Spice Kitchen.. A bland dim sum festival!

Spice Kitchen at JW Marriott, Senapati Bapat road, happens to be one of my favorite buffets in town. It has a classy charm that truly pleases the senses. 

There was a dim sum festival on (from February 15, 2016 to February 29, 2016) hence my bestie and I headed there on Saturday evening. The buffet at Marriott is well laid out but drinks, or drink packages, aren’t included (except, maybe, for the Sunday brunch) which make the whole experience a pricy affair. The past few days because they had a dim sum festival on, the buffet was even more expensive. It was priced at 1350 rupees, plus drinks, plus taxes which is why we ended up paying a steep 2000 per person. Paying the amount we pay when visiting a five star is not a problem at all. The problem arises when the food is not up to the mark.

The price of the buffet was hiked because of the festival and not one dim sum ticked the right palate box. The dim sums brought to the table were cold. They forgot to serve us the fried variety along with the steamed ones, and when they did serve them later (after being reminded), they were also cold. We sent them back requesting they bring us hot ones. The dim sums were absolutely nothing to write home about. The dim sum wrappers were thin enough but the fillings were bland and extremely dense. The prawn dim sum was a tad better than the rest. As for the fried lamb sesame ball, the coating was so thick and tough that we could not cut into it with a knife. Truly, the dim sums served were very, very, very disappointing!

The rest of the buffet was laid out as usual except that I did not see any smoked salmon or Brie or Camembert at the buffet counters. These days Marriott is getting stingy in regard to putting up pricy stuff at the buffet which is extremely unbecoming of an establishment like them. Usually when smoked salmon and our favorite cheeses are not served at the buffet, they make it available to us when requested. (Marriott hospitality at it’s best!) I guess they also extend this courtesy to us because we are regulars at the Spice Kitchen. It is indeed very sweet and kind of them to do so! That evening though, they did not have Brie or Camembert (sad face) and we had to just make do with the smoked salmon. 

We did not try too much from the Indian main course counter but the chicken starter (some kind of tikka) was delicious. We tried a bowl of steaming chicken coriander soup. It was perfectly balanced and was one of the best things we had that evening. We also tried the soy noodles and some chicken and fish dishes from the Chinese counter, all of which were very nice. We later polished off a thin crust pizza with loads and loads of stringy cheese. (Happy puppy face)

As the dim sum festival was on, the restaurant was quite crowded. The servers (usually extremely attentive) were often running around like headless chickens which lead to poor service quality. The guy at the waffle counter took our order and we waited nearly 15-20 minutes for him to serve us. He made waffles for tables around us but for some reason forgot our table existed. We were just too tired of repeating orders to the servers and hence decided to chuck the waffle and call for the check. We had to repeat our request for the cheque too. 

There is something for everyone at each counter at Spice Kitchen and we (my bestie and I) will definitely continue visiting them because of the food they serve and also, mainly, because of the way in which they treat us. But, will I go to Spice Kitchen when they have a special festival on; when servers are over-hassled and the buffet price hiked? I don’t think so! All in all, Spice Kitchen has enough food laid out to please most palates, both, at their regular buffet and at their Sunday brunch buffet. You won’t come away disappointed so do walk in and give it a try. 

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 2.5/5 (the waffle guy and for making us repeat our requests – usually I would give them a 4/5)

Food – Dim sums: 1/5 (I’m being polite)
Food (Regular Buffet): 3.5/5 (based on Saturday evening’s buffet – sometimes the food at their buffet and Sunday brunch is so good that I would easily give them a 4/5)

Address: Senapati Bapat Road, Pune.

Tel no: 020 66832345 / 020 66833333

Dezio.. A series of hits and misses!

This girls day out has been in the planning for nearly five years and on February 18, of this year, we finally made it a reality. The place we honed in on was Dezio, the non-vegetarian sibling of Dario’s. 

When we made the reservation we were informed that the outdoor seating area and a part of the ground floor were closed off because of renovations and we were to be seated on the first floor.  We were okay with that and when we reached we were promptly lead to the elevator that took us to the first floor. 

The restaurant has a bright and vibrant charm. Beautiful modern art adorn the walls. The tables, too, are well spaced. Our server asked us our preference for drinks. One of my friends chose a fresh lime soda and the other chose a Diet Coke. I requested for a Frozen-Virgin Lemon Margarita. I did not see it on the menu but asked the server if their bartender could make me one. He did and it was exactly what I had asked for: tart and refreshing! 

For starters we ordered Funghi Crocifissi (whole roasted mushrooms with garlic, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and parsley), Crocchette Di Verdura (Seasonal mixed vegetable croquettes with a basil and cheese sauce) and Fritto Misto (Calamari and Prawns deep fried until golden, served with a tartar sauce). 

The Funghi (mushrooms) were beautifully cooked and still retained that perfect bite. The Crocchettes (croquettes) were soft and pillow-y; morsels of sheer delight. They were so darn delicious that we actually regretted not ordering an extra portion. I’m a hardcore carnivore and quite finicky about vegetarian food but the Crocchettes is a ‘must try’ dish. A perfect 10/10 score for those melt-in-the mouth babies. The Fritto Misto (prawns and calamari) were fried crisp and well cooked, but lacked seasoning. The fried seafood, however, worked well with the sauce served. The lack of seasoning was a big minus for the otherwise well cooked dish. If someone wanted to skip the sauce, all they would have is a plate of unseasoned seafood. 

For the mains my vegetarian friend chose Ravioli Con Noci (Ravioli stuffed with cheese and mushroom, with a walnut and thyme cream sauce). My bestie (a salad freak), chose Pedalino (Warm chicken tossed in fresh herbs on a bed of salad leaves with olives, tomatoes, green beans, sun-dried tomatoes and basil with a balsamic dressing). My choice of main was, Involtini Di Carne (Roasted tenderloin parcels with herbs and cheese, served with roasted baby potatoes). We also decided to share a vegetarian pizza and garlic bread.

The pizza was a very big letdown. We ordered a simple pizza with onions, mushrooms and green bell peppers and lots of cheese. The pizza was thin crust but, was bland, lacked seasoning, had inadequate pizza sauce and barely had any cheese. In fact, it felt as if the chef had forgotten to add cheese. Pizza is a lot about hot stringy, yummy cheese and, despite being a simple made to order pizza, was a sore disappointment! It is extremely sad that a restaurant that claims to make Italian cuisine botched up a pizza that badly! The garlic bread was warm, buttery and garlicky. If only the pizza had been as soul-satisfying as the garlic bread, it would have been wonderful.

The Ravioli, however, was thinly rolled out and cooked to perfection. It melted in the mouth! To find a restaurant that can make such superb ravioli was a sheer delight. But, the dish again lacked seasoning. We had to sprinkle salt and pepper to elevate it to the dish it was meant to be. Had it been seasoned well, I would have actually given it an 11/10. The ravioli was that perfect in texture! 

My bestie's salad was well seasoned and she seemed quite happy with it. I’ll take her for her word because I absolutely refuse to subject myself to eating raw leaves!

As for my main course, firstly, because it was a tenderloin 'parcel' I was told it would have to be well done; medium rare or medium was not an option. I was disappointed but told them to go ahead with the order. Secondly, the description of Involtini Di Carne, mentions the word ‘parcels’. I told (verbatim) the server, ‘I’d like the Involtini Di Carne, roasted tenderloin parcels with herbs and cheese, served with roasted baby potatoes.’ While my friends ate their mains, I waited for my dish to arrive and finally reminded our server that my dish wasn’t brought to me, yet. He gave me a quizzical look and said, ‘It’s being parceled!’ I was aghast and went, ‘WHAT?’ I informed the misguided soul that the description said ‘tenderloin parcels’, and that I hadn’t told him to parcel it. Sigh! Double sigh!

I told our frazzled server to leave it be and let the dish remain parceled. I shared my friend’s ravioli and ate an extra slice of the bland pizza. While my main course was ‘being parceled’ my friends were nearly done with their food and it made absolutely no sense to eat the main course all alone. This mix-up, to all of us, was a MAJOR boo-boo! An error I was extremely miffed about! Actually, we all were.

As for the tenderloin parcels (that I ate at home), the meat was extremely chewy and for some reason, the beef stank. I kid you not, it stank! I do not say this just because the server made a boo-boo. Though miffed, I do understand he is human and prone to error. The stench could probably be because the dish should have been eaten served at the table. I still see no reason for the meat to be so stinky though, because there have been times when I’ve had extra steak from a sizzler doggy-bagged and they tasted fine. The Involtini Di Carne was priced at five hundred and fifty bucks which I felt was like money flushed down the drain and, this is me being very polite!

For dessert, we chose a Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart, Panna Cotta and Hot Chocolate Brownies with Hot Chocolate Sauce and Ice Cream. 

I asked our server whether they served Panna Cotta’s in different flavors. He went, ‘Umm Panna (hesitant-thoughtful silence) Cotta (again, hesitant-thoughtful silence)’. After having mulled over my ‘rocket science’ question for a while, he requested me to give him a moment to check if it was available in flavors. It was not. It was plain creamy Panna Cotta. I ordered it anyways. The Panna Cotta was served with a coulis and was perfect in taste and texture (wobbly).  

I found the tart a tad too salty while my bestie thought it was perfect. She liked that extra hint of saltiness. The tart was chocolate-y and the crust, too, was delicious! The brownies were fresh and gooey, with an awesome overload of chocolate sauce. No complaints on this one. 

Two main points urgently need to be addressed by Team Dezio. One, their servers, though extremely polite and attentive, need to be more knowledgeable about the dishes on the menu. Parceling a dish that mentions parcels as a ‘cooking term’ is catastrophic to the person ordering the dish. The chef should have also questioned this decision as the dish was clearly meant to be eaten fresh, at the table. Two, the dishes should have been seasoned better. The near misses could then well have been beautiful, flavorsome dishes.

As I end this review one more point comes to mind. Dezio is an all-day café/restaurant and yet at around 1530 - 1545 hours they shut off the air conditioners. I had to tell our server to switch them back on. It is extremely impolite to shut off the air conditioners while guests are eating their desserts!

As the title of this review aptly mentions, Dezio was indeed a series of hits and misses. The hits were all perfect sixes, hit over the head of spectators, straight out of the stadium. As for the misses, some batted for a while and some were out for a duck! I hope Dezio takes the time to inform their chef in regard to correct seasoning and trains their servers to be more knowledgeable about the food they serve. I feel the place has the potential to do much better if they work on the small negatives that mar the dining experience.

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Food: 3/5 (Had we not had the seasoning issue in so many dishes and had the pizza not been such a big disappointment this rating could well have touched a 4 or 4.5)

Address: North Avenue, Near Mars Society, Kalyani Nagar, Pune.

Tel: 020 69000610 / 020 69000611

Kloee’s – A Sweet Treat!

Kloee’s – A Sweet Treat!

Kainaz Nunes (of Kloee’s) is a professional chef with years of experience under her belt. She has worked at The Oberoi as part of their OCER (Oberoi Central Employment Register) demi chef de parties training program. She later moved to the United Kingdom to work with Brookmans and, thereafter; to Dubai for the pre opening of The Atlantis Palm Jumeireh. It was at the pastry section of Nobu, at The Atlantis Palm Jumeireh, that she began her ‘baking’ journey and mastered the art of baking the most awesome pastries, cakes, pies, tarts and more.

When Kainaz approached me for the review, the first thing I told her was that I, at one time, have had the most awesome brownies and I would surely compare the ones made by her to the ones I’ve had. The Choco Walnut Brownie (Rs 650/- for a full tray & Rs 450/- for half tray – I apologize, I have no photograph of that because my brother and I couldn’t wait long enough to sample it), Carrot Cake (Rs 150/- for 250 grams), Dense Chocolate Loaf (Rs 120 for 250 grams), Apple and Banana Salted Caramel Tart (Rs 100 – approx 200 grams), Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (Rs 200 – box of 6) and Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese (Rs 200 – box of 6) were the things she sent for me to try. I placed a separate order for Chicken Quiche (Rs 350/- for 7” quiche) as my family loves it.

The fabulous brownies I had eaten earlier were indeed fabulous, but I have a very honest confession to make: the Choco Walnut Brownie by Kloee’s beat those by a mile. I cannot begin to explain how delicious it was and the only way I can word it is to say, ‘I was in brownie heaven’!

The Carrot Cake was fresh and an absolute delight, more so, because it was not overly sweet.



The Dense Chocolate Loaf was just that, dense and delicious. The only drawback was the chocolate chips sprinkled over the top as this interfered with the smooth dense texture of the cake. I would have preferred the intense, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate loaf without having to chew on those choco-chip bits. 

I am not a big fan of fruits or anything that contains fruit. Over the years, though, I have developed an intense liking for apple pie, all thanks to the one time when my bestie  Srinanda (Denzy) and her daughter Pia (my bunny wabbit - yes wabbit, not rabbit)  convinced me to try a bite of the apple pie they were sharing at a restaurant. Now, I always make it a point to buy apple pies whenever I can lay my greedy paws on them. The Apple-Banana Salted Caramel Tart that Kainaz sent me was to die for. The filling was perfectly balanced, moist, with just that hint of salted caramel coming through. The tart shell, too, was beautifully cooked!

The Double Chocolate cupcakes and Red Velvet cupcakes were classic! The muffins for both the cupcakes were soft and the chocolate ganache and cream cheese frosting was spot on! (The minimum order for cupcakes (single flavor) is a box of 6)



As I mentioned earlier, I had placed an order for the Chicken Quiche. The Bawi in me can never resist the lure of eggs and cheese so when I saw the quiche on her Facebook page I just had to order it. It was one of the best quiches I have ever tasted and I would know, because I bake quiche for my family quite often. Truly worth every rupee! Vegetarians need not be disappointed: she makes Vegetarian Quiche too!

Kainaz Nunes of Kloee’s is in Pune only for a few months before she relocates to another country. Her bakes and cakes are very reasonably priced and yet nowhere did I notice any compromise on quality. Do give her fabulous goodies a try while she is still in Pune. You won’t regret it because this lady is a master at her work.

A perfect Quiche, indeed!

There sometimes comes a time in the life of a food critique when reviewing certain food stuff is a real pain, and then again, there are times when it’s a pleasure. This was truly a pleasure!

Packaging: 4/5 (Simple and neat – no expensive, fancy packaging - you can’t bite into it and have to finally thrown into the dustbin anyways)

Presentation: 4/5

Food 4.5/5

(Chocolate chips on the dense loaf was a no for me)

Kloee’s (Kainaz Nunes)
Tel: +91 9930621425

Address: Mangaldas Road, Pune.