Maadjaapaahit – Explore the South East Asian Cuisines!

Pune is opening it's arm to accept new cuisines. We, foodies, are always look out to try, explore dishes from all around the world. One of its kind cuisine, less explored is Indonesian. Maadjaapaahit is one of the restaurant, which has brought its patrons not only a unique cuisine but an overall experience in itself.

History:: Maadjaapaahit, couple of months old restaurant in the Hotel Pride, Shivaji Nagar, is an Indonesian restaurant which is influenced with the Majapahit, which was the most powerful and greatest empires in the history of Indonesia and South east Asia. Unbelievably, it had 98 territories ranging from Sumatra to New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines, and East Timor. How fascinating it is to learn about all this.

Being a foodie, traveller and a dreamer, I always go to my dream world to imagine, what type of food they use to eat, which attire was worn, what utensils. It is so fun, na!? So, when I saw Maadjaapaahit, the only Indonesian restaurant, I was filled with joy. It is easily located on the main road of Shivaji Nagar, near Rahul Cinema. Valet Parking is available.

Ambience:: Maadjaapaahit is located on the right side on the ground floor of the hotel. The entrance is adorned with the artificial walls depicting an empire which will surely transport you to the royal land of kings. Bar can be seen on the left post entering. Ethnic, earthy colors of wall and furniture, ceiling, lights, carvings gives it a very raw look. Inspired with the 8 regions of Majapahit empire, you can see the description and the name on each wall.

Food:: The menu is pretty extensive with 140 dishes from the 8 regions of the majapahit empire...

Phillipines
Papua New Guinea
East Nimor
Singapore
Indonesia
Thailand
Malaysia
Brunei

Menu has different sections for different region and is classified course wise. Chef Pravin is the man behind the hard work in compiling those authentic recipes from South East Asia. He was the best person to suggest some delish dishes to try. So, we started with the..

Salads

Gado Gado Salad (3/5)
Kerabu Beansprout Salad (3.5/5)
Som Tam Salad (4/5)
Seasame Green Salad (3.5/5)

From the land of Indonesia, comes the Gado Gado Salad which is served with lightly boiled, blanched veggies, fried tofu served with the medium spiced delicious peanut sauce. Presentation could have been more appealing! :)

Kerabu Beansprout salad had nice concoction of coconut, sprouts and tamarind paste. This salad had its origin in Malaysia. Bit tangy, sweet and crunchy salad was delish!

Sesame green salad from East Timor had assorted cabbage and sesame dressing and garnished with fried wontons. Extra crunch of wontons was adding value to the dish.

Som Tam is a raw papaya salad from Thailand. It was one of my favourites. Apart from grated papaya it had tomatoes and to balance had crushed peanuts. Balanced in taste it was!

Soups::
Singapore Laksa (4.5/5)
Sayur Lodeh (4/5)

Laksa in one of the comfort food, also known as spicy noodle soup was one of the best dishes I had then. Thick spicy coconut curry soup with generous amount of rice noodles and exotic vegetables was comforting. The aroma of coconut milk was catching attention. Highly Recommended!

Sayur Lodeh, Indonesian recipe, had veggies in coconut milk. Strong flavour of lemon grass was evident. Loved it!

Appetizers::

Keiyw Phak or Dumplings (3.5/5)
Hed and Khawpod Satay (4/5)
Tahu Sumbat (3/5)

Keiyu Phak or Exotic Thai Dumplings had nice amount of crushed veggies and steamed to perfection. If the outer coating of the dumplings was thin and the veggies had bit flavours, this dish would have been a winner.

Hed and Khawpod Satay from Thailand was served on a hot plate. Satays are my all time favourite. Mushrooms and Baby corns were perfectly marinated in spicy sauce and grilled perfectly. The veggies were juicy and had absorbed all the flavours. Really delicious it was!

Tahu Sumbat or the Grilled Tofu, a Malay recipe was nicely prepared. Thick triangles of tofu was scooped out from middle and stuffed with veggies accompanied with chilli sauce. Tofu was bit dry for me. Overall tasted good with the sauce.

Desserts:
A platter was served to us with Rice pancakes, Sticky rice cake, Mango Pudding and sweet potatoes & coconut rolls. Kahao Neeo Dahm Polama or the mixed sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and served with a layer of fruits was heavy and delicious.
Getuk Lindri from Brunei was sweet potato and coconut rolls. Mild sweet, sticky this was one different dish I liked.

I was so full by the time I finished starters, that I had to skip main course. But I am surely going there again. Will be updating this review as soon as I am done with the main course. Till then stay tuned and do try your hands on something new!