PARC ESTIQUE - LAVA

Although it’s raining these days, the winter chill is definitely near. The hunt for tempting kebabs and grilled goods is a seasonal favourite. One option is Parc Estique’s Lava, which serves Indian kebabs and grill on the rooftop. The seating is at the poolside, with a spectacular eyelevel view of the city, which is more appealing during the evening. The spread, they say, is different from regular kebab and curry places and their USP — Indian preparations with a continental twist. These select few ‘different’ preparations are Grilled Paneer Oregano Caesar Salad, Cream of Tomato Rasam, Tandoori Pesto Veg, Fried Haryali Kadak Sheek, Kerala Style Salmon Shrimp Cake, Broccoli Saag Paneer Lasooni, Prawns Steam Pilaf, Hot Ginger Orange Filled Strata and Old Monk Choco Mousse. Within this repertoire I first tried the Cream of Tomato Rasam (Rs 150) which had an interesting peppery taste and the Fried Haryali Kadak Sheek (Rs 230) was really unusual as the minced vegetables were cooked on a sheek first and then filled with cheddar cheese dipped in a crispy batter and deep fried. The Kerala Salmon Shrimp Cakes (Rs 380) tasted good, the only disadvantage being a slight sogginess, since they could have been bound better. Further down a different road, the Broccoli Saag Paneer Lasooni (Rs 280) was an interesting combination of elements, coming as minced broccoli cooked with saag including chunks of paneer. The Paneer Tikka Masala (Rs 260) and the Broccoli Saag were both pretty tangy. Their dessert menu has good options. The Hot Ginger Orange Strata (Rs 180) is like a lasagne which may be an alternative to a pudding. But the steal of the night was the Old Monk Chocolate Mousse (Rs 150). It promises the presence of the old chap in a good quantity bestowing that necessary punch, which goes down well with the chocolate. Moreover, it comes preset in a nice red wine glass! There were some issues with receiving the wrong dip and its delayed service, as well as when I felt forced to skip the tangy main course, as rectifying it would have taken too much time — the constant waiting and waving for attention was a bit exhausting. This place is recommended for those with plenty of time, since I spent two and half hours for a three-course menu, which gave me the luxury of watching several synchronised landings of the airplanes from the airbase nearby. I’d say apart from the food, the ambience and view is pretty great, head there when you have time to spare for a long meal.

PARC ESTIQUE

Near Giga Space,

Viman Nagar, Nagar Road

SPICE LOUNGE

Any good food needs ‘spice’ to enhance the flavor, aroma, taste and distinctiveness. There are terribly few foodsthat include no spice in any form. The use of the word as a theme point manages to attract a pretty extensive clientele, that succumbs to the exotic undertones in its usage. There is a quite a unique medley of Indian and Oriental cuisine at Spice Lounge. The ambience and the menu are completely contrasting, but the description of the food mentioned in the menu and actual food brought to the table are thankfully not. Though they have a well stocked lounge bar, their soups are even more inviting. Manila Sinegong is a soup with stir fried vegetables and diced chicken along with a poached egg. It comes in a nice coffee like mug and the taste is simply brilliant! It’s simplicity lies in the limited usage of unnecessary sauces and thickening agents. The tempura and chicken satay are true to their roots, while the mushroom cheese tikka is quite different and pretty appealing as well — the cheese is stuffed in the pocket of the mushroom and covered with a piece of capsicum, onion or tomato and spiked with spices. The Vegetable Saigon Hakka Noodles are flat noodles prepared similarly to the way normal hakka noodles are, with the only noticeable difference being the use of turmeric. Korean Star Anise Rice is another must try for — the rice is sautéed with star anise and cooked to give out a unique flavour, served with a sauce preparedfrom soy, chilli and oyster. I suggest you not try it with the prawn combination like I did, since they, along with the oyster sauce, overpowered the aroma of the star anise. Apart from the above, the Murtabak (veg stuffed pancakes), Kung Perrini salad, Peppercrusted Escabecha Pomfret, Mutton Stir-fry Bumbu and other Indian preparations also sound like some good options. Quantities served up are great, as is the price which shows no compromise on the quality. Inspite of it being averagely priced, one can find an ample use of exotic vegetables. Another suggestion would be to ask for your preparation to be made less oily, as you'd probably want the flavour of the spice to remain and not be inundated in grease. A four course mixed me al for two could amount to Rs 750.

SPICE LOUNGE

34, 35 Akshay Complex Off Dhole Patil

road, Pune-1

Tel no 020-26138941

KROSTINI

Pune has seen outlets for every street-snack, ranging from frankies to the sandwich combo and burger joints. There was a wave of dosa joints as well, which subsided, and I heard of biryani outlets too. The fast food market inspires such singular variable products to cash in on. But just because coffee proved to be a money spinner, it isn’t necessary the formula works for the rest too! Another place here to try their luck is Krostini — with a ‘K’. Crostini and Bruschetta are two Italian appetizers more or less defined as finger food. Bread is a staple diet of the region and reinvents itself in various avatars, of which bruschetta is well-known, while crostinis are now finding some identity. There is not much of a difference between the two, as one is consumed in central Italy while the other is sub-regional. At Krostini, on J M Road, 25 per cent of the menu is theme-based, while the rest is composed of salads, pasta, sandwiches, wraps, desserts and eggs, confusing me a bit about whether to go with the theme or order like it was a regular hangout. From the eight options available, I tried out the Exotica Krostini and Mushroom ‘n’ Basil Krostini. Both had a distinctive taste, in one the mushrooms were tossed in a basil sauce, while the other had thick long strips of zucchini and peppers topped with cheese. The similarities lay in the overthickness of the slice of baguette. You get three pieces of crostini a plate, averagely priced at Rs 59, all of which serve the topping and the bread in an almost equal proportion. Had this been a 70:30 proportion, it may have appealed more! The Krostini Special Salad was unavailable due to an expertise crunch, while the substitute ordered — the Greek Salad (Rs 59) was overpowered by onions against how it was described in the menu as containing bell peppers, black olives and feta. The wraps (Rs 69) needed some zest as the filling was bland and oily. Chocolates, muffins, teacakes and cookies are the saviours here. At the end of the day, it is a good concept, showcased nicely and just needs focusing on variety and more of a permutation-combination with ingredients. Currently, the demand is quick service and these changes will definitely light up the theme, which if implemented more tactfully, can give tough competition for other bread-based fast food places.

Krostini Restaurant

3, Anant Chambers,

Jangli Maharaj Road