Dimsums Lunch | BaanTao‬, Hyatt Pune

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Baan Tao, Pune

Friday was the husband’s birthday and we were looking to have a peaceful lunch while the kiddo was in school. We both love dimsums, and a peek at zomato showed that the dimsums lunch at Baan Tao was back. A quick reservation and we were urged by the Hyatt management that we keep aside some time to have lunch at leisure as the dimsum special lunch is an experience by itself. So we went, with a couple of hours to spare.

When we first reached the restaurant at 1.30, there was no one else. So it was very peaceful and quiet especially with the sound of the waterfall in the background, we (almost) forgot that we were in Pune. Our server explained to us the concept – soups, salad, dimsums (!), main course (noodle/rice bowl) and desserts. We began with a salad amuse bouche of lettuce, carrots, radish with a sweetish honey peanut dressing and tempura crumb as a topping. While for an amuse bouche it was a large portion, the dressing and the tempura made it delightful.

Next came the chicken laksa and chicken wanton soup. The wanton soup was a flavourful clear broth with steamed vegetables and wantons. Clean flavors and just the kind of comfort one expects from a wanton soup. The chicken laksa has me bowled over – I am thrilled to announce that I finally found that perfect bowl of laksa that I had been looking for in Pune. Not too creamy, not too spicy – just right with a generous amount of vegetables, chicken and noodles and of course the lime, egg and spring onion garnish. I am just waiting for the next opportunity to go there only to have the laksa.
Then they served us prawn dimsums – and we were transported to the south east. Translucent wrapping and a single large prawn in each dimsum wrapped tortellini style. Perfect!

Next came the chicken wings – these were more chindian and though delicious not really matching the standards of the dimsums. Just as we were finishing these, the server got us stacks of dimsum steamers – the pork dimsum, chicken gyoza, chicken suimai, the bao (steamed bun) and some vegetarian dimsums. There also was another pumpkin and delicate tofu starter which we didn’t try as we were more than enamoured with the dimsums.
The stars of the day were the pork, prawn and chicken gyoza. Fantastic! We ordered another portion of all the three and asked them to not bring any of the veg dishes! Let me tell you here, that not even a single time were we hurried nor did we have to even lift a finger, the service was very attentive but unobtrusive – full marks for that. The steamed bun – bao was passable, nothing great. I wish it had a meat mince filling inside.

Here’s the funny part – eating just the soup and dimsums (we did eat a whole lot of them), we were so full that we didn’t order any of the main course. Wish there was some expandable appetite option! Sigh! I ended the meal with one pork and one chicken gyoza dimsum. While my husband ordered the mango coconut pudding which he liked but I didn’t coz I have a pet peeve against the bitter after taste which canned mango pulp gives.

All in all, this meal comes highly recommended. Please go while the offer lasts, it is way beyond the amount they charge for it. The dimsum meal is 850+ taxes per head.

Oktoberfest | Effingut brewerkz

For the longest time I was a big fan of the mustard prawns at Effingut Brewerkz, KP. But now I have a new mega favorite, the mini meatloaf with the mustard glaze on the oktoberfest special menu. It would be unfair to call it good, or delicious. It was the best meatloaf I have had in the longest time. I ll be honest here, when I first saw the menu, I was not blown away with it. I thought ok, from this I guess I would like to eat the hotdog and the mustard chicken. But when I tried that food.. OMG! No kidding.. you want german food which has been made suitable to our palate without compromising much on how it really should be? head to effingut, now! because there’s only four more days left to this culinary delight and I am kicking myself for not having gone there earlier. I also had the most amazing hotdog with german style curry- piquant and elevating the caramelized onions to such heights that the sausage was made irrelevant. You think I am overdoing the praise? No way. I could have easily had that hotdog without the sausage (the sausage was a little meh anyway!). They also had a whole lot of other difficult to pronounce but delicious to eat food of which the smoked ham toasts and the chicken mince balls were the stars and yes, the creamy spinach toast without overdoing the cream was very less is more too!

The chicken doner did not need the sour cream on top as the chicken and the coleslaw were stellar on their own. And yes for the fans of nouvelle cuisine- there also was a deconstructed pie- pie filling in a tangy creamy sauce and puff pastry circle on top/bottom however you reconstruct it on your plate. It reminded me of the joy of a chicken pot pie that I make at home. The apple strudel was good but the savories are far better.

And yes the new beers are very good too.. but for once, I was just way too enraptured by the food.

Go there now! Thank me later!