Elephant
& Co (ECO) has been on my ‘to-visit’ radar for a very long time which is
why when Team @FoodProwl extended an invite to me for a tasting I jumped at the
chance to check it out. They have a very hip and happening place at Kalyani
Nagar and they have now opened a new branch at Baner. It was to this new Baner
branch that we were invited.
The
restaurant has a bright and airy outdoor section and an inner section which is,
mainly, the bar. The inner section isn’t brightly lit, and the music tends to
get a bit loud, but they play an excellent selection of retro, pop and modern
music so I’m not complaining. As long as they play a few songs from ‘my era’,
that I can sing along with, I’m a happy puppy! 😊
As
soon as we rested our butts a friendly face turned up at our table and set up
glasses of mocktails and a huge bowl of salted popcorn for us to munch on.
I
love the ‘popcorn gesture' they extend to every table and, they aren’t stingy
with it either! The citrus based mocktail was also very refreshing!
To
begin with, we were served Salt & Pepper Water Chestnuts, Paneer & Veg
Tikki Slider, Butter Chilli Oyster Wings, Salli Kheema Slider, Egg White
Souffle Omelette and Mushroom Crepes in Chilli Garlic Sage Butter Sauce.
I
am not a big fan of water chestnuts, but I did like the dish. It didn’t wow me,
but I think that is bound to happen if one is not too fond of a particular
ingredient.
The Paneer & Veg Tikki Slider and the Salli Kheema Slider were excellent. Both were so well made
that I simply could not decide which one I liked better. I took
the easy route; I just kept alternating between sliders! 😉
The
Butter Chilli Oyster Wings were juicy and made for excellent finger-food. ECO
serves a fiery Bhoot Jolakia Sauce and we requested them to give us a very tiny
bowl of it. It’s potent with regard to its chilli heat and I do not use the
word ‘potent’ lightly. If you aren’t used to spicy food, please avoid it or have
it in teeny tiny quantities. I say that coz I do not want it burning a hole in
your gut (and you just may need a lot of ice the next morning – evil grin). The
wings served were delish, but the devil in me simply had to keep dipping the
wings into that bowl of fiery goodness. For those of you who are wondering; I
did not need any ice the next morning. *cheeky grin*
The
White Souffle Omelette was very delicate in flavor, fluffy and felt fabulous on
the palate with regard to texture and taste. For those of you who are health
conscious and are fond of egg white omelette, this is a must try!
Of
all that we ate that afternoon, the Mushroom Crepes in Chilli Garlic Sage
Butter Sauce was the star among them all. Delicate silken crepes stuffed with
toothsome mushrooms, finished off in a Chilli-Garlic-Sage Butter Sauce; these
were supreme in every sense of the word! I don’t ever want to miss out on this
dish when I visit ECO; trust me, you shouldn’t either!
Tofu
Steak, Dosa Waffle with Chicken Chettinad, Champagne
Risotto with Aglio Olio Prawns and Lamb Chops with Beer Reduction and Mash were
the other dishes served that afternoon.
I
did not eat the Tofu Steak as the smell it imparts is not something I can
handle.
The Dosa Waffle with Chicken Chettinad was superb! The waffle was light
(not at all doughy) and the Chicken Chettinad served with it was absolutely
delish! I do wish, though, that they’d cooked the waffle a tad longer. A
crispier outer texture would’ve given this dish an even bigger plus. Would I
order this again? In a jiffy! I loved it!
For the Champagne Risotto with Aglio
Olio Prawns, while the Aglio Olio Prawns were beautifully done, the risotto was
a letdown. It lacked seasoning; majorly! By just adjusting the seasoning for
the risotto, this could go on to be a gorgeous plate of food.
The Lamb Chops
with Beer Reduction and mash was also scrumptious! The chops were well cooked,
and the mash was divinely buttery.
We ended our meal with a decadent Flourless
Chocolate Cake served with Vanilla Ice cream. Sinfully delicious!
This is a place I’d like to go back
to time and again. There is so much more on their menu that I’d like to
try. I’m a teetotaller but my friends aren’t, and they could not stop raving
about the cocktails they had that afternoon. If you are anything like my
friends then, rest assured, you are going to love the cocktails at ECO.
Good ambience, a good selection of drinks, good food, good friends… I’d term this as, ‘A
Sunday, perfectly sorted’.
Address: Shop No 5, Ground floor,
Sai Heritage, Survey 131/1B/1, Baner Main Road, Baner Pune
Buzz: 020 71967272
For those of you staying at the
other end of town, do remember, they also have an outlet at Kalyani Nagar. 😉
Some more photographs...
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