Reviews Mystic Masala

Courteous service and polite staff. Food quality is good. Wide variety of drinks. This is mostly maharashtrian theme based restaurant. You can have even puran poli and metkut rice.

My first experience with Taj was worth a visit. We ordered for Biriyani which was simply fantastic and lip smacking. Definitely would recommend Mystic Masala to all. Please do try Puran Poli as well in desserts.

#OnceADiamondAlwaysADiamond
#AsRareAsABlueDiamond
#TajVivantaToTajSeleQtions
#AnAfternoonToRemember

If given a chance, who would you be ?

A brand like Rolls Royce which has a Market Cap of $20 Bn with a customer base not even in 5 figures.

Or

A brand like Toyota Motors; 10 times the Market Cap of Rolls Royce and a Customer Base that when compared to the Rolls Royce's seems like 10 times the distance between far ends of Ganges Delta.

It needs guts to say Rolls Royce, and very few in the world has that in them to choose depth over breadth.

Taj Hotels, a by-product of IHCL and an integral part of Tata Legacy in India and world over is one such brand that chose to carve a niche for themselves instead of going mainstream and they have been extremely successful in establishing themselves as the brand of choice for the crème de la crème section of hospitality patronage.

Pune is one of the elite cities to be experiencing the excellence for more than 50 years now since the Taj Group took over Kirloskar Guest House and named it as the Blue Diamond by Taj. Nearly a decade back certain business decision saw this iconic place being carnated into Taj's uber urban brand 'Vivanta by Taj'. Though back then it felt like the legacy was played around with, however over the time Taj Hotels proved that the names can change but the cardinals don't !!!

Back to the date, life comes full circle for this paradigmatic place and the 'Once a Diamond, Always a Diamond' theory reinstates itself. Yes, 'Vivanta by Taj' is now 'Blue Diamond, A Taj SeleQtions Hotel by IHCL'. Those who don't know about IHCL's SeleQtion Hotels, its an ensemble of curated experiences, SeleQtions encapsulates an inimitable collection of properties with a distinct character - more often in differentiated locations. Long Live the Legacy !!!

I was privileged to be present alongwith the city's beau monde for a tête a tête over the scrumptious Lunch and Choicest Cocktails to witness this reincarnation first hand. We were served the echt Maharashtrian Fare at the Mystic Masala, the only restaurant in a 5 Star Property at Pune to be serving the detailed local fare preserving the essence of Maharashtra and keeping it alive like the group's unwavering legacy.

I don't think I am qualified enough to comment on the authenticity of this legendary cuisine or even to be reviewing the delicious spread laid out by the Taj's Kitchen Mavericks. All I can say is that 'It was an afternoon to remember' and a meal to be relished directly from the soul, and I am glad I did that. I don't know if it was bona fide Maharashtrian taste but all I know is that everything that made to this Table Royale was legit delish. I had a great time polishing off the delicacies from that shiny copper platter, you can enjoy this Marathmola Royalty too. These Maharashtrian Thalis in their Veg/ Non Veg/ Sea Food avtars are available at the Mystic Masala and are priced at 800, 1000 & 1200++ respectively.

Q for Quality, Q for Quest to remain the Best - Blue Diamond by IHCL Taj SeleQtion Hotels !!!!

Go relish the goodness at Pune's Crowning Glory, the good ol' Taj Blue Diamond.

Cheers... Ciao !!!

Very good Indian Restaurant. Ordered their Ghost Biryani, Kolhapuri Mutton, Prawns Gravy, Mutton Chops,Lal Maas,Gilawat Galauti. The portions are very good. The meat is soft and tender, and the biryani is cooked in Ghee. We loved the Kolapuri Mutton. Also you won't get better mutton chops in Pune. The biryani didn't have any unnecessary spice in it, and was focused on the aromas. Service is with a smile, and very professional as you'd expect from a Taj. The Chef is a Master at what he does. The Galauti is by far the best in Pune. It's as close to what you get in Lucknow. Just the right spices. They serve you pan at the end of the meal. Would highly recommend this restaurant if you looking to impress as a host. Thankyou team mystic masala.

A awesome place for maharastrian cuisine.... Had one of the best chicken sukkha with bhajri... Kothambir was also good... Stuffed mushroom also good.... Had kesar lassi which was also good.... Deserts hmmmmmm ... Just too good ... Had paan ice cream just too good.... Basundi just too good .. Gulab jam yummmm... Rasmalai was not so good... Service is top class...

Rustic Indian n Maharashtrian food available, Superb ambience, prompt service n nicely done arrangements.

Nihari is good n a lot of varieties of Indian breads are available. Even Paan is kept for the guests.

Thank you so much for the Lovely dinner guys. Keep it up.

Ok so a friend of mine took us for birthday treat here, i know what you guys thinking...quite generous i must say.
The place has good feel to it!!!!Mystic :)
Menu has good spread and worth every penny, Non-veg is lip smacking and biryani should be one of the dish you have to order here.
The place is not so lit up, or maybe its just me or maybe it was quite evening...cant put a finger on it but overall it is subtle and nice.
For clicking pic, outside is better than inside where ancient trumpet and statues has been kept.
Food- 4 Star for Non-veg 
Ambiance nothing stands out but nothing wrong too.

The ambience is pretty good as expected. The lobby though felt really small compared to other hotels by taj. The food was good. Paneer kulcha is a must try. It's not on the menu but you can ask them to make it for you and you won't be dissappointed. You definitely get much better food at this price but maybe the ambience makes up for it. Overall a good experience!

This restaurant was visited by my parents nearly two decades back and after hearing them talk zillion times about how good the food was here I was super keen to visit this place. I finally had a visit last week and was in love with the simplicity of floral decor at every corner and tables. The restaurant shelves were stacked with gorgeous heritage pieces that made the whole ambience so traditional and rich. We ordered lots of stuff (unfortunately missed clicking most of the pictures as it was so delicious to look at). In starters we had spicy prawns, hasooni chicken, galouti kebab and stuffed mushroom. Hasooni kebabs were delicious, melt in mouth and uber spicy. Galouti kebab were also well made just the base bread was too tough which made it really chewy and heavy. Mushroom and prawns were yum yum.
For mains, we ordered butter chicken, veg kofta, bhindi sabzi and mix bread basket. Everything in the main was gorgeous and full of flavour. My only comment the bhindi could be a bit crunchy but overall really good work with the flavours. I look forward to visit and try out other cuisines in the hotel as well. Also a big thank you to the courteous and professional staff that were always on their tip toe for quick service.

I went here for an office dinner..we were all non veg and hence my review is for only non veg food. So the food was really impressive..I must say the tandoori chicken, biryani, kadai chicken was all awesome. The staff were good and polite..ofcourse its taj after all. Worth a try again!

Awesome mutton sukka. Cannot forget the taste. Loved it. At a five star one cannot expect a proper spicy Marathi dish , but there it was. Just loved the mutton preparation.

Service has to be good as usual, ITS TAJ.

Mystic Masala has the most amazing food I had in a long time!! Maharashtrian cuisine was especially good, really liked the authentic taste of all dishes I tried...

Today is the last day for Gujarati thali at Mystic Masala. Pretty good , authentic thali - loved it. I typically visit here for maharashtrian food. Have tried a lot of varieties over the years and enjoyed them every time. Good setting too.

Really good authentic maharashtrian fare. We wanted to try out local food but didnt know where, so decided to stay indoors and very surely not disappointed. Masala rice, mutton sukkha and chicken rassa were all excellent.

Nice colourful ambiance. Half the restaurant has been occupied by their buffet spread. I have been there many time for late night dinner, to be frank for their keema Pav only. Lovely keema Pav n cappuccino they serve. This pace is crowded even in late night, but still you get good service.

We had been here today for a party... The buffet was good... Veg options Wer ok ok... Chicken was good... The best part was deserts.. Varietyyyy of deserts.. Ambience was ok.. They had pizza in their buffet which was tooo delicious.. Overall experience was Gud!

The setup is traditional with live singer ( singing traditional songs), might not be suitable place for youth. Food was really good , we ordered Matton Tamda Rassa ( Thicker than normal kolkapuri one), Katachi amti ( I didnt like it, too sweet), Fish Curry ( Could have been better), biryani ( Awesome !!) and few accompaniments. The server was very attentive and polite... The only thing they can improve - The staff needs to be trained to be more professional, their gesture were not too professional. One E.g He was pointing finger at each of us whilst repeating the order , sorry that's not normal.

While not the best Indian restaurant in the world, it bears anything in London; yes, which says NOTHING! Yet wether you want bhaji or ghost ; tawa bhindi or a good jinga, this is a good place to come!

They had a live indian classical band playing live on the weekend we went. 
Food quality is good. 

Ordered for Galouti kebab and murg kesari- kebab was good, the spices were well blended and it was juicy .
Maincourse: Jhinga Kadai masal- was yummy.. tasted very homely.
some chicken gravy,cant recall the name- was okay. not bad.

Dessert: Malai kulfi falooda: was CRAP.  I dunno what they tried to assemble there. The so called falooda shev was pathetic.Stiff n not cooked types.The kulfi too was majorly disappointing.

To satisfy a long itch and some discount vouchers, I decided to take my team to a lunch @ Mystic Masala in Taj, Pune. I have been on weekends enough but this is the first time I decided to have a look-in on a weekday.
Mystic Masala (MM) still has a good buffet but I remember there being more options for starters. Sadly, the starters at MM were just a couple of veg items and a couple of non-veg items. I am sure the number of starters can be increased and these can be served on the table. In this case, there were veg nuggets and pizza. These were both pretty average considering 5-star restaurant standards.
I believe that starters are the core of conversation in business lunches and there should be a good spread. When a team sits down for lunch, the starters should be served on the table. This allows a good conversation to happen since you are not looking up to the spread to see what's in there. So, on the presentation front, I am sure MM can do better. That's where I deduct 1.5 stars.
For the main course, the spread was awesome. The justice was aptly done to the food by yours truly. The Mushroom Stroganoff was great and the Paneer Masala was awesome. Since I only tried veg stuff, I can't comment on the non veg stuff. The outstanding stuff was home made Gobi Masala. It was an instant favorite. Rest all was just as per expectations.
Service is awesome. I like the staff - they are very polite and attentive. Even the billing was hassle-free and there were no inconveniences whatsoever.
For buffet lovers, I still feel that weekend buffets are much better than weekdays. For a business lunch, there are better options out there at the same price.

I was invited to this restaurant as part of the maharastrian food festival by Mr. Aditya Mehendale who was really an awesome person having very deep understanding of food and its history especially Maharashtrian food. Let me give you my review of the overall food . 

The show stoppers were the whole non-veg cuisine which I didn't eat as I only eat fish. Matar Karanjee, Gajjar Tikki , Paneer Tikka, Surmai Fry , kela fool bhaji along with other veggies and bhakri along with kulfi were really great and had a different taste which we dont get at regular places.

The rice/kadhi was the really different in taste and mind blowing ! . The overall experience was great and I would surely like to visit it again.

Mystic Masala is an in-house restaurant at Vivanta By Taj. They had a Maharashtrian food festival on for an entire span 10 days, starting 16th Jan'15. Honored to have been invited for the Flavors of Hinterland-Maharashtra food festival by none other than Mr. Aditya Mehendale and team Taj themselves. Mr. Aditya is a businessman, with a passion for all things to do with good food. He has also authored a book with the name 'Rare Gems: A Non- Vegetarian Gourmet Collection from Maharashtra'. True to it's name, this book certainly promises to introduce it's readers to the rare gems of Maharashtrian kitchens. 

Mr. Aditya donned the hat of a mentor chef to the kitchen of Mystic Masala. Under his guidance and the expertise of Chef Sachin, my fellow foodie invitees and I were treated to some outrageously amazing Maharashtrian fare. We had a great opportunity to be Mr. Aditya's guest and get an insight into what goes into the making of lip-smacking food we had at the food festival.

The ambiance of the place is oh very Indian, complete with live ghazals(very average though)! Traditional Indian interiors, warm lighting and wooden furniture only added to the overall theme. The staff was also dressed in traditional Indian attire. Btw they do have a bar and they do serve liquor, unlike what Zomato says! 

Since this visit was made especially for the food festival, this review is purely written based on the food served in the festival. 
In spite of being a self-confessed carnivore and not being a very big fan of vegetarian food, I loved the vegetarian starters that were served. The non-vegetarian starters, especially the mutton starters were awesome.

Matar Karanjee - Karanjee(ghujiya) with a stuffing of peas and some dry fruits like raisins. Slightly sweet and flavorful.

Gajar Tikki - Carrot tikkis. Loved this one!

Tawa Surmai - Seer fish tawa fried with bare minimum spices. Thumbs up!

Tawa Chicken - Quite ok. I thought thhe chicken itself was a bit too dry, but the masala tasted good.

Tawa prawns - A little too burnt to my taste and again this one was a bit too dry and sapped of its natural juices.

A special mention of the three chutneys served alongwith the starters. A green coriander based chutney, a green chilli based chutney and a garlic-chilli chutney. Loved the garlic-chilli and the other green chilli chutney. Very tasty and went well with the starters.

Mutton chops - This starter was hands down the best mutton chop I've ever had! Mutton itself was very juicy and succulent. The spices were very minimal and yet the chops tasted oh so finger-licking-good!

Rasam Mary - A rasam based version of Bloody Mary. I'm short of words to describe this rather weird drink. I think I was being too adventurous to order this. None of us liked this one. It was a watered down, rasam with hints of tomato, pepper, chilli and salt. Something in it made it really bitter. Avoid this drink, lest your taste buds might be in for a shock! :)

Virgin mojito - Not upto the mark either! It was a very watered down version of  nimbu paani and no where closer to a mojito

Kala mutton dry - Looked almost black from the outside. It is interestingly prepared by first literally burning all the spices - garlic, onion and some basic garam masalas. Then used this charred masala to dry fry the mutton. This one is really unique. Even though it didn't look very delicious, it tasted out of the world! Thumbs up!

Kela ke phool ki bhaji - It's a dry sabji of the banana flowers. We tasted two versions of it. The first one had banana flowers cooked in combination with black chana. The second one had only banana flowers and spices. Both tasted quite good and unique in their own right. Having been brought up in Odisha, I have had banana flowers bhaji all through my childhood. These two preparations reminded me of my mom. :)

For mains we were served Stuffed Brinjals(Nagpuri style), Vaal bhaji, Rice flour bhakris, Jawar bhakris, two versions of daal, Vadi bhaat(Nagpuri style), Mutton pulav(forgot the exact name), Pandhra Rassa(White gravy with mutton piece, Kolhapuri style)

Loved the bhakris and the yellow daal. The yellow daal was made with toor+masoor daal, bare minimum spices, garlic and baby potatoes. This daal was kind of thick and very creamy, thanks to masoor daal. I just couldn't stop relishing the Pandhra Rassa. Very very flavorful! Mutton pulav came with succulent mutton pieces and pieces of boiled eggs. It's quite a bland dish, yet so flavorful in it's own right.

For desserts we were served Kulfi, Mango ice-cream, 'kelechi' sheera and Sakhari bhaat. Kulfi and ice-cream were quite average. But the banana sheera(Semoiina based sweet dish prepared with ripe banana as an additive) and the sakhari bhaat(Sweet rice prepared with dry fruits) stole the show. 

Service - Not very happy on this front. Strangely, they were very quick in getting the dishes on the table(obviously they were prepared to host us), but very slow with basic things like getting the beverages and even water.

Being North Indian , i haven't had much exposure to Maharashtra cuisine and for me it was synonym for hot spicy gravies (No offense) but believe me invitation to Flavours of 'Hinterland' Maharashtra by Aditya Mehendale was a divulging experience.

This festival held from 16th to 25th Jan at Mystic Masala (Vivanta By Taj) served some amazing veg/non veg delicacies which were not only rare but timeless recipes from the time of Peshwas. Yes, ofcourse a big thanks to Mr. Aditya who personally shared his experience and the cooking techniques to create such flavorful dishes.

Ambiance: 4/5, Staff was quick and courteous. Live gazals and soft music in background was thumbs up.

I being reluctant to try vegetarian food while dining out, relished Veg starters - Matar Karanjee & Gajar Tikki & mains.

Surmai Tawa, Prawns and tawa chicken were uniquely prepared with minimal use of spices but that was not all.. Mutton Chops-just stole the show flavorful,perfectly cooked and delicious yes, Ashtiw I agree with you on this :)

Main course introduced me to unique gravies in mutton called Kala Mutton(spiceful mutton,very tender from inside) & Pandhra Rassa ( coconut milk based gravy ,mildly spiced and mutton piece with bone)

Kelfulachi Bhaji - the dry sabzi made from banana tree flower with black channa was highlight for me from veg section

We were served 2-3 different type of daals and Jawar Bhakhri with usual wheat roti in breads.

Pathare-Prabhu Pulav: Mutton pulav served with boiled eggs on top with lightest spices tasted great.

I soothe sweet tooth cravings with Keli Cha Shira, Kulfi and Mango ice cream.

In nutshell : Unique dinning experience and again an opportunity to share table with fellow foodies.
Thanks to FatfoodieHarshita Dabbiru-Patnaik Chinmayi Reviews Arun Subhash Manish Chauhan teamZomato, Mr. Aditya & Mr. Lalith (Taj)


XOXO

Mystic Masala !

PS- This review is for the Flavours of 'Hinterland' Maharashtra by Aditya Mehendale held at Mystic Masala (Vivanta By Taj). This festival was held from 16th to 25th Jan.

Positives! :)

1) The menu was personally designed by Aditya Mehendale (a connoisseur and the writer of the cook book Rare Gems: A Non-Vegetarian Gourmet Collection from Maharashtra). The dishes served at this festival were very unique and had a rustic feel to it. Something you don't see on a regular basis.

2) It was a eye opening experience for me as I had not had a lot of Maharashtrian food before this. Dishes like Mutton rassa, kalla gosht were amazing! There were regular dishes like Tawa surmai but the preparation methods used by Aditya were quite unique  (use of just a few spices and cooking techniques to create a plethora of flavors).

3) MUTTON! Good lord there were some amazing mutton dishes ! Mutton chop , kala gosht , mutton rassa! One word for them all - INSANE. As per Aditya it is very important to check the mutton while buying. As per him there is no secret for tenderizing mutton. But Ashtiw saab is still not convinced on that  :D

4) Vegetarian main course dishes were also quite good. Kelfulachi Bhaji (A dry sabzi made from the Banana Tree flower) was something a South indian can very well relate to. It something your grandma would have made for you !

4) Mystic Masala has a very nice ambiance which is expected from the Taj group. There is live music too, with the Jagjit Singh ghazals in the background (however it might not be everyone's cup of tea :P ).

5) Very Courteous staff. 

Negatives! :(

Can't think of anything for this one :)

Final Verdict!

I suggest anyone who wants to try out something that is Unique, rare and out of the ordinary to keep a lookout for such food festivals!

Thanks a lot to Aditya and Zomato for the invite to this Festival. It was a very enjoyable experience to have a round table with my fellow reviewers Fatfoodie , Ashtiw , Harshita Dabbiru-Patnaik ,Chinmayi Reviews ,Tanvi Puri and Manish Chauhan

I think you can also go here for some antics that you see on your way to the first floor where this restaurant is in the hotel Vivanta. Also the singer's who sing Hindi songs in the restaurant is adding to the ambience. The general restaurant is just about okay though I need to mention that the staff is really friendly and ready to help.

Coming to food. They offer a complementary basket of papad and crackers. The first round was good but second round felt stale. They changed it for me but it was still the same. The dahi kabab was amazing. We ordered a maharastrian starter called gajjar wadi which was just ok. It felt dry. The tamato dhania soup was spicy. The cocktail was well made. I had the long island ice tea.

I need to tell you all that this is not exactly a north Indian food restaurant but is a maharastrian food restaurant which serves limited amount north Indian cuisine.

If your idea of fun is relaxing with live music, a couple of drinks and not too fussy about what you eat than you will love it here.

I really enjoyed.

Excellent service, excellent food , a must go . I think there is no restaurant in Pune to beat this . Especially the maharastrian cuisine they serve is the best , which I find is difficult to find in any other restaurants.

Amazing food. Had sukha mutton, fish malwani and gawraan chicken... awesome!!!The staff is also very good. The ambience was a big turnoff though. You'd expect much more from Taj. Local restaurents have much better ambience.

This is pur favourite joint for post party dining and the menu is as predictable as it is to find us here on a saturday night. We love the Chicken Biryani here and it has seldom let us down. The Veg variant is not bad either. The raita can vary in content depending on how late you come but the staff is helpful enough to replenish the bowl at the slightest whimper. The fact that a decent meal can be found at late hours with near perfect reliability makes this a very interesting proposition.

Nice place. Great food. Good ambiance... A 5 star Marathi cuisine experience :)

I took my friend to Mystic Masala on my birthday. We had plans of going to whispering bamboos but a last minute change of plans landed us on this first floor restaurant on Vivanta by Taj which overlooks the pool. The ambience is very pleasant. We reached at around 8:30 in the evening and apart from us there was only one group there. The staff was very courteous and they were there to help us out for any query that we had. One of the reasons why we chose this for our evening is because of the live music here. Ghazals started by 9 and by then people started to trickle into the place. By 9:30 there was proper hustle and bustle with soft melodious ghazal playing in the back ground. The only sour experience of this entire ambience was that the ghazal performer sang only one of the two songs we requested. By 10pm they wrapped up and left.
We ordered a chef's variety of reshmi kabab for starters which had 6 succulent pieces of extremely well made chicken. For the main course we had keema with romali roti which again was one of the best we had in the city. The keema which was in rara style had big mutton pieces along with minced mutton which formed the gravy. Roti was freshly made and very soft. We concluded with a plate of rabdi which by standards set by the previous dishes was a let down, but much better than rabdi served in most sweet shops in Pune. Wine was our choice of drink for the evening. Apart from punjabi Indian cuisine, the place also specialises in Maharashtrian style food. We focused only on non veg stuff on the menu and didn't pay much attention to the veg stuff which were in any case a minority on the menu card.
All in all it was a brilliant evening with amazing food. Mystic Masala is my new favourite Indian restaurant in Pune. If only it was a bit wallet friendly. Food for 2 with wine set me back by over 4k₹.

Yumm food. beautiful experience...waiting for my next late hour visit.... :)

Went for Breakfast Meet with my Client Amazed by the service, Taste n Quality !!

Truly classy n up-to the exceptions no doubt ..

Good choice n variety also ???? in all Happy n ease to crack the deal

A table for two by the window, a view of the pool below, bottles of spices adorning the walls, soft Indian music playing in the background, and some authentic Maharashtrain cuisine all made up for a very beautiful dinner experience at the Mystic Masala,Vivanta by Taj Blue Diamond.

A few of my European friends suggested I go to the place to check out some authentic Maharashtrian food at the food festival at Mystic Masala. A little surprised (since I know Maharashtrian food is oily and spicy, a definite no for most foreigners) I decided to head down on the evening of 24 Jan 2014 for a quiet dinner with my family. The hospitality and service has always been brilliant, hence I didn't have to think twice before making this impromptu plan.
Being a passionate foodie, I was a little curious to know the idea behind this festival ( It’s Maharashtrian cuisine in Maharashtra, why would people come here when they can eat this at home?) Mr. Aditya Mehendale, the man behind this idea, was kind enough to spend some time with me and answer all my questions.

Mr. Mehendale swears by Vivanta by Taj Blue Diamond, Pune. Any celebration, no matter how grand or personal it is, happens at Taj. “Taj is like family. I love these guys” is what he had to say. On his mother-in-law’s 75th birthday, he approached the management at Taj with his own menu, asking them to prepare all dishes mentioned in the same. The chefs were so impressed by the dishes, they decided to go ahead with a full fledged Maharashtrian food festival. Being passionate about food and cooking, Mr. Mehendale gladly accepted this offer.
A connoisseur from royal lineage, Mr. Mehendale is an extremely humble human being. He has been passionate about food since he was a child, and has been cooking (sometimes, along with the Peshwa cooks) since the age of 12. It saddens him to know how Maharashtrian cuisine is perceived to be very limited. The idea behind this particular food festival is to showcase the range of dishes available in this cuisine. He wants people to explore this, and he is releasing a book with 80 non-vegetarian (only) recipes in Maharashtrian cuisine (the book is expected to release by end of April). Being a part of the royal families of Maharashtra, he wants to share with everyone the Peshwa style of cooking authentic Maharashtrian food. He has taken out time to train the chefs at Mystic Masala, and has had a wonderful experience. His beautiful wife, Dr. Tarita Shankar, joined us at our table for a while. A beautiful couple, they made me feel at home with their charm and enthusiasm. The passion for food and hospitality is seen by the energy they exude. Not wanting to take too much of their time, I thanked them for all the information they had shared with me. One of the secrets he did share before he left the table- "the food can be preserved for 10-20 days, this is the food the warriors carried with them when they went to war. Do you want to know how? Traditional Maharashtrian cooking did not involve tomatoes. And the quantity of oil used was also very little. This helped in easy preservation…..enjoy your food!”

The Head Chef was kind enough to send across a customized menu for tasting, seeing how I was genuinely interested in the food. By the end of it all, I could not help thanking him for his hospitality and the lovely food he had prepared. The menu for the night was as follows-

1. Chicken Pickle
I am not a fan of pickles, because I don’t usually like the oil and the sourness. So when a bowl of chutney came to our table, I was pretty surprised to know this was dry, and had no traces of oil. The chicken was dry, well cooked, and soft. The pickle was a dry mixture of coconut shavings. It wasn't sour, which is what I loved about it. If you like traditional oily and sour pickles, you might find this a little bland. But it's not worth missing out on.

2. Kothimbari Vadi
This was a coriander flavored vegetable patty. Unlike a typical patty, it was crispy and had a very strong flavor of coriander. Quite an unusual taste if you ask me, usually you get only a hint of the coriander flavor. By taste, It reminded me a lot of a coriander flavored Dhokla. Light, and with hardly any oil, this is a snack I recommend you must order.

3. Sol Kadi
This was an interesting mixture of kokum and coconut milk. It came in a champagne flute, looking pretty in pink. The taste was even better. The refreshing taste hits you, and it feels cool as it goes down your throat. A tangy drink, it has a slight hint of sweetness too. A perfect refreshing start I must say. Usually drinks fill you up, and you can’t enjoy your meal. Won’t say this about the Sol Kadi.

4. Surailchi Vadi
Soft, steamed, well cooked, with a flavor of the masalas and coconut mixed together, this is a traditional Maharashtrian besan roll. A light snack before the main course, it is definitely a must try if you are going in for the authentic Maharashtrain experience.

5. Prawns Malwani Tikka
They look so appetizing; I could not wait to get my hands on one of the red tiger prawns that were sent to our table. They are covered with a red paste made out of spices and red chillies, and are absolutely gorgeous to look at. The prawns are well cooked, soft, and have a very pleasant flavor (sea food tends to have a typical smell and taste, this was thankfully devoid of those) Do try them out, you won’t be disappointed.

6. Chicken Konkani Tikka
One can never go wrong with this. The juicy well cooked tikka melts in your mouth, and the flavors of the spices reminds me of a barbeque and grill night in a jungle on the way to Goa, somewhere near Sawantwadi (true story) Try it, but it might get you a little too full, so maybe you could order this on your second trip here.

7. Chicken Pandra Tikka
This is a white colored grilled chicken tikka. Do not be misled by the color, since most of the white tikkas are either sweet or bland. This one is spicy, and tastes very unique. I personally have never tasted anything like it. Which is a very nice change since I feel most of the tikkas at a place end up having the same basic flavors. I suggest you try this, it’s unlike the usual tikkas. A little heavy once again, one plate serves 6 tikkas. So order accordingly.

8. Agre Mutton Tikka
The typical mutton kebab, this one is a little dry as compared to the others. It’s spicy, soft, and has a strong tinge of black pepper, this would go well with a glass of beer. Try this if you want a change from the usual chicken. It’s lighter compared to the chicken tikkas.

The starters were accompanied with a salad that was mainly onion mixed with yoghurt. Very refreshing, I would be trying this one at home too. The strong flavor of the onions is nullified by the yoghurt, leaving a cold and refreshing sensation in your mouth.



Here are the chutneys that you could opt for –

Thecha
The flavor of the green chillies hits you absolutely right, this is the kind of chilly that one enjoys. A chutney made out of green chillies, coriander and a slight amount of garlic, the tangy yet refreshing flavor leaves a perfect after taste in the palette.

Garlic-Peanut chutney
As the name suggests, this is a red colored, spicy, dry mixture of garlic and peanut. The taste will immediately take you back home, where grandmothers would sit all day making chutneys and pickles. I have always loved this chutney, so it wasn’t surprising that I managed to finish 4 tablespoons of it. Try this with papad for an interesting combination.


9. Matha
Also known as butter milk. Or chach. It’s a light drink that goes perfectly with all the non-vegetarian dishes. You don’t feel too heavy; in fact, this actually makes you feel like you could eat more! It’s got a refreshing taste, with a hint of green chillies in the after taste. I could trade water for this, no kidding!


10. Pitla
This is a traditional Maharashtrian dish that is made in every household multiple times in a week, and is best enjoyed with Jowar rotis. This is a thick curry made mainly out of besan, with a whole lot of flavor added due to the variety of spices that goes into it. This one was a little bland, though the consistency was fine. I found it a little average, I have had better Pitla at the homes of a few of my Maharshtrian friends. If you would like to try it, do ask them to add a little extra spices. If you want this bland, then what you get would be fine.

11. Matki Misad
I honestly thought I would not get the same taste of the misad I’d get at a local street-food joint, or at home. Well, I was mistaken. The taste, once again, reminded me of the misad we cook at home. The hint of sweetness, the spicy after taste, the well mixed flavors of coconut, rye and coriander were exactly like what you would get in your own kitchen. I recommend you try this.

12. Amti with Drumsticks
This dish was apleasant surprise. Thin with a rye tadka, this was a sweet and tangy curry. Gud (jaggery) and imli were used to give it the sweet taste. The after taste made you crave for some more. Very light on the stomach, this is the first time I have genuinely enjoyed Amti. Do not miss this one.

13. Malwani Fish Curry
Well cooked black pomfret with tamarind, this came with a semi-thick brown gravy. The fish was well cooked, and did not have that particular sea-fish smell that I was talking about. Very light once again (surprisingly, since most of the semi-thick gravy dishes end up making one feel very heavy), this can be enjoyed with rice. But if you are not a big fan of tamarind, you might not enjoy the sourness . Personally, I enjoyed it.

14. Sukkey Mutton
This, I was told, was a Kolhapuri specialty. The well cooked mutton pieces came in a thick gravy (something on the lines of tawa chicken) and garnished with coriander. A a slight tinge of garam masala remains in the after taste. The first bite might feel a little bland, but once the masalas dissolve in your mouth, the spices will hit you. It’s brilliant, try it.

15. Navsacha Kumbhda
The name means a gift to the Gods. And why not, this chicken curry is so rich in flavors, it seems fit to be given to the Gods. Out of all the non vegetarian I had eaten there, I personally preferred this one. The curry has a very unique taste, and I suggest you don’t miss out on this.

The main course was eaten with Jowar and Bajra rotis.


16. Modak
These are the tastiest modaks I have ever eaten. Steaming hot and soft, these dumplings are made of rice, and filled with coconut and jiggery and dry fruits. The modaks I have eaten elsewhere are either too sweet, or too hard. This one was fresh, soft, mouth melting, and just the right amount of sweet. Even when it cooled down, it did not lose its softness. Even while waiting for them to cool down, the rich smell of ghee was making me a little too impatient. No matter how much you have eaten, do not leave without trying this out.

17. Amrakhand
This is the famous shrikhand with a flavor of mango. This is light, fresh, and tasty. Life is too short to miss out on desserts. So have this along with the modaks.



Last night was an exciting dining experience- the taste of Maharashtra, all in one place. I even enjoyed eating vegetarian food after so long. Plus all the food is very light on the stomach. Mr. Mehendale and Mr. Sachin Joshi have done a brilliant job at this collaboration, and the passion for food and cooking was reflected when they seemed so happy seeing people leave the place with a smile on their faces.
You may no longer drive down to Kolhapur to taste your favorite Maharashtrain cuisine anymore, all that you wanted is right here, along with much more. So do come down soon, this festival might change the way you look at Maharashtrian cuisine.

Live music made this place a delight. Also the food was tasty . The mutton curry was up to the mark and so was the service . Not the 5 star feel , but still decent enough is the ambience . 1 visit toh bAnti hai yaar ......

very nice.. just classic as the name is"taj"
thanks for good food service you certainly made my day special.

For home style maharstrian food, this is the place to eat. the typical maharstrian flavor just makes you feel like eating in a traditional maharastrian home. the quality, quantity and service makes teh experience complete. Ideal place for a meal with family & friends...or even alone....come for the live music that accompanies your meal in the eveing and listen to your choice of ghazal or favorite hindi song.....and have a lip smacking maharastrian desert....to complete the meal...