Dorabjee's and more

There are few included in this review but the highlight has to be Dorabjee's.


visited Wazwaan, Baner Road, mentioned in my Baner Restaurant reviews.
I will keep this one short. This place is situated at Prime Rose Mall.
The place is elegant enough with table-chair seating as well as the Ground seating. Dast-a-khaan, is what I belive it is called. Decor is ok. The menu has options of kashmiri, chinese and some punjabi and south indian cuisines, both veg and non-veg.
Ordered Paneer Chaman and Dal Fry along with Rotis. Dont know what was wrong with Paneer Chaman. It was too salty and too much methi (Fenugreek). Finally had to give up the gravy and eat only paneer. Dal was ok, as it is at usual places. haven't tried Non-veg over here. And have not mustered up courage to visit again. Although, would like to try, but only Kashmiri delicacies since rest of the cuisines may be the usual available elsewhere.

Meal for 2 : Rs. 250

Skips, Aundh
A smallish shack joint in Aundh, next to Natekar Sports, Opp Symphony. Went on a Saturday afternoon and was deserted. Has options of Sandwiches and burgers which are different than usual stuff. Ordered Garden Chicken Burger(Rs. 60) and Ginger Lemonade (Rs. 20). Burger consisted of Grilled vegetables (onion, capsicum,tomatos, potatos) along with mayonnaise and cheese slice and a grilled chicken patty. All this made the burger about 4 inches high !
As mentioned, the burger was different than the usual Mcdonald's. The grilled vegetables were a nice touch and the chicken patty was soft and smoked. The ginger lemonade refreshing in a hot afternoon. Would like to visit again, but it is not for a typical family outing kind of place. More of a student/bachelor kindda place for a lazy afternoon brunch.

Punjabi Tadka, Chandani Chowk
This is a recently opened joint at the Chandani Chowk, next to Banjara Hills. The entrance to the place is rather small, with looks of a dhaba inside. The seating is mostly ground with mattresses and pillows and masnads. But, not rural. Contemporary. The waiters dressed in a typical yellow punjabi suit. Saw some hookahs as well. We had gone in the afternoon it was completely empty. We had doubts if they are opne but the maitre promised us fast service and authentic food. So, we sat down. We ordered Half Butter Chicken (Rs 145) and on server's recommendation, Punjabi Paneer (Rs. 80) and some Naans, Rotis, Missi and Makki Rotis.
Meanwhile, relaxed on the mattresses, stretched out with a lazy manner, listening to the music of Punjabi dhols. Order came in about 15 mins. The Butter Chicken was NoT boneless as suggested by the maitrte and it was great. Not too much sweet and not too oily. the masalas just in right combination, subtle and not overpowering. the Punjabi Paneer was also similar, subtle and not overpowering spicy. And have to admit, the Missi Roti and makki Roti were exceptional. The Maite mentioned the cooks and chefs were from punjab only, the recipes authentically rustic and they serve only punjabi food, no chinese/south indian stuff, to maintain exclusivity. The food was defintely much better than the typical Punjabi food you get in restaurants in Pune. Would definetly like to try other dishes as well. in all, a rather unique experience for a lazy lunch.

Meal for 4 came to Rs. 350.


Dorabjee's, Camp
I usually try to sample different places and not repeat. With Dorabjee, I had to make an exception. Wisited twice, in a span of 8 days. This place, located in Camp, is one of the ancient Parsee eating joints and people of Pune would swear by its food. Now, i know why. It a rather colonial looking place, ceramic tiles till the ceiling, tilted tin sheets for roof, mosaic flooring and a simple table-chair combination. And yes, i think there is this separate dining areas as Family room and Others. Quaint and adoring.
The menu is rather simple with limited dishes. I would strictly advise for vegetarians not to visit this place. But, the place is heaven for mutton lovers, which unfortunately , I am not. There are limited chicken dishes, lot of mutton dishes, Biryani and Parsi special- Dhansak, which is served only on Sunday afternoon- and the reason for my second outing. Anyway, on the first time, since Dhansak was available only on Sunday, ordered Chicken Salli and 3 chapatis. The food was served in less than 2 minutes- super efficient service I must say. A big bowl, with 2 gigantic pieces of chicken with chapatis and a small bowl of friend potatoes - match sticks which is Salli. Looking at the quantity of chicken, I wondered whether i would be able to finish it. It was definetly twice the amount you would get in a typical restaurant. And the food it itself, simple and delicious. The great thing about the chicken was, even with huge pieces, the chicken was tender and well cooked, the gravy, subtle and tasty, though I would be careful with the fat. Again, I think, it is the balance of various masalas and its authenticity that gives Dorabjee's, it reputation. Even after consuming 3 chapatis, there is still some chicken left on the plate.

Chicken Dhansak - served alongwith brown rice- on the other hand is in a different class of cuisine in itself. Dhansak, if you google it, is mainly made from Toor Dal, and there is a lot of prepration that goes into making the Dhansak masala. Add a tang of lemon joice and voila- an surpassable taste. Although, i must admit the quantity of rice is rather less, so order a couple of chapatis before, but be careful, the quantity of chicken makes up for smaller portion of rice. The Dhansak, I guess, is one of the unique dishes of India.

As I mentioned earlier, after the Dhansak, the Biryanis are the most favoured dishes at Dorabjee's. Also, you have cutlets, egg curry, chicken with eggs and many more mutton dishes.

And if you would have noticed on my blog, I usually dont favour sweet dishes after the meal. Here, I made an exception- Custard, both the times (Rs.20). Now, its not the usual semi-liquid, along with fruits at Dorabjee's. Here its a chunk of yellow solid custard, much like a sponge cake, with sugar syrup and caramalised top. Unbelievable. You have to taste it. Google for laganu-nu-custard to check out the recipe.

So, dont forget to visit Dorabjee's for a unique experience right in the heart of the city. I'll advice a lunch rather than a dinner, especially if you plan on a weekend and not sharing your meal.

Cost of single meal be apx Rs. 100.

Update : 30-Mar-09 : There have been many queries on location of Dorabjee's and Sons. I cant point out exact location since I am not well versed with the by-lanes. But, its not the Dorabjee's Super Market opp the Kakade Mall.
Its on back side, Nr Sharbatwala Chowk. You can ask for directions when you reach there. Search on Wikimapia for Sharbatwala Chowk.

Location:
Dorabjee & Sons Restaurant
845, Dastur Meher Road,
Sharbatwala Chowk,
Pune, 411001