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

GANDHARV RESIDENCY

After a request from a reader, I decided to eat at this restaurant. And the visit here took me down memory lane — about 18 years ago, I used to eat my fill here on weekends. At that time this breed of restaurants were limited to just a handful, and this was one of the most popular. That was also the time when eating out was a much bigger deal and happened only once or twice a month for most Puneites. So, I had another reason to visit - to refresh the taste of this place on my palette. Gandharv Restaurant is in the lane behind the Gandharv Residency. The resto-bar here is called Rasagandh. While browsing through the menu, I noticed that it had evolved — the change reflecting the world around it which is changing too. The menu is varied with lots of paneer dishes prepared in different forms. Shorbas too come in five different options. The Murg Pudina Shorba was different and tasty. Motiyon ke Bahar (stuffed paneer tikka flavoured with herbs and spices) was of a sweeter taste with a negligible amount of herbs and spices. Jhinga Anarkali (prawns marinated in spices and pomegranate seeds) was something new and turned out to be very tasty. Though the variety in main course was abundant, with options from murg, prawns, fish, lamb even Pan Asian with Sichuan style preparation with five spices and a few more well-known Thai and Chinese preparations. The Pan Asian section also has an elaborate soup section. We chose to order Paneer Tikka Masala and Chicken Walnut Broccoli with Fried Rice. I imagined (quite rightly) what the taste of the paneer would be. However, I found the Chicken Walnut and Broccoli lacking. If only the walnut had been crushed and added and chicken pieces cut in slivers, it would have turned out well. The dessert options here aren’t many — Jelly, Fruit Salad, Gulab Jamun, Kulfi and Caramel Custard. So, there wasn’t much to comment on this. Gandharv Residency is a great place for friends in their late thirties to have a reuinion. There’s a long list of spirits, quiet ambience and below-average speed of service. The ones who are impatient and hungry, will find that taxing. Even though there were only a few tables occupied, the service was slow that day. Otherwise, those who wanted to reconnect with the place (as I did) must visit.

MY OVERALL RATING: 7.5/10

Gandharv Residency, 1291, 1292, Shivajinagar, behind

Gandharv Restaurant, 020-25520903