Friday, August 24, 2007

OFFBEAT- Fine Dining Lounge - Opp Karishma Hsg. Soc., Kothrud

Ph : 25454772/66201022
Work Pressure. Thats one reason I can point out for the delay again. Instead of weekly updates, my blog is becoming a monthly update. Also, have not been able to venture out much during this season. But, enough talk. Back to business.

If you pick-up Pune Westside Plus on Friday, you will usually see the advt of this place. Google it and you will find an article mentioning that the owner of this place is a Sandeep Lele, an ex- Infy employee.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=240211

So, this really had me ticking to visit the place since I kindda share the same background.
It is located at Kothrud, Opp Karsishma Housing Soc., on 1st Floor, above a shoe store. You cannot miss the decoration lights.

As usual, on a weekend, I decided to move in early than the ususal dinner time to avoid the rush. The place is smallish, with Japanese sitting blocks and the usual Table chairs as well. Different and definetly pleasant. Now, this is not usual Punjabi/Chinese/Italian joint. The menu card holds a variety of options including Lebanese, Italian, Thai, French and Malayasian in addition to Indian and Chinese. But remember, firstly, the options are limited from each cuisine and secondly, they are unique. I mean, even from Indian and Chinese cuisine, some dishes I had never heard off, let alone tasted.

So, for starters, I ordered Falafel in Pita Bread (Rs. 140) and went ahead with studying the menu and ambience of the restaurant.The menu has been selected carefully and the restaurant interiors tastefully done. There is also a projector for viewing cricket matches if any going on. By now, the place was getting almost full and I could see people who were there before us fretting that their order has not arrived. So, taking precautions, I decided to go ahead with ordering the main course. So. ordered Veg Lasagne Verdure (Rs.170), came along with Garlic Bread and Chicken Calabrese (Rs. 190), chicken breast stuffed with spinach in white sauce, along with rice and Garlic bread.

By now, the restaurant was packed and the usual weekend waiting queue begining to form.Thankfully, the starters arrived. Round tikkis of Falafels resting in a white casing of Pita bread. Now, I know Falafel is made of channa, but since I had never tasted it and hence ordered it, I did not know what to expect. But, the first bite itself took by surprise. It was as if I was munching overnight soaked chana. It was served with curd, but it made no difference. The taste remained rather bland. Added some salt and pepper to get some taste. No spice at all. (Later, i googled for the recipe, and as it turns out from the ingredients, it needs to be bland). Not sure if i will like to try again. Somehow, finished the Falafels and then waited patiently for the main course.

The Lasagne arrived first. A quarter of a circle with many layers of lasagne sheets, vegetables, cheese and tomato sauce along with 3 pieces of garlic bread. It was beautifully presented and the very soft and chunky in texture. Colorful, subtle in taste and it literally melted in mouth.The vegetables were relatively well done and the flavour not overpowered by herbs, sauce or cheese.

Soon after, the Chicken Calabrese arrived as well. As mentioned, chicken breast stuffed with spinach and herbs in white sauce. Again, presented in a charming manner. The chicken was well done, soft and tender, white sauce providing contrasting flavour to the chicken filling. Went well with the garlic bread although I found the rice unneccesary. The chicken in itself was satisfying and the sauce not sufficient for the rice.

So, overall, the only disappointing factor I found was the service. The attendants and servers were well dressed and courteous, decor and sitting arrangement elegant, food is fine and presentation is top class. I mean, when the lasagne arrived, we discussed whether to eat and spoil its presentation or just admire. !! The only problem was the delay in service. It is a smallish place and perhaps the kitchen is spread too thin with the variety of cuisine offered. So, time your visit carefully, especially on a weekend.

Dent to the wallet : Most of the dishes are in range Rs. 150-250. So a decent meal for 2 should be in achievable in Rs. 500-600.

3 comments:

Nidhi said...

if you like other cuisines also try, the great american grill just near silk route in Koregaon park
also casanova opp gold adlabs
They are a little expensive though but different cuisines

Chetan G said...

Off Beat has the lousiest service I have experienced in any fine diner. And the staff or manager have no regrets about the same. I have promised myself not to go to the place.

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