Gourmet Men:: One stop solution for your late night hunger! — Reviewed!

What:: Gourmet Men (All Night Delivery)
Time:: 7 pm to 3 am
Where: Koregaon Park, Kalyani Nagar and nearby areas.
Cost: Rs.600 (approx) for two people
Contact: +91 8552937654
Website: Gourmetmen.com

With the growing pace of nightlife, all night delivery places are gaining a place in Pune. One of such places, which I came across recently was the Gourmet Men. The All Night delivery place has such menu which is the fusion of taste and culinary styles from different countries. Though the menu is limited to Paninis, Pizzas and Doner Kebabs, what makes Gourmet Men stand apart is the preparation style. Almost no place is serving Doner Kebabs or Scrumptious Paninis or Square Pizzas! The fresh and gourmet ingredients are the key to the taste.

Gourmet Men are also active on the social front and can be spotted at flea markets or farmers' market. I was invited by them at Wassup Flea so tried a couple of dishes from the menu. At that point, pizzas were not being served hence I tried Panini and Doner Kebabs. So, Doner is a Turkish kebab which is cooked on a vertical rotisserie.


We had Peri Peri Cottage Cheese Doner Kebab (Rs.180) and oh boy what fully loaded doner was served to us! The prices are inclusive of Doner and super scrumptious, perfectly cooked Potato Wedges. The portion size is huge and is sufficient for 2 people with medium appetite. Smoked Peri Peri sauce with caramalized onions, paneer, mayo, sun-dried tomatoes and danish mozzarella stuffed in the doner was heavenly. A must try!

Had to try the much talked about Paninis. They are made only in brown bread. We tried the Crispy Hash Potatoes Panini (Rs.170) which again was loaded with veggies, crispily fried hash brown, tomatoes, pickled carrots, cucumber, cheddar, mozzarella and veg mint mayo. It had the crunch, full of the filling and yet with a lot of sauce. Usually, the bread, sandwiches, paninis, burgers we eat are usually dry but trust me Gourmet Men is generous in terms of stuffings, sauces and not a single bite was dry. It was prepared just the way I like it – crispy crust! Recommended!

What a find I must tell you and now I am really excited to try the pizzas! So, next time whenever hunger pangs haunt you at night, Gourmet Men is just a call away. You can order through Zomato as well.

Social – Each element will surprise you! — Reviewed!

Social – What a place! Known for its quirky interiors, ambience, delectable food, Social has marked its strong presence in the dining scenes. With the outlets in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Social has spread its wings in Pune and in style, of course!

Location and Ambience::

Located on the third floor in the Phoenix Market City, Pune, the place is already quite popular amongst the Punekars. This outlet has been given the 'Puneri' touch by creating the vibes of "Katta", "Letter Box" themed dining area, and quotes can be read around like "Kasa Kay Pune?" One can see a lot of rawness and the utmost use of recycled products. 

The entrance is made up with arranging the old blue crates in such a way, that the entry gate is missed sometimes! After entering, the trippy red lights are fixed on the roof and walls. There are 4 sections – Letter Box themed dining space, Kadak space for the college crowd who want to enjoy the sports while binging on the food, casual dining space with trampoline above you and the last one is the co-working space. One can take the membership and that cost can be redeemed against the food and beverages.

 

Food::

Coming on to the food, the menu has been given really interesting twist keeping the classic taste intact. Right from the breakfast trays to ladi paos, poutine, chaats, china boxes, sizzlers, biryani, and pasta are there to cater one and all. Some of the enthralling dishes were Andaz apna apna eggs, Hangover breakfast, applam chaplam papadam, awesamosas, Thai Thali, Chilli Paneer China Box, Chocolate blood bath to name a few. Here are the delicacies we tried from the menu....

• Watermelon vs Feta Salad (3.5/5)
• Purani Dilli Chaat Walk (4.5/5)
• Chakhna Bitings Tiffin (3.5/5)
• Crispy Corn Chakhna (4/5)
• Croquettish (3.5/5)
• Multani Mushrooms (4.5/5)
• Mixed Veg Salt and Pepper (4.5/5)
• Butter Chilli Garlic Momos (5/5)
• Double Grilled Naga Chilli Cheese Toast (4.5/5)
• Chilli Paneer Black Pepper China Box (4.5/5)
• Spicy Social Spaghetti (4.5/5)
• Chocolate Chutzpah (4.5/5)
• Layer Cake (4/5)
• Chocolate Blood Bath (4.5/5)
• Lucky's Caramel Custard (4/5)

After trying a couple of mocktails, out of which watermelon based stood out, tried the Watermelon vs Feta Salad which was served in the jar. Though it was a refreshing dish in the scorching summer, the dressing was a bit too much for the portion. Otherwise, the watermelon, feta, pine-nuts and the tender arugula leaves were just so soothing!

Chaat tops the chart everywhere including the one we had at Social. Priced at Rs.190/- total value for money, the Purani Dilli Chaat Walk was the plate which no one can refuse. Pani puri with sweet and spicy water, Dahi Papadi, Raj Kachori, Fried chana dal was served on the copper plate and was a total feast for all of us. Loved it!

Chakhna Bitings Tiffin was next on the table. Served in the small steel tiffin boxes, it had chatpata chana, chakli, peanuts. It was paired well with the drink. One can munch on while waiting for the food. Nice idea!

Along with it we also tried Crispy Corn Chakhna. Wow! loved it. Deep fried sweet corn fritters were tossed in Asian sauces and were a total delight. A must try!

As we heard Croquettish, the cheese pull is all we could imagine. But this version did not have mozzarella hence we had to settle down with the regular croquettes. It was nicely deep fried and had a perfect balance of taste and wished it could have been cheesier.

Next was the Multani Mushrooms. It was also served in the "Social style" in the small coal grill tray. The marination was exceptional. Mushrooms too were well cooked with all the smokey flavours. Slight tangy, spicy, the mushrooms are highly recommended!

Another star dish was the Mixed Veg Salt and Pepper. Tasted like veg crispy, the veggies were corn flour coated, deep fried and sauteed in the Asian sauces. Loved the crisp veggies with the simplest of ingredients. Recommended!

Who would believe we had one of the best momos at a restaurant. Usually eaten at the road-side stalls, scrumptious momos are hard to find at a place like Social. But they surprised us with the awesome Butter Chilli Garlic Momos which were filled with regular veggies and tossed in butter, garlic, chilli and served with tangy sriracha sauce. Highly Highly Recommended!

Visually appealing the Double Grilled Naga Chilli Cheese Toast served on the skewers were gone in couple of minutes! The extra cheesy and perfectly toasted bread were burst of taste in the mouth. I bet you can't stop at one! Highly Recommended!

If you are running short of time and wanna keep your lunch handy, do not think twice and grab yourself a Chilli Paneer Black Pepper China Box. The wholesome meal in itself the box was easy to carry and packed with flavourful noodles, fresh paneer and bit of veggies. Highly Recommended!

Presented in the steel box, the Spicy Social Spaghetti was simple yet delectable. The traditionally prepared dish was tossed in garlic and olive oil with some herbs. A crowd-pleasing recipe for sure!

Next came on the desserts. We tried almost all the chocolate based ones out of which Chocolate Blood Bath was the winner! It was literally death by chocolate. Made with Chocolate cake, brownies, truffles, fudges, ice-cream, mousse, all in chocolate this dessert was heavenly. The texture was dense and luscious. A must order for all the sweet tooth people! This dessert has set the standards really high!

Dunked in the choco-bar, the rich chocolate cake with smarties, crackles topped with chocolate sauce, the Chocolate Chutzpah had all the textures of crunch and sweetness.

Interesting dessert was the flourless Layer Cake which had layers of cake, dark chocolate mousse, caramel mousse, nutty chocolate mousse and topped with hot chocolate ganache. The dark chocolate mousse adds to the intensity of the dish. The decadent layer cake was rich and chocolatey.

Lastly, the classic Lucky's Caramel Custard. The basic yet flavourful caramel custard topped with candly floss and nuts. The soft caramel top was melt in the mouth and totally balanced on sweetness.

What a hearty lunch we had. I am yet to try so many other dishes. Will be visiting soon! Have you been there? What is your favourite? Share in the comments below.

The Travelling Dimsum Festival at Shizusan! — Reviewed!

What: The Travelling Dimsum Festival
Where: Shizusan, Phoenix Market City, Viman Nagar, Pune
When: 27th April 2018 - 13th May 2018
Cost: A La Carte; approx. Rs.1500 for 2.

Some places never disappoint you and one of them for me is Shizusan –The Asian Bistro located in the Phoenix Market City, Pune. Every single time, Shizusan surprises its patrons with the unique concept whether it is the piping hot Ramen bowls in the Ramen Food Festival or made us travel virtually through the Around the world with 9 Sushis food festival. This time also, the team at Shizusan has come up with The Travelling Dim sum Festival wherein 11 exquisite Dim sums are showcased including one dessert Dim Sum too!


Following are the veg dim sums, I tried...
1. Pan Fried Asparagus Rice Baozi (3.5/5)
2. Spinach, Dates and Cashewnuts Bun (4/5)
3. Tung Tong Peanut Moneybags (4/5)
4. Asparagus and Kimchi Mandoo (4.5/5)
5. Cottage Cheese and Sambal Dumpling (4/5)
6. Green Apple Pie Moneybags (4/5)

Baozi is a type of filled bun which is usually steamed and stuffed with vegetarian of non-veg filling. It comes from the Japanese region. The one served to us had fragrant rice and veggies in it. It is usually served without accompaniments but I found it bit dry though the bun was super fresh and the filling itself was delicious.


Next on our table was from the China – The Spinach, Dates and Cashew nuts Bun. The deep fried dish was crunchy from outside and had sweet and medium spiced spinach, mala oil with the crunch of cashews inside. I particularly liked it because it had the texture, taste on point! The classic dish had a juicy filling.

Another scrumptious preparation was the Tung Tong Peanut Moneybags. The recipe is straight from Malaysia. The fried dumpling had curried veggies in the peanut sauce. Adding bit more crushed peanuts would have elevated the taste, otherwise, this money bag was yum.

Next was one of my most favourite – Asparagus and Kimchi Mandoo. Mandoo/Mandu are Korean Dumplings. The one presented to us had Pokchoy, celery, and gochujang with the 'Desi' twist. The filling was juicy, spicy and the taste lingers in your mouth. A total burst of flavours similar to the Indian palate.

Last one was the Cottage Cheese and Sambal Dumpling. The Indonesian delicacy was steamed and the filling of spinach and golden corn combined with cottage cheese and sambal had taken the dish to another level. They were irresistible. 

I was really excited to try the dessert dumpling – Green Apple Pie Moneybags. The deep fried dumpling had chunks of caramalised apples with the hint of cinnamon and drizzled with the caramel sauce. The combination of sweet apple and caramel sauce was heavenly and perfectly balanced with the cinnamon. 

So, all the Asian food lovers, Dumpling lovers, and also a foodie do visit the place and enjoy some impeccable dishes.