The Kukkad Diaries

Being sick sucks. Especially when you have got some exciting tastings and plans with friends lined up. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't a way around it. I had been sick for almost a week before the day we were supposed to go for the Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc tasting and I didn't want to take chances with my already runny nose by cracking open a cold one. But, since I consider myself to be a beer person I had to give in. And I lived to tell the tale.

Euriska, which is a greek themed restaurant located bang on the mundwa main road, was kind enough to host this beer tasting event. Euriska is also one of the very few places that sell Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc and is a great place to hang out and chill.

Coming back to the beer, Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc is the French take on wheat beer. Since I was kind of unwell, I let the chilled beer sit for a while before I could try it. I do agree that beer tastes the best when its chilled, but since that would not agree with my aggravated cold situation I was happy enough to taste the beer, cold or not.

The first word that came to my mind as soon as I had my first sip was "fruity". The beer has a mild taste of coriander and lemon as well. The fruitiness came across as a bit artificial but it could just be because I had the beer while it was at room temperature. On the other hand, I'll give full points to Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc for presentation. The blue bottles, which it comes in, are unique and pretty to look at.




Of course, no tasting is complete without food. Euriska has some amazing choices of bgrub and we were not disappointed. We were presented with Achari Marinated Chicken Skewers, Chatpata Corn Aranchini and the Smoky Chicken Pizza.

The Achari Marinated Chicken Skewers were skewered pieces of barbequed chicken with some crispy veggies. It had a tangy taste to it because of the achaari marinate and were a good addition to a drinking session.


The pizza was just the way we like it. It had the most important toppings that you could ask for which is loads of cheese and chicken. Of course, it made us proud and tasted phenomenal.


But The Chatpata Corn Aranchini clearly seemed to be the winner. These deep fried cheese and corn balls were served with a side of salsa and made sure we kept coming back for more.



Of course, the beer really helped too. The beer found takers with people who don't normally drink beer.
The presence of good friends and great conversation did help the matters a lot. Though it was a sweltering Saturday afternoon Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc kept us cool and going for the day.

Balewadi High Street has been transformed to an ultimate gastronomical playground for all serious foodies. From food chains to glitzy restaurants to bars, they have it all. And the newest addition to the already impressive line up?

Masala Bar. A Zorawar Kalra initiative that is already pretty popular in Mumbai. And Masala in the name means there's some brilliant Indian Fusion cuisine to be had.

The launch party was obviously a big hit and lasted till the wee hours. Mr. Kalra was in attendance and he doubled as the ever-gracious host. On being asked why he chose Pune for Masala Bar during a quick tete-a-tete he elaborated about how Pune has evolved over the years as a strong contender for business investment and how it has cultured a sophisticated taste with people being more receptive of new and experimental cuisine.



When we went back to the restaurant for a proper tasting session, it was same upscale, glitzy place from the launch party albeit much more sombre now, which promised of a nice, quiet dining experience.

The place has, of course, been done up beautifully with warm tones, plush seating and stunning light installations. There is a huge bar island in the middle of the dining area which is constantly churning up eye catching concoctions.

One of the first drinks that we had and our favorite from the night was the CHAI PE CHARCHA with the signature smokes and theatrics. As a rule, I'm not the most vocal supporter of all the frills and smoke. I like my food simple and delicious and same goes with my drinks.



Well, for a not so very fusion friendly in the current setting I actually ended up loving the drink! The whiskey based cocktail that came out of all the fragrant fumes was a pretty solid mix of chai-tea and citrusy flavors which worked so well with the alcohol.

Well, the service was exemplary and the presentation was phenomenal. But sometimes when you get past the thrills and frills, it comes down to good ol' food in front of you. To be honest, not everything impressed us but my personal favorite picks were these:

• CHINI CHINESE BHEL was a asian flavored, crispy noodles dish swathed up in tangy yet delicious flavors. It was a good dish start with. Perfect for light bites with drinks.
  
  
• BANGKOK SALAD was a another hit for me. It was fresh bowl of julienned vegetables and tossed in a light summery dressing. It had raw papaya, mango, pomegranate and herbs. Topped with crunchy lotus stem crisps, all the elements resonated beautifully with every bite!
  
  
• CHING CHONG PORK RIBS had beautiful flavors. The sweet, sticky sauce was married beautifully to the tender meat. It made for a delicious, delicious meal. If only the portion size wasn't as small. The dish comes with a small sized pork rib, so if you had been planning to share, you might want to order another one!
  
  
• CARBON PAO BHAJI. I had mixed feelings about this one because from what I have learnt from the carbon trend of 2017 is that not all things black is good. The bhaji was beautifully spiced and the pao, though black, were soft and yielding. I loved the combo.
  However, there's a caveat. If you are an ardent fan of pao bhaji, you may not like it so much. Well, to be honest, I'm not very attached to Pao Bhaji and maybe that's why I was open to the experiment? The Carbon Pao Bhaji didn't find many takers at the table but I loved it, so I finished it. There. :)
  
  
• PUFFED GRAINS AND PESTO KHICHDI WITH PARMESAN OLIVE CREAM. This was soul food. That's it. After a night of drinking out, when you are famished and want to eat to settle your stomach, a bowl of this khichdi is what you want. The creamy risotto like consistency and the comfortable khichdi flavors did magic!
  
  
• CALINGUT PRAWN CURRY with rice was like a good bowl of Thai curry, which is my favorite curry. The coconut milk based curry was so creamy and delicious and the prawns were cooked delicately. Definitely a hit!
  
  
• CALORIE TOWER was a smorgasbord of various elements put together and waiting to be discovered. Doused in whipped cream and chocolate sauce the dessert had brownie chunks, profiteroles, ice cream and cookies in the mix. What a heady way to end the meal!!
  

With so many dining apps that are already available in the market, it gets hard to choose the best ones that give best offers. Most of the apps have a set discount for each restaurant, or perhaps cashback offers on the total bill when you book your tables through that app. But recently I came across an app that is free and offers discounts up to 50%!

Yes, it does seem hard to believe, but this Thailand based app, EATIGO works in a unique way which maximizes benefits of the diners as well as the restaurants. The app offers different discounts through the day. So, if you book a reservation during an odd hour of the day, you might get discount up to 50% which is a pocket friendly deal.



Eatigo app is absolutely free and is available both on IOS and Android. The app is really user friendly and easy to use. They have also got a web version which can be checkout out here - http://bit.ly/2psPrJh

Over 500 restaurants can be browsed based on location or cuisine in Mumbai and Pune. You can pick the joint you choose to visit and book a reservation for a particular time of the day. As soon as you do so, you discover the discount available as per your choice of time.



And why do I write all this with this conviction? Because I have used the app first hand and can vouch for it.

On an odd Tuesday night, I got a hankering for pizza. Of course, a Tuesday night is not the best day of the week but guess what, I snagged a cool 50% off for my cheat meal!



Cheesiano Pizza which is right around the block I live, is my go-to for good Margherita Pizza (which is to me the best type of pie ever.) Of course, if I'm going to cheat, I go all out. So, fries and Primevera pasta it is!





I must say, I relished the pizza even more as I knew I would only have to pay half of the price for all those carbs that I will be indulging in.



All I had to do was go to the app, find a great eatery and book a slot for me and my friend. I booked a 10:30 pm slot, which is good because we get back from work pretty late, and since it is around the time the eatery closes, we got a good deal.



Then all we had to do was to go down to the eatery and hog to our heart's content. The discount got applied to the bill automatically!

What better way to make your meal even more satisfying than by saving some cool bucks (maybe to buy extra dessert later. :D )
Try out this cool new app for yourself and find out! Thank us later ;)

We have known Sarjaa for as long as we've been in Pune, which has been quite a while now. We have used the place as a landmark to book our Ubers or passed by it and noticed it in passing. But we had never gotten around to walking inside for a meal yet.
Couple of weeks back, we got a chance to try the food at Sarjaa and finally realized what we had been missing out on.

So here is your Food Ordering at Sarjaa 1.0 if you have been living under a rock and never been to this place yet.

1. KOTHIMBIR and CHEESE KE CHAPETE: I'm starting this list with a vegetarian appetizer but that just goes to say how good the dish was. This cheese and coriander flavored tikkas were so mad delish, we ended up ordering it again. Do give this a shot and prove us right.

2. JHINGA TAWA was another starter we went gaga over. The crispy, well done prawns were cooked in rich spices that made it just the right company for your mug of beer (which is just as easily available here on taps)



3. MUTTON KEEMA was an example to keema dishes at other places. The quality of the mutton used was exemplary which made the dish taste rich and flavorsome. It went wonderfully well with my NEER DOSA. We sure know where to head when mutton keema cravings strike.



4. BUTTER CHICKEN at Sarjaa's has been it's signature dish for almost 25 years and been favored by patrons since decades. As a first timer in regard to the butter chicken here, we braced ourselves for the tasting as the reputation had preceded the dish for quite sometime. And oh boy, were all the rumors true. The BUTTER CHICKEN was truly to die for. The chicken was well cooked and so tender and the gravy was thick, creamy and delicious. Definitely TKD approved.

5. MALLU MACCHI CURRY and INDRAYANI STICKY RICE was a combo we made that day and what a combo this was. This was like an Indian version of Thai curry and rice, but much more spicier and flavorsome with the indian spices adding to the mix. But it was a comfort meal with the sticky rice no doubt.



The menu is extensive and pans an entire list of cuisines from Indian to Asian. Sarjaa has also undergone a recent revamping of look and branding with new decor as well as menu.


There are new cocktails to be tried (I'd suggest be adventurous with the Sangria. They have quite a selection.) and new dishes to be tried.

But the classic Sarjaa fare remains the same, in name and taste.

I always wanted to get a grill for myself. Why, you may ask. Because no one has ever heard of someone calling friends over for a microwave. Nor has anyone thrown a pool side microwave party. Replace “microwave” with “grill” in the above sentences and things start to become exponentially cooler.
That being said, I had almost gotten a grill for myself if not for the tormenting and overwhelming thought of “who the hell is actually going to cook the meat, because i can’t”. Fortunately for us, we were invited to Ignite Bar and Grill for its limited period Holiday Season BBQ brunch menu which ends on 1st Jan.

The restaurant is a part of the Hinjewadi property of Courtyard by Marriott and is located right on the Wakad Hinjewadi main road. We have been there before but the place always manages to surprise us. The place has a very relaxing and soothing vibe to it. You could either choose to sit in the cabana or on the tables outside depending on your preference and mood. We chose to sit right under the sun in the open.

Ignite has a great variety of cocktails and wines to try from. We tried the Thicker which was orange bitters with spiced infused whiskey. It had a very citrusy feel to it and was something i enjoyed. We also tried the Spiced Mojito and the Wonder which was made with rosemary and gin infusion along with sugarcane syrup and tonic water. It has an overwhelming taste of rosemary to it.