In
one of my earlier blogs reviewing food, I had mentioned how Western parts of
Pune are deprived of good food options. A quick look at Zomato and Trip Advisor – both of these places where I am active
contributor and it highlights the lack of options for gourmet food.
So
one fine day, when we wanted to have authentic finger licking Punjabi food
– it again meant making a trip to the other side of town and exploring some
options. Outings to buffet at Sun n Sand, Taj, JW Mariott, Seasons in the last
few weeks and months had not been fruitful in having an authentic Punjabi food
experience, due to the way everybody have structured their menu – a mix of
continental and Indian food options.
After
some research, we decided to settle on The Great Punjab in Koregaon Park.
There
would be many hotels by this name, but the famous ones are – The Great Punjab
at Dadar TT, Mumbai (http://www.greatpunjab.in/index.htm) with 48 years of legacy and the
logo and website is different than the one which is in Pune ( at Baner, Koregaon
Park & Bandra in Mumbai) (http://thegreatpunjabbandra.com/ and http://www.thegreatpunjab.com/ ) which started operations in 1981
in Bandra. A little more research and I find out that it belongs to the same
family who branched out to run two different chains of hotels.
I
had made a reservation and was promptly attended to as we reached the
restaurant, which is located at Lane#5, off North Main Road at Koregaon Park,
this place has been around for many years and has a valet service though there
is ample parking available in the lane if its late in the evenings. Currently,
this area is facing the ire of civil authorities probably, since the work of
concretizing the roads has not been completed for a long time.
The
restaurant has a mezzanine floor with two staircases at the ends and seating –
mix of couch & chairs on the ground floor. We were seated comfortably next
to the wine cellar – which are one of the better tables with a lot of space in
between them, unlike the couches.
One
good thing you notice about this place is that their menu is inclusive of the
bar menu and the food menu, and one does not struggle to juggle between the
multiple menu cards that come your way. The first page of the menu, lists out
the meaning of Punjab – a nice read!
We
were a family of four, and the order was varied – Antiquity Blue Large
(Rs.500), Fresh Lime Soda (Rs.95), Ginger Lemon(Rs.130) and Chicken
Soup (Rs.180) along with Masala Papad (Rs.80). They have
something known as Kadak Roomali, which is a large papad shaped as a basket and
sprinkled with Tomato, Capsicum and Onion
– but having tried that before and not liked it, we opted for the normal Masala
Papad.
Paneer
Tikka Methi
(Rs. 390) was the starter we chose along with our drinks and soup. While the
soup, drinks and Papad were good, the starter wasn’t on the expected lines. It
looked like some Methi (Fenugreek)
stuffed between Paneer, but neither the paneer not the Methi had taste.
Main
course comprised Dal Tadka (Rs 270), Vegetable Kadai (Rs. 380), Rotis
(Rs.45 each) and Steamed Rice (Rs.190). The food tasted well, with the Dal
served in bowls and Veg. Kadai having distinct gravy with just the right amount
of spices.
All
the main course fare was served with Onions and Pickle.
The
whole experience cost us around Rs. 2500 but after a long time, it was an
authentic Punjabi fare that we enjoyed over the last weekend.
I
would definitely rate this place higher than most of the places claiming to
serve authentic Punjabi food in Pune and keep it high on the list of places to
visit again in future.
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