NEBULA

It’s actually quite an old place for a review... However whenever I used to take this road (NDA-Pashan Road) this place used to catch my eye. Mainly because of it’s name. The entire building is a restaurant as the name suggests. Despite the heat we chose not to dine in A/C comfort but on the rooftop simply for the cool, cool breeze. The well stocked bar is situated right in the centre giving open air dining the right appeal. To add to it was the screening of IPL match! The menu is more of Indian along with Chinese. Here I would say upgraded Chinese. The reason for this is that gone are the days when a Chinese menu used to be dotted with fried rices with names of Chinese cities, like Hong Kong Fried Rice, Singapore Fried Rice, etc. Now-adays, we find good aut h e n t i c Chinese food with lots of options. The credit goes to the procurement of different varieties of sauces available in the market, which actually adds to the taste. Now that does not mean the Indian food is not good. It was good indeed! Especially the Fish Rara Masala prepared with Basa fish which comes from Vietnam seas tasted good. Paneer Malai Kabab and Noodle Bhel were good too. The dessert section made me happy. The choclate mud cake and the sizzling chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream are must haves here. The service needs attention: We had to actually wave out to the staff for orders. That can be slightly irritating sometimes. Also I found the ratio of cost to quantity to be slightly unbalanced, when the bill finally came in. Otherwise it is a good place to dine-in and recommended to couples who want to spend a quiet evening starwatching.

MY OVERALL RATING : 5.5/10

NEBULA,

NDA-Pashan road,

Bavdhan

22952073

TRIKAYA

I had mentioned in an earlier review how the west-side Puneities, like me, hate to travel to the east for a fine dining experience. I feel my detestation was being heard by Trikaya. The ambience itself is so spectacular, even normal water would be enjoyable. I felt great positive energy when I entered the place. Maybe, it’s for the mystic Buddha statues. Both the outdoor and the indoor sections are magnificent! Coming to the food part, Trikaya serves flavours from the East. They have incorporated some Indian preparation too! The bar is well stocked with international brands of both spirits and beers. The menu reflects artistic compilations very well thought of and presented. The preparation is familiar, but I thought the quality of seafood, and the meat used is distinctive. It is impossible to comment on the preparations at one go, but the stir-fries seem to be good. What I enjoyed the most are the starters, and that too prawns! Wrapped chilli prawns, crab claw lollipops are juicy, crispy and tasty as well. The vegetables and glass noodles stuffed spring rolls are different, as they have used readymade sheets for the covering, which actually make the difference. Having got stuffed with the starters, I ordered what an average diner would in an Oriental restaurant – stir-fried noodles. Though being over-cooked, they had the best possible accessories added to it making it crunchier and tastier. Also the manchow soup had excessive cornflour, but we made it palatable by adding some sauces. To end on a sweet note, corn pudding with cinnamon kulfi and fruit skewers were the winner of the day. Wish I knew why they were so miserly with fruit skewers (only one piece)! Make use of the seafood the most; the pricing is above average but satisfying.

MY OVERALL RATING: 7.5/10

Trikaya

Aditya Shagun Mall,

NDA Pashan road, Pune-21