Friday, July 13, 2007

The Northern Frontier (Opp. Dass, Nagar Road)

Ph : 65619300, 65619301
A large number of hits on this blog have been by the people looking for information on some restaurants mentioned in Times Foodie articles below, namely Sigree, Toscana, Saat Handi, etc and ..The Northern Frontier.So, decided to use the opportunity of a celebration to checkout this restaurant.

Situated on Nagar Rd, apx 2 Kms from Yerwada Bridge, keep looking on the left lest you miss it. On the other side of the road, there is DASS Store.The seating is inside as well outside, but since it was raining heavily, so decided to use the indoors. Since it was a weekend, so had called up and booked in advance. Good decision, since it was packed by 9 PM. The decor is simple, ambience peaceful and the interiors spacious. The woodwork looked authentic and the lighting was adequate, though I hope, they should have instantaneous power backup, going by the power failure routine in Pune. !

Since, our party was a mix of veg and non-veg, hence decided to try both. So for starters, ordered Paneer Achari Tikka and Chicken Kori Kabab along with sweet lime soda, since soups were rather limited in the menu. Both dishes arrived in some time and both were great. The Achari Tikka, tangy and delectable with soft cubes of paneer, and slices of capsicum,onions and tomato. The Chicken Kabab, on the other hand, nicely marinated, soft and juicy chunks of chicken, with a smokey aroma were nicely done. Great way to start the evening. !

For the main course, decided to go along with Paneer Birbali and the typical Dal Fry. For the Non-Veg , we were vacillating between Chicken Yakhani and Chicken-Wazwan Style, but finally went ahead with Chicken Wazwan.Also, ordered some Naans, Kulchas and Ajwain Rotis.
The main course arrived in due time. We were curious what would paneer birbali and chicken wazwan be like since we had never tried before. Paneer Birbali, although I never got around taste much, was something like spinanch and some other leafy vegetables stuffed between slabs of paneer in a yellow (probably, besan) and red gravy. Personally, I did not enjoy it, but probably thats because I was gorging myself on Chicken Wazwan. But, other in my party were satisfied, if not entirely swept off.

Coming to Chicken Wazwan, big chunks of juicy chicken in a saffron based thin and rich gravy. The taste was rather subtle, I tried separating the different tastes of masalas but was unable to. The taste and aroma of Saffron was too overpowering. Also, we felt the salt was a bit less, but that was ok. We did not want to destroy the authentic taste. And it was nothing like I have ever tasted before. The gravy was thin but great to taste. The chicken pieces, succulent and soft and sufficient in numbers. The Dal Fry was the usual, but thick and well tempered and had an authentic taste.The Kulchas, Naans and Ajwain Roti went well along with them.

By the time we were finished with the Rotis, we were nearly full. But, I had to give a try to the Chicken Biryani. With much pursuasion to my partner for non-veg, we ordered it. Again, big chunks of chicken, juicy, soft and well done arrived shortly. But, in reality, we did not have any space left. But, it was too tempting to let go. So, by the end of it, we were just having chicken, leaving the rice almost untouched. But, it again went well with the Wazwan gravy. Finally, we rested our forks and spoons and said, "Enough". And of course, we did not have any corners left to try the desserts.

To sum up then, a truly enjoyable evening. The service was prompt and couteous. If The Norther Frontier is on a list of recommended restaurants, its not with out a reason. I would love to visit them again, but I would prefer to keep its taste exclusive for certain occasions, rather than get used to it.Costwise, the main course dishes are about Rs. 130-150, starters about 80-100. in all, a decent meal for 2 would be well covered in Rs. 500-600.

Dont forget to book a table in advance.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Ram Krishna & Aloha Pure Veg Restaurants

It has been a busy month for me, so have not updated the blog. But, did manage to visit a few places in the past month. But since, I am not good at remembering what I ate 2 weeks to 1 month back back, I will keep the reviews short,crisp and simple.

Ram Krishna Restaurant (Opp Westend Theatre)
ph: 26363938, 26330724
This is one of the landmark places in the city for veg food lovers. Situated opposite Westend Theatre, next to Magnum Mall, the place is huge. I mean, the seating capacity would be close to 200 persons. And as usual, a huge waiting queue, especially on the weekends. The food is great, ambience lovely, service fast.menu is typically Punjabi, Chinese mix. What stands out is the quality and taste. Never too oily, and not too spicy. We ordered Paneer Pasanda, Dal Fry and some kind of mix vegetable, along with Tandoori Rotis and Naans. All of it was great. Must visit again.
And to top it all, very reasonable. A meal for 6 came to about 600, including a plate of hot Gulab Jamuns per head.!!

Aloha ( Senapati Bapat Road)
ph: 25663244, 65230784
This is one joint I have visited many times but failed to mention it in my review. Waiting for an oppurtune moment. But now, that moment has come and gone, since i dont remember much details of the last visit !.
This is a multi-cuisine, pure veg restaurant, located opposite and close to Chaturshringi Temple on SB Road. (I am told, Aloha means Hello in Hawai !). A much favoured joint, by mostly the IT junta located in the vicinity. But, beware of the limited parking in front of the place and tow-away areas near-by.

Personally, I visit the place mainly for their Mexican Food and Italian Pasta. The Mexican Enchiladas, Nachos with cheese sauce and Quesadilla are simply superb. I think, there is a Burritto Supreme also, but my memory fails me. In Pasta, though the option are limited, but Pasta in Bolognese sauce is always tempting. Though, I would avoid the option with Pesto Sauce. The option with Alfredo sauce is so-so, you can try it only if you have tasted it before somewhere and liked it.
One thing that I always recommend is the Tomamto Soup with Cilantro. I know its just a tomato soup, but it is refreshing here and different. Also try the Mexican Bean Soup, which is a bit spicy tomato soup with beans floating.

They also have menu choices of Sizzlers, Chinese, Salads, Pizza and of course, Indian. I did try some of it, something called Sham-Savera, a mix of two gravies, spinach and tomato, but seperate. So, even their Indian choices are decent.

Over all, I have always found the food great. Ambience is ok, nothing great. Service is a bit slow, though. But, all of it makes up for the food.

Costwise, The Pastas are in range of Rs. 130-150. Mexican dishes between 70-90. Indian between 60-90. So, a decent meal for 2 should be in a range of Rs. 300-400.