Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen – Breeze of freshness in Kothrud's Dining Scene — Reviewed!

Breaking the myth that vegetarian food is only limited to paneer and mushrooms, the Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen has come up with some interesting menu. Just a week old restaurant, Kalinga is located opp. Mehendale Garage, Erandwane and one should not underestimate the building from outside. It is a very well planned mammoth space from inside. First two floors are a veg restaurant, 3rd floor is restro with bar, 4th floor is going to be Babylon Grill Room (BGR), 5th floor is the Level 5 Bistro, 6th floor is the Babylon Craft Brewery. Though currently, the restaurant is open to the public, the bistro, brewery, and the grill room will be starting soon. Choose your mood and enjoy at any of the levels with your friends and family. The ambience is chic, classic wall art adds on to the interiors.


The parking is also taken care of. The autonomous multi-level parking is available at the back of the building. No need to waste time to look out for space. You are sorted.

Menu: The menu is curated by the acclaimed chef and the consultant Amit Puri. The extensive menu comprises of not only English breakfast but Asian, Italian, Indian cuisines. As I mentioned the menu is not limited to the paneer or mushrooms, one can find some outstanding unexpected dishes like Arbi and Kathal. All the bread, sauces, bakery items, and desserts are made in-house. We tried the following signatures from the menu....
  • Mulligatawny Soup (4/5)
  • Corn and Coconut Soup (3.5/5)
  • Badam Broccoli (4/5)
  • Honey Chilli Lotus Stem (4.5/5)
  • Mac and Chilli Cheese Poppers (4.5/5)
  • Crispy noodle Paneer 65 (4/5)
  • Mushroom Cheese Melt (5/5)
  • Bhuna Kathal Wrap (5/5)
  • Peri Peri Arbi Tuk (4.5/5)
  • English Vinglish Salad (4.5/5)
  • Kalinga Margarita Pizza (4.5/5)
  • Assorted Bao (4/5)
  • Malaysian Curry with Prata (4.5/5)
  • Teriyaki Exotica with Fragrant Rice (4.5/5)
  • Kale Aglio Olio (4.5/5)
  • Koyla Dal Makhani and Multigrain roti (5/5)
  • Baby Naan (4.5/5)
  • Mango Cheesecake (4.5/5)
  • Fudge Brownie (5/5)
  • Coffee Crepes (4.5/5)
  • Dates and Jaggery Colada (5/5)
Started our lunch with some refreshing mocktails. I had nice Peach Iced Tea but Pineapple, Yuzu and Jalapeno sour on the rocks was loved by one and all. The tasty, tangy and sweet drink was energizing.

We were served Mulligatawny Soup which was thick, spicy, curried with the base of sweet potato, coconut, kali mirch and topped with papad crisp. The aftertaste was sublime. Loved the mild spicy flavor.

Corn and Coconut Soup was also served. Sweet corn puree cooked in coconut water, veggies and tender coconut. The soup was good but was expecting some more flavor of coconut but the julienne of tender coconut was balancing it.

Starters were served next. Was excited to try the Badam Broccoli. Nicely cooked, grilled broccoli florets were perfectly marinated in yogurt, yellow chilies, cardamom and then topped with crispy, flaky, toasty almond flakes. Loved the crunchy texture and the creaminess of the marination.

Crispy fried Honey chili lotus stem was scrumptious and addictive. A perfect healthy alternative to the regular potatoes. Good choice for the fussy eaters.

Another great option for kids is the Mac and Chilli Cheese Poppers! Deliciously, gooey and cheesy the poppers are a great nibble to be paired with any mocktail. A delicious combination of mozzarella, cheddar cheese with mac. It was served with super yum in-house smoked ketchup.

Next was the Crispy Noodle Paneer 65. The melt in mouth paneer was marinated with tempered yogurt, chili paste, curry leaves and coated with wanton strips/crispy noodles and deep fried. The crunchy noodles from outside and soft paneer from inside, this dish is worth trying!

Another highly recommended dish was the Mushroom Cheese Melt. Three types of herbed mushrooms, cheese mix was layered inside the panini and then grilled to perfection. Served with french fries and onion rings, the paninis were super fresh and delicious. Must try!

Who would imagine coming to a restaurant and ordering Kathal/Jackfruit? Ordering Pulled Bhuna Kathal Wrap will change your perspective and clear your mind block. Slowly cooked jackfruit, onions, tomatoes, lime chilies mixture were stuffed into a wrap. Medium spicy dish with a wonderful burst of flavors will leave you asking for more. I bet!


One of its kind starters was the Peri Peri Arbi Tuk. Crisp fried Arbi tossed in home made spices and peri peri powder was delicious and super-spicy. This dish was paired well with the mocktail.

Also tried the English Vinglish Salad. A concoction of Kale, achari paneer, peanuts, peppers, smoked corn, mustard vinaigrette, the salad had all the textures and the flavors. Loved it.

Had to try something from the International cuisines, so ordered Kalinga Margarita Pizza. Hand rolled thin crust pizza had pesto, cheese, and arugula leaves. Priced at Rs.300, the 11" pizza is totally worth. BBQ, Spinach, and Cream, Cottage Cheese, 3 Cheese pizzas are also available.

Those who love Bao must try the Assorted Bao. Prepared in Beetroot, Activated Charcoal, and Regular bao, assorted steamed bao was not only visually appealing but delicious as well. One can try any filling with the assortment. We tried the mushroom curry Bao which had the scrumptious filling of assorted mushrooms, coconut, peanut, and curry powder. Recommend to eat it as soon as it is served!

From the pan Asian, we tried the Malaysian curry with prata. Potatoes, french beans, onion, baby corn, cauliflower all in medium spiced coconut curry was a perfect combination with flaky yet soft roti prata.


Next was the Teriyaki Exotica with Fragrant Rice. The Teriyaki was sweet and tangy, just the way it should be. Oyster mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoot, asparagus, maple, and soya sauce blended well to make a thick curry. Served with fragrant rice which had a strong hint of lemongrass. A must try!


Aglio Olio is quite common but the Kale Aglio Olio stand out here. Al Dante pasta was cooked well in the olive oil, garlic, herb, dried chilies and topped with dried green kale. So flavourful!

Next was the pioneer of creativity – Baby Naan. Never had the assorted baby naans with different flavors. Three types of naan — Chilli and Cheese, Roasted Beet and Camembert, and Caramelised pumpkin and feta were served with coriander pesto and smoked aubergine dip. Each one was as delicious as ever, chili and cheese was my favorite though. The aftertaste of chili on the naan was mind-blowing.

Last but not the least was from the Indian mains – Koyla Dal Makhani and Multigrain Roti. Smoked Dal Makhani was rich, creamy with a hint of smokiness. It needs a lot of technique to make it 'right' and Kalinga surprised me here as well. Delicious Dal Makhani! Paired it with Multigrain roti. Soft roti made with multigrain flour and topped with sunflower seeds. Best healthy roti ever! Must try!

How can we miss the desserts? There is always an extra room for that. We had the Mango cheesecake which was light, soft, creamy with subtle mango flavors. It was not only a treat to the eyes but for the palate as well.

Most amazing! Most Fudgy, Gooey, Highly Recommended dessert was the Fudge Brownie. Trust me, I never had such a sinful, luscious, chocolatey, rich, ultra-moist brownie. Served with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream, this dessert was wiped away within minutes.

Coffee Crepes were again very unusual combination we tried. Soft crepes were filled with coffee mousse, cream cheese, coffee crumble and garnished with chocolate sauce. Wonderful and creative dish.
Complete your meal with a Date and Jaggery Colada. It was super sinful. Not too sweet and perfectly balanced dish. One can also try the filter coffee which is  served with 2 cookies.

Overall, Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen is there to stay for sure! I am going again with my family to try some appealing dishes from the menu. Please do share your experiences, would love to read from you.



Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Comments

  1. Finally pune got a good vegetarian restaurant!! Looks really tempting and should visit really soon!!

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    Replies
    1. Yes! Yes! You must try this and I am sure you will love this....:)

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  2. Well written and amazing photographs 😍😍

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  3. This is the worst place to visit for your food. do not visit this place as they don't have any professional attitude, they behave very rudly and unprofessionally. We make a booking for 30 guest waited with family and kids for more than 1 hrs standing at the restaurent but after one and half hr at almost 1030 pm they said that we have to wait more 1 hrs to get the table else we can go some where else. this is their attitude and behaviors after waiting for 1 hrs 30 min we left the restaurant but they didn't bother about the same.

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