Boteco – A Perfect Harmony Of Flavours!

There are instances in life when no matter how hard you try to make things happen, they happen only when destined. Today was one such day. I had been itching to visit Boteco for many years and, could never make it. Last night a friend suggested we have lunch there and I jumped at the chance. Boteco serves Brazilian-South American cuisine. The afternoon vibe at the restaurant was bright and airy. While they do have lots of vegetarian dishes on their menu, it’s a haven for carnivores.

We began our meal with Diet Cokes and a complimentary Amuse Bouche; Potato Leek Soup shot and a small kebab similar to a Falafel. Both turned out to be nice.

For appetizers we ordered Linguica com Mandioca (INR 410). These were fabulously seasoned pork sausages; made in-house. The flavour was excellent! 

The Cassava fries and roasted green chili chutney, served as accompaniments, complemented the sausages beautifully.

Our second appetizer was the Pork Momo (INR 410). The casing of the Momo was as delicate (as it should be) and the pork mince within was perfectly seasoned and spiced. 

Also, the mince was gorgeously light and not a hard, clumped up mess of meat. The chef had drizzled a soy-caramel reduction over the Momos and when I bit into the first Momo, I could have bawled with joy. Such a perfect harmony of flavours is rare!

I’m a hardcore carnivore but I loved the cassava fries so much, we ordered an extra portion of the same. So darn yum!!

For our main course we chose the Mix Grill (INR 690). It was a meaty platter of beef steak, pork, lamb, in-house pork sausage. 

Each piece of protein had been cooked and seared to perfection! What thrilled me most, though, was that the beef was served exactly as it is meant to be served; medium rare! *drool-face* 😉

The sides served with the meats were Chili Paste, Mustard Paste, Cherry Tomatoes, Farofa, Thyme Butter, Mushroom, Pineapple Chutney, Onions, Mash Potato and Cassava Fries.

While most of the sides are self-explanatory, most of you will be wondering about Farofa. I ate Cassava for the very first time and was very interested to know more about this vegetable. Yes, yes, you read right, ‘vegetable’. I googled this delicious baby. What I read was immensely interesting. I won’t go into the details but if you try it at Boteco and like it as much as I did, do read up on it. It’s an interesting read. In short, Cassava, a starchy tuber, kind of a woody shrub, also known as Manioc when grated-ground, dried, toasted in butter and, usually, salted is known as Farofa or Manioc flour. It pairs beautifully with grilled meats!

The pineapple chutney was tempered with a slight hint of mustard seeds. When eaten with a bit of chili paste and beef, it was a tiny gastronomic explosion in the mouth. The only thing I will crib about is the portion size of the sides. Ideally, a bit more of each, especially the onions, mash potato, mushroom and farofa, would be ideal. All the sides paired superbly with the meats.

Lastly, for dessert we opted for the Profiteroles. The Choux Pastry was light and airy but instead of cream the Choux was filled with Vanilla Ice cream (very good quality of ice cream was used for this) and drizzled with a good amount of Chocolate Sauce. It was a decadent end to a very delectable meal!

I waited years to go to Boteco and now that I have had a taste of the deliciousness served there, I cannot wait to return. Thank you Team Boteco for a pleasant, peaceful afternoon of delectableness. Please keep up with the quality of food and service. I promise to return!😉

Address: 302, Power Plaza, 3^rd floor, Lane 7, Above State Bank of India, Koregaon Park, Pune (Elevator available)

Tel: +91 9158749997 / +91 9158707056

Masoor Ma Gos (Mutton Cooked With Lentils)

A typical Parsi recipe! This recipe can be made without mutton. We Bawas, though, prefer our food with ramakras-toys (read mutton/chicken) added to it. The mutton enhances the flavour of the masoor. 😉 And yes, we pronounce Gosht as Gos! 😊

Ingredients:

1½ cups black masoor, soak for an hour, then wash and keep aside

450-500 grams mutton pieces, wash and keep aside

3 large onions, finely chopped

3 green chilies, slit and finely chopped

5 tomatoes, halved and grated

1½ tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 teaspoons red chili powder (I use MDH Deghi Mirch Powder)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon dhania-jeera powder

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon garam masala powder

½ teaspoon dhanshak masala powder (optional)

3 teaspoons Parsi sambhar masala powder (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil as required

A handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

1.    Heat oil in a cooker, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.

2.    Add onions and chilies. Fry till the onions begin turning brown.

3.    Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds.

4.    Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, dhania-jeera powder, sugar, garam masala powder, dhanshak masala powder and parsi sambhar masala powder. 

5.    Sauté to cook the spices; do not allow the powdered spices to burn. If need be, add an extra dash of oil or water to prevent the powdered spices from burning.

6.    Add the grated tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are done (the raw smell disappears) and tiny specks of oil begin forming on the surface.

7.    Add the mutton and sauté well; then add the black masoor and saute for a a couple of minutes more.

8.    Season with salt, to taste.

9.    Add 700 to 800 ml of water, close the lid of the cooker and cook for 3 whistles. Lower heat and simmer till the cooker sounds off one more whistle. 

10. Take the cooker off the stove and allow the pressure to release gradually. 

11. Empty the masoor-gos into a vessel or a serving bowl.

12.Add chopped coriander leaves and give it a gentle mix.

12. Serve with masala khichdee or brun pau or rotis.

Chef Notes:

1.    The masoor used was Belgaon Masoor and was gifted to me by a very kind soul (Dr. Uday Potdar). The grains of Belgaon Masoor were smaller. The grains of this masoor were smaller in size than the regular masoor. The colour bordered more on brown than the regular blackish-brown masoor available in Pune markets.

2.    Sometimes the family likes tithka-khatta-mithha (spicy-sour-sweet) masoor at which time I increase the sugar and add some malt vinegar. The quantity of sugar and malt vinegar will depend on the quantity of masoor cooked. You may, of course, adjust the sweet-sour-spicy taste as desired.

3.    Dhanshak masala and Parsi sambhar masala are spices we Parsi’s add to most dals to bring out the typical Parsi flavour. Use it if you can get your paws on it, if not, feel free to cook without it.

4.    Mum does not enjoy pieces of tomatoes and roughly chopped coriander which is why I have grated the tomatoes and have had to butcher the gorgeous coriander leaves (sigh!) to chop it really fine. You may use chopped tomatoes and also chop the coriander with more sensitivity.

5.  You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism. 

The Koji 45er – An Unlimited Set-Meal Does Not Get Any Better Than This!

I am an ardent fan of the restaurants and the food served at Conrad, Pune. The food they serve is made from ingredients of the finest quality and their service is excellent. 

While they have lots to offer on their a la carte menus at every restaurant, the past two months their Asian restaurant, Koji, has been hosting ‘The Koji 45er’, an afternoon set-menu meal, ideal for rushed weekday lunches. This write up comes quite late because I’ve walked in (with various friends and family) for ‘The Koji 45er’ six times already (yeah, I really do love it) but have been a tad lazy with regard to penning about it.

Once again, I was at Koji this afternoon and they served me such a brilliant meal that I decided I would procrastinate no more.

The meal begins with a soup and four varieties of dim sums. My favourite is the Prawn Hot ‘n’ Sour soup. The ‘sour’ is not overpowering and the ‘hot’ (spice) slowly builds up as you sip on; gradually you start feeling the heat on your palate. This thick, hearty soup has a gorgeous blend of flavours.

Of course, I always opt for the non-veg dim sums. The dim sums served for this menu are, Chicken Pot Sticker, Chicken Shumai, Classic Hargao and Prawns Kataifi Rolls. If you like something on the menu, you can always request for repeats and they happily bring you more. 

While every starter is excellent, my favourites are, the Classic Hargao and the Prawn Kataifi Rolls. I invariably request repeats of these two dim sums.

The casings are beautifully delicate, and the dim sums are very consistent with regard to taste, texture and quality. I can say this because I have tried them out so many times.

For the mains, their selection of dishes are, the Steamed John Dory, Kung Pao Chicken, Prawns In XO sauce, Signature Chicken Kaprao and Quick Fried Lamb. 

The Steamed John Dory is cooked with minimal spices so as to allow the flavour of the fish to shine. It’s delicate but delicious! 

The Kung Pao Chicken is a tad on the sweeter side but very flavoursome. The added cashews provide a lovely intermittent crunch. 

The Signature Chicken Kaprao is also nicely made. No complaints at all with regard to it but somehow my heart never goes ‘thumpity-thump’ over this one. 

The Quick Fried Lamb is yum! The lamb is tender and such a joy to eat. 

As for the Prawns in XO Sauce, this one shines the brightest. Even when I walk into Koji for an a la carte meal, this is one dish I always order. I love it! Plump prawns in a perfect XO sauce is so drool-worthy!

Apologies! The photograph does not do justice to the these dishes. The lighting and angle went wonky on this one.

They also serve Jasmine Rice with Chicken Thai Curry (Green or Red), both of which are excellent! 

A suggestion: The soy sauce lookalike set at the table is very different from the regular soy sauce at other restaurants. This sauce is thinner, slightly sweeter with a rounded flavour; this is Japanese Shōyu. Take a wee bit of plain Jasmine Rice, drizzle a bit of that Shōyu. Mix lightly. Eat. Experience the gorgeous flavour on your palate created by two simple ingredients. 😉

We always end our meal with the Lemon Grass Ice Cream and Banana & Sichuan Pepper Ice Cream. They also have a Matcha Ice Cream (green tea flavour). Unless you are a green tea fan, the Matcha Ice Cream is not for the masses. It’s an acquired taste and I have no intention of ever acquiring such ‘urghh-y’ tastes. My ‘green-tea-loving’ friends love this ice cream which is why I understand that the fault lies with my palate and not the ice cream.

Moving on to the Banana & Sichuan Pepper Ice Cream, it is frikkin’ fabulous! Creamy, with the perfect hint of banana, this is a very good ice cream. The Lemon Grass Ice Cream, though, is outstanding! You have to taste this to understand what the chef has achieved with regard to taste, flavour and aroma. Words shall truly fall short as I try to describe this but, I’m gonna try.

Lemon grass has a very faint tang. It’s there and yet, it’s not. It’s a flavour that is very complex and difficult to get right when used in desserts. A little less and it will fail to impress because you won’t taste it. A little more, and it has the ability to ruin your palate. It is a very sophisticated flavour to get right and I humbly bow to the chef who captured the essence of this ingredient so perfectly with this Lemon Grass Ice Cream. The lemon grass fragrance gently captures your olfactory senses without ruining your palate. As I said earlier, it’s there and yet, it’s not! The ice cream is delectable! It’s one of the best ice creams I’ve had in a long, long time. It’s the super-star of ice creams. 😊

This unlimited set-menu, 'The Koji 45er' is on at Koji, Conrad on weekdays from 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm. It is priced at INR 1099 + taxes. I cannot get enough of it; I have a sneaky feeling, once you try it, you’ll land up there as often as I do. 😉

As this review goes online, let me add:

Koji has a Dim Sum Discovery Festival on until December 10, 2018. We tried three varieties of dim sums from that menu.

Asparagus and Water Chestnut Dumpling - so delicate in flavour and yet so toothsome. It was a veg dim sum, but I loved it!

Chicken and Prawn XO Dumpling – a gorgeous mix of both meats. The chef has not allowed the chicken to overpower the delicate flavour of prawn. Such a scrumptious dim sum, this!

Crispy Prawn Charcoal Cheung Fan - This is the fancier version of the Fried Prawn Cheung Fan but crispier and infused with activated charcoal. It’s so darn moreish I simply cannot get enough of it.

Do give the Dim Sum Discovery Festival a try as it’s on only for a few days (until December 10, 2018).

Food: Easily, 5 on 5

Service: Impeccable, 5 on 5

Ambiance: Of course, 5 on 5

Address: Koji, Conrad-Pune, Mangaldas Road, Pune

Tel: 020 71967158

Some more drool-worthy photographs...