The Chinese Next Door? - Magnolia, Baner

Maybe not for 24 years, and maybe not Alice, but I've spent quite some time living next door to Magnolia. Every time I saw her calm, removed facade, I yearned to get closer.

And finally, one magical Sunday, I did!

Okay, jokes aside, Magnolia is a surprisingly brilliant place. Surprising because it looks like a standard neighbourhood hotel that you go to for urgent food needs at the last minute. However, we were shocked by the hidden talents that Magnolia showed us!

At first, we thought it was a Chinese place (I mean, with a name like Magnolia, what else were we to think?) and we stuck to Chinese. While that blew our minds in itself, eventually, we discovered that they do more, and very well, at that.

Stand-out dishes? The bhakri-ki-tokri. I kid you not, we ate bhakris as they were because they were so delicious!

Apart from this, the Chinese and Thai food is phenomenal.

We had the Thai Red Curry and Noodle soup, the Thai Chicken and Vegetable soup, the Chicken Manchow soup (over a long period of time, of course) and they're all lovely! And the best part is that their quantity is amazing. Having become used to scanty portions, it was a good surprise to see the hearty bowls of soup.

The Thai Chicken Spring Rolls are amazing! The taste of all the essentially 'Thai' elements really sparkles. You have the fresh lemon-grass, the ginger and those wonderfully herby flavours of the cuisine.

We also had the Okra and Chicken dish, which was a great experience. Spiced to perfection, we became fans of the Okra (for the insane non-vegetarians that we are, this was a feat) before the chicken.

The noodles and rice selections also are up to the same standards. Everything is fresh, delicious and wonderfully presented to you.

As for service, I have not seen such an eager set of people before. They're the right mix of helpful and discreet. They notice things like empty water glasses before you have to call, and this is even when the place is full of people. They're very courteous over the phone as well, if you're calling for delivery.

And the best part of the whole thing is, even their delivery service is prompt and detailed. They send you mouth-fresheners in a little packet!

I have eaten and ordered from Magnolia multiple times and I have never been let down neither by their service, nor their food. I say great job, guys! Hands down, the best I have seen.

Points for value for money, taste and excellent service.

The April Rain in Spain? - April Rain, Aundh

Happy Birthday, Midget!

And for today's special menu, we head to eat "Contemporary global cuisine...".
This is a direct quote from the positioning of April Rain.

Let me state, at the outset, that overall, I loved the food we ate. For two people, we spent less than Rs 1000 and were stuffed. We're both eaters...

So. To the brass tacks:

The 'global cuisine' part of the menu was surprisingly limited. The majority of the menu read Indian to us. In fact, the global stuff seemed forced.

But we wanted to eat non-Indian food, so we took up the challenge and went for it.

We shared a Roasted Bell Pepper soup, a Chicken April Rain Caesar Salad and a Lamb Bolognese. Two of us, three dishes, and we were very full for quite a long time.

The soup, while delicious, lacked the 'roasted' element that we were first drawn by. However, it was rich, tangy and rather yummy. Points added for the bread (bread is yummy and solves all problems).

The salad, we loved. Not overstating, here. We really loved the salad. There was lettuce, chicken, olives, cheese and a decent dressing. What more could one need? Oh yes, and there was a whole load of all this. Points for catering to 'desi mindsets'!

The pasta was amazing. Perfectly done spaghetti, with sauce that was heavy on the meat, light on the smell and spiced to perfection. I think the issue with a lot of pasta dishes I've eaten till date is that they keep it bland. Let's face it, we're India, and pasta-eaters here need a certain tribute to their tastes as well as to the original dish. I know this implies bastardizing the dish, but what is globalization teaching us if not ways of making sure we take the best from the world and adapting it?

Look at Bollywood, for example.

So overall, we loved our lunch, because it was just right for us. We loved the lightness of the food, despite pandering to our spice-needs and whatnot.

Points for value for money and bread.

And All That Jazz - Shisha Cafe, ABC Farms

But of course, this is about jazz. And where else can you find a great jazz cafe in Pune but in ABC Farms?
Shisha (because of course, this is what I refer to) is a wooded getaway from the deathly traffic and unending trauma of the city. The minute you begin the walk up towards the entrance you start to feel at ease. The cafe is spread across quite a large area on the ground floor and there's a sort of terrace level that a narrow set of stairs leads to.
The trees and seating which is nicely spaced gives you the feeling of being separate from the other diners, and also lets a nice calmness settle over the whole area. They have live jazz performances at times, apart from which they play soothing jazz over the whole space, making the world slow down and allowing you to relax.
Best time to visit? After a particularly screwed-up day at work. Take a trip to Shisha and lean back in the tastefully dim lighting, allowing yourself to calm down.
And for nourishment of body (along with that of the soul) you can open their menu.
If you want comfort food, nothing can beat their lasagna. It's a beautifully created piece of comfort-food heaven. One serving allows two hungry people to eat and feel happy, satisfied and, if paired with a pitcher of beer between two, even full.
If you have the resources of a student, a visit here won't hurt you much (especially if you stick to the gorgeous lasagna and beer combo) and if you're working, then... Well... Indulge.
There's potential at Shisha for indulging shamelessly on food and drink as well as for keeping it simple. They don't serve only continental fare either. They have the tikkas and makhanis to satisfy the desi-food craving as well as your almost-global fare.
With cocktails, hard liquor and beer, and desserts that can satisfy any sweet tooth, Shisha is your go-to destination for winding down either after a hard day, or a hard week. And you can always just go to Shisha for the cosy, "let's cuddle" atmosphere on a winter evening.