OLENT

The oil spill certainly hasn’t deterred the consumption of seafood at least thet’s the scene in Pune restaurants. The initial reluctance that lasted for the first few days, has been replaced by people flocking to places serving seafood, reminding me of the commonly believed theory amongst non-Puneites, that seafood served here is not of exceptional quality. The over-flowing crowds at sea food restaurants on weekends, however, manage to suggest the contrary. The substantial demand and easy accessibility to raw materials has set the seafood business booming. Olent, meaning scent or fragrance is a new place that not only serves seafood but the regular spread of veg-non and veg items as well. It’s an idea that could pay off as most places serving the regular family dinner fare have few seafood options and here, non-seafood favouring family members can enjoy their meal too. I’ll focus on the seafood, as the menu is quite vast. They have segregated the preparations fishwise, so you have Malvani, Manglorian, Tawa, Masala, Goan, Maratha, Kalwan and some Southern Coastal styles. In seafood, pomfret, rawas, surmai, bangda, kane or lady fish, crab, halwa, prawns and tisre or shell fish are all on the list. Lobster, squid and other varieties are missing and so are regional styles of preparation other than the south- Indian ones. This seems to be the only drawback of the place. The Achari Surmai Tikka (Rs 220) comes in good portions. The tangy masala is well coated around the meat. The same goes for the large Tandoori Pomfret (Rs 220) served with an amazing beetroot carving, as well as the Crab Soup, the base of which, is similar to sweet corn soup but has generous portions of crab meat to flavour it. You can ask for your choice of seafood to be used in your Biryani (Rs 150) which makes it different from other places. Lastly, one should try the Prawns Puli Munchi (Rs 210) with Appam or Neer Dosa (Rs 30) — it is absolutely delicious. There was no room to manipulate the gravy. The flavours of tamarind, mustard seeds, curry leaves and the spice of red chillies blended perfectly. It tasted fresh as if it was prepared upon order. The good things about Olent are the quality of the seafood, value-for-money quantities served and the availability of the non-seafood menu as well. Every family member’s gastronomic desires are fulfilled under one roof. The ambience is simple yet trendy. Now, when most seafood places are packed on the weekends, you know where to take the plunge!

1195, Sushila

Apartment,

Shivaji Nagar,

Ghole Road,Pune

Phone: (020)

65012244, 65000874

KOLHAPURI RASSA MANDAL

The styles in which different foods are prepared across the globe often have common threads. The cooking technique can be similar, the ingredients used could overlap, but the spices do change from region to region. This was the primary thought that dominated my mind after visiting the Kolhapur Rassa Mandal. The French cook their basic sauces such as aspic or demi glaze by reducing meat stock and then further thickening it with a mixture of butter and flour called roux. The same procedure follows for stock or broth which are then made into soups or consommé. The rassa prepared at Rassa Mandal is a dead ringer for the above preparations. The only difference is that a thickening agent is not used here and of course it has its own original style of preparation. The similarity is an absolute coincidence! Here, meat chunks are boiled along with pounded coconut and spices, regionally called a vatan, to form the pandhra rassa which has the flavour of the meat (either chicken or lamb), while the tambda rassa is prepared similarly, the only extra addition being select red chillies along with spices. Not only is the flavour of the meat incorporated, the fat content which rises to the surface is what every customer digs. There is absolutely no use of red colouring or of a thickening agent used, which again is a true sign of the simplicity and authenticity. The menu has three basic thali preparations, in either Chicken (Rs 120) or Lamb (Rs 130) which come as masala, fry or rassa. It is accompanied by a freshly-prepared onion-curd raita, 10-inch wide, soft chapatis or bhakaris, pulao and an unlimited flow of the two rassas. Also available are Egg Curry, Gavran Kombadi Masala (Rs 140), Mutton Lonche and Dum Biryani (Rs 130). Pure vegetarians, keep yourself at bay as the meaty aroma floats through every nook and corner of the place. That sure doesn’t mean that vegetarians are left hungry here, if they can bear the smell and drop in. The Veg Thali (Rs 60) is pretty good and comes with a Besan Puri and Papad as additions. The Solkadi (Rs 15) here, thankfully, has a balanced flavour and no overdose of garlic. Disadvantages may be felt by selective customers, because of the cramped family room, seating arrangement, ambience or delayed service. But if all you want is to try a fiery, rustic, homemade style Kolhapuri preparation and savour the aromatic rassa (or broth as the original English culinary term for it is) you know where to head now. Amongst the long list of overhyped Kolhapuri joints, the rassa at Rassa Mandal is just something else.

Shop no 30,Vijaya Chambers,

Hingne Khurd,

Opposite SBI,

Before Santosh Hall,

Sinhagad Road,