiting on us were in Hawaiian attire, but the menu did not reflect this region. I also wondered why, when the menu had such a huge variety to choose from, the dessert section was literally ‘deserted’ with only two items on the list. Whatever my verdict may be, the place manages to attract crowds. The lounge bar seems to be very promising for the youth, and the rest is a perfect family getaway! It doesn’t matter which category you are looking for, it will surely fulfill all your senses!

COPACABANA

Vishal Nagar, Aundh-Wakad road,

Near Jagtap Dairy, Pune 27

020 - 46742928/29/30