Christmas Radiance – Christmas Gratitude!

You have heard me sing praises about her food. I have, over the past months, ordered food from her many times. Today, though, was special. Today I was sharing the Christmas table with mum and dad. We are a family that loves pork hence I knew exactly what I wanted to order. I knew what would bring a smile to mum and dad’s face.



I knew Sajjani, aka The Secret Chef Nextdoor, would be heavily booked for the festive season hence placed my order for our Christmas dinner a couple of months in advance. Yes, you read right; a couple of months in advance. Barbeque Pork, Sliced Leg of Ham, Chicken and Mushroom Pies were the order of the day. To complement the dishes, I served them with homemade buttery-peppery mash, some sweet-tangy barbeque onions and kernels of golden corn.

I have ordered various dishes from this talented lady many times and, I cannot say it often enough, she excels at what she whips up in her kitchen. She respects the produce she uses and that comes across at first bite. The Barbeque Pork was sticky and charred just right. (The edges may look dark in the photograph but it was a perfect barbeque char). The Sliced Leg of Ham is something dad went ga-ga over. Mum and I exchanged sly smiles because dad, the quiet one, rarely makes a mention of anything. The Pies were superbly savoury; perfect as always. There was just one difference, though. Usually, when I like a dish I am the one making ‘orgasmic ummmm’ noises at the dining table; this time the Barbeque Pork had mum do the very same thing. Just in case you are wondering, there were no weird noises coming from dad's side of the table; dad is pretty well behaved. In our family, we ladies are the boisterous lot. *evil grin*

I have no clue whether Sajjani is is taking orders for New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day but, if she is, do not let go of the opportunity to order from her. I promise you won’t be disappointed and yes, you may thank me later. ;) :D

Sajjani can be contacted on +91 9960938121.

Sajjani, you have brought countless satisfied smiles to my face; and satisfied sighs to my ‘foodie’ soul but today you did the same for two people who mean the world to me (touch wood) and I cannot thank you enough. Mum and dad were in ‘pork paradise’ and they loved those pies, too. Thank you ever, ever so much for the Christmas Radiance! <3 

P.S: Posting some more photographs. All these dishes (names mentioned on each photograph) come under the ‘must try’ category. These are dishes I ordered (and ate greedily) but failed to write a review for; reason being... sometimes I tend to procrastinate! *very sheepish grin* 

Baramati Thali - Bajao taali!

This small eatery is located in the tiny lane known as Taboot Street (Camp). It’s been at this location for nearly three years but for some reason I never noticed it. Recently, a Facebook friend happened to visit it. He raved about the food served which is why I simply had to give it a try.

Baramati Thali is a small restaurant with barely 7 to 8 tables. It’s very basic in appearance; I’d term it as a ‘no ambiance’ restaurant, but the food they serve is simply amazing!

On my first visit we ordered the Fish Fry, mutton thali and the chicken thali. The fish they serve is fresh river water fish. The flesh of river fish is way sweeter than that of the regular sea fish like Surmai, Rawas, etc. This was the first time I chose to give river water fish a try as until now, because it tends to be bony, I had avoided eating it. Ask me now if I will have it again and you will see me give a vigorous ‘yes’ nod. Fried to a perfect crisp with that sweet flesh within, it was one of the best fish I’ve ever had. Each slice is priced at a very reasonable rate of 30 bucks. It simply does not get any better than this, right?? ;)

The mutton thali comprised of a bowl of mince, a bigger bowl of mutton rassa (rassa: gravy), 2 chapattis and a bowl of rice. The portion size is ideal for one person. The mince and the rassa, were delicious and they each had its own distinct flavour.  The rice was the simple variety (not long grain) but then I’m not the fussy sort when it comes to small eateries such as this where flavour is king!

The chicken thali was delicious, too, but I preferred the more robust flavoured mutton thali. I say this because I am comparing the two. Had I only opted for the chicken thali, rest assured, I would be singing its praises as vociferously.

I loved the food so much that three days later I was back at their table. (I’m not at all ashamed of my gluttony because I have a sneaky feeling you will be doing the same) This time I opted for the Paya thali and, of course, I ordered that beautiful slice of fried fish. The Paya thali comprised of a bowl of Paya with rassa, two chapattis and a bowl of rice. As I was craving to have the mince, I requested a bowl of the same to be served with the Paya thali. The mince was just as savoury as it had been the first time; and the fish just as dazzling on my palate as it had been three days ago. The Paya rassa was yum! The Paya were cooked to perfection and to perfect consistency. Not one piece of the Paya was undercooked or over cooked. Having cooked Paya at home for many, many years the home cook in me was abound with joy at being fed such perfect Paya.

If you are game to visit a small but clean, no ambiance restaurant, please do give this eatery a try. The food they serve is slightly on the spicy side (No, I’m not complaining, I love spicy food) but it is simply delicious! The chapattis served are soft and fresh. The meats are cooked to perfection. They also serve a variety of vegetarian dishes which, of course, I did not try. Now why would the carnivore in me do that when I have meat to feast on? :D

They do not have any desserts on their menu but they do serve a variety of cold drinks and bottled water. The bottled water (RS 20 – 1 litre) is priced at actual if I’m not mistaken.

The owner Syed ji is friendly without being intrusive and always keeps an eye on the tables to ensure each patron leaves happy and satiated! Restaurants such as this, the ‘no frills’ kind, serve such honest and wholesome food that they totally satisfy this foodies soul. This place is definitely worth MANY, MANY visits!

Food: 5/5

Ambiance: abey bola na ‘no ambiance’

Service: 5/5

Address: 686 Taboot Street, Camp, Pune 411 001

Tel: 020 26139181

Nawab Asia – A Royal Repast!!

Nawab Asia figures very high on my list of Pune restaurants. No let me correct that. It figures among the top two on my list of Pune restaurants (North Indian & Awadhi cuisine). The quality of food served is so good, that they beat many other upscale, and five star, establishments hollow! I do not say this lightly. I speak from experience!

Some time mid-year, I visited Nawab Asia (Camp branch). Preet, as he always does, came over to my table to say, ‘Hi!’ (He has never failed to greet me thus in the nine years I have known and visited Nawab Asia). He requested that I go over to try the food at their new branch, at Balewadi High Street, when it opens its door. I promised him, I would! A couple of weeks ago, I received an invite for the new Nawab Asia branch, through #TeamFoodProwl, for an exclusive tasting event. Though, I am on a short sabbatical from official invites, I accepted this one and happily set off to keep my promise to Preet!

The first thing I noticed on entering Nawab Asia was how bright and well ventilated the interior was. It had high ceilings, tastefully selected chandeliers, a wall done up in varied squares of lattice grill, distressed, shabby-chic style furniture and a huge bright bar. All the elements were selected and arranged with a discerning eye; one could not help but appreciate the grace and beauty with which it all came together.

Nawab Asia has a very decent selection of liquor, cocktails and mocktails. We ordered a variety of drinks. The teetotallers tried the mocktails while the others opted for Sangrias and other cocktails. I heard no complaints around the table in regard to any of the drinks, in fact, I heard sighs going the satisfied ‘ummm’ way.

For starters we had Desi Nachos, Murgh Lapeta Kabab, Batter Fried Prawns (forgive me I cannot recollect the name), Surmai Tikka, Makhmali Seekh Kabab, Galauti Samosa, Nimboo Chicken, Dilliwalla Chilli Chicken, Orange Chicken Salad, Squid Kurkure and Peshawari Boti.

Each and every dish was cooked to perfection. The Desi Nachos had a unique twist to them. Instead of the authentic topping of refried beans, these nachos were smothered with a spicy, thick and very delicious blend of Dal Makhani; a smattering of Tomato Salsa and melted cheese. Oh, so different and oh, so yum!

The Murgh Lapeta Kabab, Batter Fried Prawns, Dilliwalla Chilli Chicken and Peshawari Boti were all fantastic dishes. Not good, not quite good, they were fantastic! My taste buds, though, did select a few favourites from the various appetizers served to us. 

The Nimboo Chicken is a new addition to their menu; as is the Galauti Samosa. The Nimboo Chicken was introduced on the menu in December 2015 and has been an absolute rage with the Pune crowd. As for the Galauti Samosa, it is a new dish, for now, available only at their Balewadi outlet. Preet did mention that it is soon to be a part of the Camp branch also. The Nimboo Chicken is a creamy; melt in the mouth dish with prominent base notes of lime (Nimboo) and Ginger. The dish had a perfect hint of tang and gingery heat without being overpowering. On a previous visit to Nawab Asia, Preet had sent this dish to our table. I remember telling him the dish was a super hit with the crowd at our table. The reactions around the table this time around were exactly the same. 

I have had Galauti Kebabs at Nawab Asia before, but this modern, innovative twist of serving it in a crisp ‘patti samosa’ case simply blew me away. I have a major weakness for Patti Samosas and an even bigger weakness for Galouti Kebabs. Can you imagine my joy at having these two babies team up together? These dishes are a MUST TRY! You can thank me later! ;)

The Makhmali Seekh Kebab is a vegetarian Kebab made from melt in the mouth Cottage Cheese. These were just as good as the Chowk Ki Tikki I had the last time I visited Nawab Asia. Both these kebabs, though vegetarian, brought unfettered joy to this carnivore’s heart! Vegetarians: Please do not miss out on these!

The Surmai Tikka was delicately spiced and cooked to a perfect texture. I was in ‘happy puppy’ mode because ever since Basa moved into our country, hardly any restaurant serves Surmai. 

The other seafood starter they served us was Squid Kurkure. This was batter fried squid. The batter was similar to a Koliwada batter but definitely more delicate in flavour and texture. As for the squid, the only other place I have had such perfectly cooked squid is at home. A few places do get the texture right but this was way beyond ‘right’. We riled our host, Preet, and told him this was fake squid as no one could possible dish it out with such perfection. I could definitely make out that the squid used were baby squids. The tender, delicate rings were a clear give away and that is precisely why the texture was so good. I ardently request Nawab Asia to always use the same size of squids for this dish so that each and every patron who orders this gets to experience the same ‘wow’ moment as we did!

For our mains we ordered Tawa Prawns, Murgh Makhani, Lalla Mussa Dal and a basket of assorted Indian breads (Read: Naan, Garlic naan, Rotis etc). All the dishes were typically ‘Nawab’ and by that, I mean, spot on in taste as they have been for years. 

In an era, where many restaurants intermittently slacken in quality of food served once they make a name for themselves; Nawab Asia stands apart by maintaining consistent perfection for a decade and more. I could not find fault with any dish. Not one!

For dessert we chose Paan Kulfi. If you have read my previous reviews you will recollect that I’m not a fan of Paan, but this Kulfi, luckily, did not have an overpowering flavour of Paan. It was just right which is why I reached out for a second bite and a third. (Hangs gluttonous head in shame :P )

A beautiful wintery afternoon spent in a bright, airy and elegant setting, with delicious food, a very kind and gracious host (Preet, thank you ever so much for your wonderful hospitality) and crazy foodies in tow; it does not get any better than this! With the kind of food and hospitality they offer, the lure of Nawab Asia is such that one cannot keep away for long. I know I shall be back for more!!

Food: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Address: Unit 5/6/7/8, Ground floor, Cummin Indian Office Complex, Balewadi High Street, Pune.

Tel: 020 65625566 / +91 9860640419

A few more photographs...