Pandora Gastronomy and Bar has been the talk of the town lately. The brain child of Chef Ajay Chopra of Master Chef India and Northern Flavours fame, no doubt the expectations run high. Allow me to decipher or rather unbox Pandora for you…Read on..
The DRINK
The Stunner
There is nothing better than a bright, ice cold drink to start your day. The Stunner is a citrusy, zesty and refreshing frozen treat made with shaved ice, orange and peach. Perfect summery mocktail
The 5 Minute Gastronomy
Pandora has this 5 Minute Gastronomy section in their menu and consists of dishes with the theatre and drama. The Tuna Bhel from this section came forth in a conical glass with the fumes of liquid nitrogen. Theatrics apart the dish had tamarind chutney marinated Tuna, puffed rice, sour cream and balsamic pearls. A very dilli type bhel with a twist. I would have loved the flavors of tuna to shine through but the chutney kind of over powers the dish.
THE APPETIZER
Broccoli Galouti
Rajma Galouti is the famous vegetarian version of the GALOUTI but this Broccoli version will impress you. Melt in the mouth pan seared broccoli palette served with saffron foam atop ulte tawe ka paratha. Will call it a #Must Try here
Hot Bean Prawn Rocks
An outstanding dish here, tiger praws cooked to perfection tossed with hot bean sauce and chili. Served with a sriracha aioli it is everything on one singe mouthful –The hot, the tang and the spice. And the prawns keep their identity intact.
Trio of Paneer (Malai, Achari and Kaffir Lime)
My favorite here was the Kaffir Lime Paneer Tikka. I loved how the flavors of the lime coupled with paneer. The other varions on offer were the paneer malai tikka and achari tikka.
Chicken Flatbread- Smoked Chicken Cheddar and green apple
Crispy flaky crust, topped with smoked chicken, cheddar cheese and crisps green apple on top is a winner here. A touch of arugula here would have done wonders though.
Kaffir Lime Charcoal Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Chutney
Again a smashing dish, I am love with whatever they are doing with kaffir lime here. The combination of lime with the thai basil with char grilled chicken is a surprise element here
Crispy Honey Chilli Lotus Root
You cannot go wrong with this one can you. Its sweet, its spicy and I would have liked it to be a bit more crunchy the fried lotus roots were a tad hard on the jaw.
DIMSUMS
Chicken and Black Pepper Dimsum & Broccoli Corn and Cheddar were soothing to the palatee. Served with a peanut chutney that was slightly on the sweeter side. The Broccoli corn and cheddar combination here is a #MustTry
THE MAINS
Crusty Puneri Misal
Misal in a bread bowl, Chef Ajay Chopra plays around with the humble street food taking an inspiration from the bunny chow concept and adding with a spicy cheese fondue.
Kulcha Box
The JEEVAN SAFAL wali feeling. My favorite of the day. It comes with a ceramic Packed with an outstanding pindi chole (yes the ones that are black on color and hard to find in Pune), The gorgeous looking Dal Makhani and the Dilli Style Aloo and Cheese Kulcha #BellydrivenRecommends
Chicken Thai Curry
A hearty thai green curry that came along with with basil jasmine rice and Man Tou- Chinese Steamed Buns.
Dilliwala Butter Chicken with Kalonji Naan
Tender meat in rich creamy gravy, Butter Chicken – the name alone is enough to make a person salivate. It is known for its rich and creamy texture with its signature style of a slight sweetness to its preparation. And the chef nails it here along with that right garnish of kasuri methi.
THE DESSERTS
The Phirni Parfait
The Gulab Phirni Parfait or Rose flavored Rice Pudding for our love for the English language, is a dessert made using rice, milk and rose petals. A touch of rose water gives this dish an inviting flavor and aroma. The rose pearls and frozen rose petals adds such a pretty pink color and a beautiful fragrance, not to mention flavor to this beautifully crafted dessert
One of the few desserts the lactose intolerant me couldn’t keep myself away from..it was beyond delicious and not too sugary at all…
Just the way I like my desserts, sweet yet light with a hint of the exotic
Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Moelleux
Pretty but this is more like a hazelnut and salted caramel mousse. For me Moelleux are about gooey centers.
Textures of Chocolate
Chocolate ball with gooey dark chocolate mousse centre, which failed to succumb to hot chocolate that was poured on it.
Overall an experience worth reminiscing…
