A few
weeks ago a friend extended an invite to a bunch of us for lunch at the
recently opened Baner branch of the Maratha Samrat. I had read about the
cuisine, and the dishes, served at this restaurant and was very eager to try
it. I happily trotted to the other side of town for lunch. #ToHaveGoodFoodWillHappilyTravel
As we
entered the restaurant we were very graciously greeted by the owner, Sagar
Vishwas Deshmukh. The restaurant serves vegetarian and non-vegetarian
Maharashtrian cuisine. If you are vegetarian and are expecting to know about
vegetarian food served at this restaurant, please don’t waste your time reading
any further. I say this because we were a bunch of hard-core carnivores and
eating vegetarian food would amount to sacrilege! (Evil grin!) No, no, I’m
kiddin’, Read on!
For
drinks most from our gang ordered the coconut-kokum based Sol Kadi while a few
of us chose the simple Thums Up. I heard no complaints around the table about
the Sol Kadi and, in fact, a few ordered a repeat which led me to believe it
was a well flavoured drink.
For
starters we ordered Kheema Papad, Surmai Rava Fry, Pomfret Tava Fry, Prawns
Masala Fry and Kaala Chickn Sukka (Boneless).
This
was the first time I had Kheema Papad. The morsels of delish, savory Kheema
atop the crisp Papad were ever so yummy. I loved it! I’d order this one time
and time again!
All the
starters we ordered were absolutely delicious. I have a major weakness for
crustaceans, though, which is why I feel this one dish deserves a special
mention. The Prawn Masala Fry was perfect in every way. The one thing I always
look out for when eating crustaceans is their freshness and texture. I could find
absolutely no fault with it! It was just as I love it; spicy and cooked to that
‘spot on’ texture.
For our
mains we ordered Kheema Prawns, Zanzanit Mutton, Chicken Maratha and Kaala
Mutton. We also ordered Jowar Bhakris and Chapattis as accompaniments.
The
Kheema Prawns was beyond superb! This was a new combination for me as I had
never heard of the two being cooked together in a dish. I have to say the chef
had managed to pair them really well.
A
couple of us at that lunch table happened to be ‘spice crazy’ gals, that is
precisely why we opted for the “hottest” dish from the menu. ‘Zanzanit’ in
Marathi means ‘beyond spicy’, hence Zanzanit Mutton was a clear choice for us.
It was extremely spicy but was cooked in a way wherein the spice (masala) did
not overpower the deliciousness. My palate tingled with joy at the ‘searing chilli-hit’
but the others at the table broke into a sweat, felt fuddled with the fieriness
and had smoke billowing out of their ears. (Very evil grin!) If you are fond of
spicy food then this one is a must have!
The
Kaala mutton was also a very well made dish. The only dish that failed to
impress was the Chicken Maratha. The dish wasn’t as zesty as the rest and the
gravy too did not make me go ‘ummm’. I have to say though, I have a sneaky
feeling this dish fell short because we had had so many spicy dishes before we
took a bite of the Chicken Maratha. The Bhakris and Chapattis were fresh and
served steaming hot.
Our
group ended the meal with Paan. I describe Paan as, ‘a bitter betel nut leaf
with Supari, Gulkand and more (crazy) stuff within’. I abstained from it as
chewing on a raw leaf does not figure on my list of ‘pleasurable things to chew
on’. (Do not allow your imagination to go haywire – behave! :D )
I have two
complaints with the management of Maratha Samrat. They only have a couple of
soft drinks (along with Sol Kadi) on the menu. I do wish they would, at least,
introduce the humble, yet refreshing, Fresh Lime Soda. Also, they do not have
anything listed for dessert. No ice cream, no Mithai, no dessert of any kind! The
food they serve is so darn good but for lack of dessert the meal feels
incomplete, more so to people like me who refuse to munch on raw leaves
(read:Paan).
The
Tandoor section is functional at their Kothrud branch but not yet operational
at their new Baner branch. I hope they start it soon because I for one cannot
wait to revisit the restaurant again.
A big
thank you to Sagar for having taken such excellent care of us and another very BIG
thank you to my friend for the luncheon invite!
Food:
4.5/5
Ambience:
3.5/5
Service:
4.5/5
Address:
MontVert Zenith Building, Veritas IT Park, Baner, Pune
Tel:
020 30189288
A few more photographs...
Looks like a good place.... worth visiting.
ReplyDeleteExtremely sorry for the delayed reply but hadn't paid attention to the comments section. Heartfelt apologies, once again. As for MS, it truly serves great Maharashtrian food. Do give it a try! Cheers! :)
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