B. Merwan (Grant Road - East) - A Tribute!

The name says it all..

Mawa Cakes from B. Merwan (Grant Road - East)

Feast your eyes on these beauties. Some food should not, need not, be reviewed. This is one such food item. I refuse to review these babies because that would be an insult to them and to the institution that has been making them for 102 years, since 1914.

Legan 'wait for it' dary!!

Kargo... Kan (can) do better!

Despite the rain Gods being quite merciless this year, we were lucky, it was a nice sunny afternoon when the five of us (not famous though) headed for lunch to Kargo. Kargo has been open a few months now and we had been told that certain dishes on the menu, are a ‘must-try’.

I made reservations a day prior and informed the chappie taking the reservation that we were specially coming in to try the dishes our friends had recommended to us. I also, specifically mentioned the desserts we wanted to try and requested that they be made available to us for our upcoming visit the next afternoon. He said he would ensure the desserts would be available.

As we reached the venue and plonked our butts down, the first thing I said to the reservation in-charge was, ‘We are so looking forward to trying all the desserts.’ He sheepishly informed us that only two of the desserts were available that afternoon. Specifically the one we all wanted to try was not available! This is a perfect instance where the Bawi in me feels not just angry but enraged. I kept my cool, though, and politely reminded him that I had specifically requested these desserts while making our reservation and had been assured that they would be made available. Even though we were already seated, I told him to cancel our reservation if they could not make the desserts available to us. We decided we’d come back another time when they were. He requested for a time-out to consult with the chef. When he returned, he informed us that the desserts would be served to us within two hours. We knew we would be sitting around for a leisurely lunch hence told him to make sure each any every dessert on the menu was available as we wanted to try all of them. He said it would be done and we all sat back with satisfied smiles.

We ordered a few mocktails: Virgin Mojito, Iced Tea and Fresh Lime Soda. We also ordered a Martini. Except for the Martini (I’m a teetotaller), I tried a sip from all the drinks and they were all refreshing and well made but the clear winner of the day was, Iced Tea.

For starters we ordered Potato Wedges, Onion Rings, Lamb Yassa Naanza and Piquant Chicken Naanza. 

A Naanza is an Indian Naan (flat bread) topped with cheese, vegetables and meats, very similar to a pizza. The only difference is that the toppings are on a Naan instead of a Pizza Bread. The wedges were nicely done as were the onion rings but what blew us away were the Naanzas. 

The Piquant Chicken was very good but the Lamb Yassa was BEYOND EXCELLENT! I could live on that Naanza for an eternity and not get bored of it. Slow braised lamb, robustly flavourful and topped with an obscene (in the most wonderful kind of way) amount of cheese; how can anything be wrong with something like that? 

As one of our friends is a vegetarian she ordered for a Corn-Pepper Naanza and Chili Lime Corn Wheel. I took a bite from each dish and the vegetarian Naanza was also well made. The Chili Lime Corn Wheels were slices of sweet golden corn, smeared with chilli and lime and topped with a wee bit of green chutney. Simple but nice!

We decided to try a soup and opted for the Potato & Leek Soup. I make a richer version of Potato & Leek at home; hence this one, to me, merely bordered on good.

For the main course we ordered Smoked Roasted Garlic Chicken Tatter and Squid Chilli FryTatter. 

Both were dishes were delicious but because of my love for spicy seafood, the squid, for me, was the clear winner. Not only was the squid spicy but it was cooked to perfection. Most of the gals at the table found it too spicy but I loved it!

I checked out the menu card and happened to see Galouti Kebabs mentioned therein. The carnivore in me just could not resist them. Galouti Kebabs are supposed to be kebabs made from mutton that isn’t just finely minced but ground to a point to which one simply does not have to chew on the kebab. A perfect Galouti kebab should not retain any bite and just melts on the tongue. Unfortunately this one was not a perfect Galouti! The flavour was not bad, I will grant them that, but the texture was off by quite a measure. In fact, to illustrate the ‘not so melt-in-the-mouth’ mince from within, I clicked a photograph of the same.

Our vegetarian friend chose Buttered Paneer (In simple Indian lingo, Paneer Makhanwalla) as main course for herself. They served the Buttered Paneer with Naan and though we requested for butter Naan they sent us plain Naan. Greedy souls that we are, we sent it back to be buttered. The Buttered Paneer was on the sweet side which we felt was a slight letdown (Yes, of course, I tasted it, how else could I write the review? ;) )

For desserts our selections were Dark Chocolate and Orange Fondant, Caramel Baked Cheese Cake, Opera, Cream Cheese Muffin and Paan-Gulkand Ice cream. 

The desserts that everyone had been raving about so much were all good but not exceptional. Tastes and preferences differ so I will not elaborate any more on this. We also wanted to try the Mango & Lime Panacotta but were told it would take more than two hours to set. By then we had been at the restaurant for over 3 hours so I wonder how they could have given us that reply in spite of having informed them about wanting to try all desserts. Anyway... sigh!

I deem the service of Kargo as average, firstly because of the dessert issue. In spite of being informed a day ahead, they still weren’t prepped to deliver the desserts. It was only when we told them we’d walk out and change our lunch venue that they pulled up their socks. The other reason I deem the service as average is instead of paying attention to the patrons trying to catch their eye, many a times the servers stood at the far end of the corner gabbing among themselves.

All in all it was not a bad afternoon at all because of the crazy gals I was with. As for the food, some dishes were a hit and some were misses. There are certain dishes that will definitely have me stroll into Kargo again, namely: Lamb Yassa Naanza, Potato Wedges and Squid Tatter. I think these are solid reasons to go back. As for the service, it would be nice if the servers get more attentive. Also, a few who take food orders could be requested to do so with a smile or, at least, return the smile when a patron is polite enough to do so. Sigh!

Food: 3/5 (A 5/5 for that Lamb Yassa Naanza)

Service: 2.5/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Address: Shop No 1 & 2, Marvel Alaina, Lane 8, Near Godrej Nature’s Basket, Koregaon Park, Pune

Tel: +91 9503090435 / +91 7757050199

Some extra photographs including the one illustrating the interior of the no-so-melt-in-the-mouth Galouti Kebab.

Culinary Radiance... revisited!!

I had ordered a Chicken Wellington from Sajjani Nair (aka Thesecretchef nextdoor) a few weeks back and half a kilo of meat loaf, last week.

The Wellington was absolutely spot on! The chicken was moist and the mushroom-onion duxelle was delicious, but what I loved most was that beautiful puff pastry in which the chicken was encased. It was golden, light and baked to perfection! I have to say Sajjani is a master at puff pastry! The sauce that accompanied the Wellington was also very nice but the Wellington, by itself, was so delicious that I simply did not feel the need to slather the sauce. 

Photograph courtesy : Sajjani Nair

A couple of days back Sajjani informed us on Facebook that she was making meatloaf this week. I’ll have you know, I am not a fan of meat loaf. I find it dry, hard and unpalatable. What I am a fan of, though, is Sajjani's culinary skills. My fingers sprung into action faster than Steven Segal breaking a villain's neck in an action scene. I immediately typed a message to her requesting the meatloaf. 

I laid my eyes and paws on it at around 9 PM. It looked anything but hard and dry. It looked juicy, moist and veryyyyy palatable. It brought out the glutton in me. :P Ideally, I would have loved to make some mash and creamed corn to go with it but I quickly toasted a couple of slices of bread, butter'd and cheese'd (no such term but go with the flow ;) ) them, cut a fat, juicy slice of the meatloaf, heated it in the microwave for 30 seconds, gently laid it on one bread slice with immense respect and adulation, covered it with the second slice of bread and took my first bite of the sandwich, the American way (they usually make gigantic sandwiches, stand over the sink and gobble them). It was everything a meatloaf ought to be. What my eyes had seen is exactly what my palate experienced. Sheer gastronomic pleasure! Need I say anything more! 

For once, no biscuits with evening 'Parsee choi' (Parsee tea) for this Bawi.

Roast beef with brown gravy, next?? Pretty please!! ;) :D

Sajjani, thank you ever so much, for the deliciousness and as you so aptly put it, the radiance! Your food truly shines!

P.S: I just could not wait to eat the sandwich last night hence did not click any photographs at the time, but, when I sliced the meatloaf for lunch the next afternoon, I did click a few photographs. They don’t do the meatloaf any justice but they’ll have to do.

For more radiance and deliciousness contact Sajjani Nair: +91 9960938121

To read more about Sajjani's culinary work please click on the given link: A Pie in hand (and in the mouth) is so much more comforting than one in the sky!

A few more photographs... 

Photograph courtesy : Sajjani Nair

My meatloaf sandwich drenched in rays of the evening sun

Zaheer Khan’s Fine Dine aka ZK’s - Good, but has the potential to do better!

I was supposed to meet my friend, Priyadarshini (Priyus, to me), but for some reason I could not make it before my parents came into town for their semi-annual holiday. Meek, innocent ol’ me was threatened by Priyus that I would have hell to pay if I did not catch up with her as soon as my parents left town. I was petrified. What could I do but relent? (Angelic smile for the public – Evil grin from within) When we finally honed in on a convenient date and time, the place we decided to head to was Zaheer Khan's Fine Dine aka ZK’s. I had informed their PRO, Alifya, and she was kind enough to make a reservation for us.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were politely greeted by their Manager, Shoaib, and lead to our table. While we checked the menu card the restaurant sent us a very refreshing complimentary drink. It was made with basil, mint, lime, pieces of cucumber and was truly refreshing. (Of course, I did not eat the cucumber pieces. Yeh bhi kya bolne wali baat hai :P ) Later, we also ordered for a fresh lime soda and a Virgin Mojito, both of which were very nicely made.

As a starter my vegetarian friend chose Dahi ke Kabab and this carnivore, yours truly, chose the Galouti Kabab.

The Dahi ke Kabab were well made but I’m not one for bland food hence it wasn’t a ‘wow’ dish for me. My friend too claimed she had eaten better ones in and outside the city. 

Having heard great reviews from friends about their Galouti Kababs I was expecting them to blow my mind. Unfortunately, they did not! I’ve had way better Galouti Kababs. Taste wise they weren’t bad in the least bit and they were very juicy too but the texture was a letdown! As culinary history goes, these Kababs were first made by a Khansamma (chef) for a Nawab who had lost all his teeth and found it difficult to chew on anything. The name Galouti itself suggests “galla hua” as in softer than soft, melt in the mouth. These were not so! :( The mince for Galouti Kabab is ideally a mutton paste that melts on the palate in a jiffy; one simply does not need to chew on it. This was very fine mince, I will definitely grant them that, but, in no Universe was it a perfect melt in the mouth Galouti Kabab. Was I disappointed? Yes!

For the main course we chose Dahi Pakodi Kadhi, Paneer Makhanwalla and Haleem. Please don’t give me weird looks. The vegetarian dishes were chosen by Priyus. I did mention she is a vegetarian.

The Dahi Pakodi Kadhi was very nice as was the Haleem but... but... but... both had a tad more salt than necessary. We had already begun eating hence when Shoaib came over to ask if the meal was okay, we gave him our feedback in regard to the ‘salt’ issue. We did not want the dishes exchanged because getting new dishes would mean wastage of food but we did request him to take the dishes back into the kitchen for the chef to check out. Had the salt content of both dishes been correct, these dishes would have been perfect.

I tried a wee bit of the Makhani Paneer. It was creamy, perfectly spiced and seasoned, and resplendent with soft pieces of paneer. It was a dish that the chef totally aced. The Garlic Butter Naan and the Khasta Roti (served with Haleem) were also perfectly made!

I had them parcel an extra dish for me, Kheema Kaleji. I humbly bow my head to the chef in utmost respect. It was one of the best Kheema Kaleji I have ever had. It was spicy, sautéed to perfection with ample pieces of kaleji (liver). I LOVED it! It was the dish of the day!

Our choices for dessert were, Malai Kulfi and Shahi Tukda. The Malai Kulfi was nice but we both felt it would have been better had it been creamier. 

As for the Shahi Tukda, the combination of that fried piece of bread with the Rabdi did absolutely nothing for me but that Rabdi, when had by itself, was out’fuckin’standing! I’ll give the Rabdi a perfect score of 10/10.

The service was attentive without being intrusive. The ambiance was extremely pleasant. With my teenage crush, Kapil Dev, staring down at me, it had to be. ;-) (Sorry Zaheer, I’m from the 80’s era hence it, for me, it can only be Kapil Dev.) Food wise, mostly, everything we tried bordered on ‘quite good’ but had the potential to be much better. The Rabdi and the Kheema Kaleji are, of course, exceptions. I hope Team ZK’s pays attention to the finer points of their cuisine thereby ensuring that the diner truly experiences a ‘fine dine’ experience. Will I return to ZK’s? Yes, I definitely shall. I truly feel they can and will do better the next time around.

Food: 3/5 (for the Kheema Kaleji and Kapil Dev – 5/5)

Service: 5/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Address: Ground floor, Winner Court, 23 Sahani Sujan Park, Lulla Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune

Tel: 020 66547788 / 020 26834455

Some extra photographs...