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

MALGUDI DAYS

What’s in a name,” Shakespeare asked. Well, after visiting this place, I’d have to say there is definitely something to it. Naming a restaurant in a certain fashion may make a certain type of foodie client naturally gravitate towards it, which makes people go out of the way to use whacky names. There is a strong possibility that eventually the customer could get disappointed, since there is also that important aspect — taste. Even if eating patterns have changed and new themes have been introduced over time, a large chunk of customers still crave that onegravy- in-different-combinations type standard taste. It’s really not their fault either, as when you travel in or out of Pune within Maharashtra, this particular dominance on the palate is witnessed in restaurants across the board. You have no option left but to dig into these ‘typical’ dish names and their preparations. I was one such customer who got pulled in by the name of the establishment in this case. My visit had great expectations… and one knows what generally happens to them. The menu here is predictable, with one ingredient in different combinations. It is touted as more than just a seafood place — the fact is that seafood is 15 per cent of the menu. The rest is replete with the aforementioned ‘typical’ preparations. The Bombay duck roasted in rawa, and deep fried wasn’t too exceptional but for its absolute freshness. If this particular variety of fish is not served absolutely fresh, it falls apart when you take a hold of the piece. Mutton could probably be avoided in the starter options — the Boti Kebab was clearly not a thigh piece as it should have been. The Makai Kebab looked bright green (with probable colour enhancement), but also tasted pretty good. The curries (dominated by fish preparations) come in about five gravies – Tawa, Masala, Goan, Koliwada and Hara Masala, names that more or less suggest exactly what is going to arrive on your platter. We chose the Goan Curry. There was complete absence of coconut and the gravy was tangy but not from the small amla like fruit — bimla — which is usually used in original Goan recipes, but by an excess of tomato. The inflation in onion prices was visible in the gravies as well. The biryani was more like a tawa pulao in terms of taste and preparation. The ambience of the place had not much to do with the name, or theme or the menu — even if the wonderful fictional town created by R K Narayan is immortal, the preparations here aren’t exactly so. If you like that familiar ‘typical’ taste and do not wish to have a pinched pocket, do visit!

Opp Shivaji

Statue and

Thorat Udyan,

Kothrud Circle