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.

Meat-ing Point - Mad House Grill, Koregaon Park

I love meat. I can eat red-meat all the time, if that were possible. However, it isn't, sadly, because apparently human beings were made to eat vegetables sometimes as well.
So I live from craving-inspired binge to craving-inspired binge. And every new binge, I decided, must be a new discovery. I mean, come on... There are meat-serving places in this country aplenty, and I need to discover them all.
To this end, my friend suggested, one day, that we go to one Mad House Grill. Now, this place is at rather a tiring distance from our general haunts, but he insisted that it was worth the distance. So off we went.
Now, if you look up Mad House on Zomato, etc, you will get pretty-much an overview of the menu and such. Cut-and-dry details.
I did as well, and was expecting your average steak/sizzler place.
Mad House Grill is a small eatery in a lane off the main road in Koregaon Park, Pune. The establishment is small, but done up so well that it feels homey and comfortable. There is a bar, with interesting decor, and the whole place has a rustic, wooden hut type feel to it. The amusing thing is their use of mint in the water jars. I do not imply mint leaves, but the whole stalk including leaves, which they submerge in their jar of drinking water. It's quite cool, once you're over the idea that you're drinking plant-juice.
The staff is unobtrusive, quiet and helpful, which, in my mind, is perfect. Since the eatery is a little way inside, there is no annoying traffic noise intruding on your meals, which makes the whole place very easy to be taken with.
And now the good stuff... The menu. There is a ton of stuff on the menu, from starters to steaks, and all kinds of meats and vegetarian options. However, being the carnivores that we are, we opted for the steaks. The waiter asked us how we would like our steak, did not feel the need to make a face and say "Raw hoga..." when we asked for it rare, and quickly took the order and left. Placing the order, however, was hard work because there were so many tempting options. The non-vegetarian stuff is decently priced for the place and the cuisine, between Rs 350 and 600 depending on what you want to eat. I am talking only of the main courses, of course. The rest of the menu also hovers thereabouts. There is a drinks menu as well, and they have interesting cocktails like Sangria and such, but we stuck to good-old beer.
The service was quick, so hungry carnivores that we were, we dug in. At the outset, when they set a plate in front of you, you feel a little let-down because it looks rather less (Indian mentality, no, we have... Money's worth means the plate has to be overflowing). However, beef, as most meats, is very filling. Along with this, they serve you veggies and whatnot, so it's all a great combination. What really impressed me was that the steak was actually rare, which isn't something most people manage to do. Another very interesting thing was that there were different and new names and flavours on the menu. No standard 'garlic sauce, pepper sauce' nonsense. The flavours they promised were very definitely delivered.
I am super-impressed with Mad House Grill. I am rather a stingy person, so parting with about 600 bucks for food and beer would have been death for me, but here, it was money that begged spending.
I'm craving more already...