Review No 589:
A good friend of mine has been wanting to go all out on a good fish meal and this time pulled me off all places to PGI (or Pune Goan Institute) on Rasta peth / Nana peth (per google maps) for hopefully a good meal.
This place is attached to the Pune Goan Institute which by the looks of it is pretty dated. This place too has a few seating area. One which is a simple no nonsense seating in the middle, with an enclosed seating for about 4 guests on the right as soon as you enter. On the left you have a bar kind of setup where mostly folks who are in large numbers can be seated. There was also a AC seating for mostly family. Overall an average setup if you ask me. But the best was yet to come... its food.
What was on the plate?
a. Squid Masala: Starting off with the Squid masala. I'm not a big seafood eater and hence the opportunity to eat squid never arose. Hence, not having a benchmark against previous experience, from an expert standpoint I was told the squid was a bit dry. But from my layman perspective, the squid tasted great because the masala preparation was great. Not at all overtly spicy. The squid does taste a bit rubbery, but I have been told that's how its supposed to be. My first experience with squid was a good one.
b. Tandoor Prawns: Next up was the Tandoor Prawns. Delectable and cooked to perfection. Loved it.
c. Clams Masala: Again, something which I have tried for the first time. The clam meat was miniscule, but the saltiness was balanced by the masala, which was the same as the ones in the squid.
d. Matka Fish (Rawas): A super star of a dish, this one is a must try. The rawas fish is dum cooked in an earthen Matka with cheese and a few greens, covered with cabbage leaves and the Matka finally sealed with Atta. A winner of a dish and a specialty of the Pune Goan Institute.
e. Pomfret Fish Curry with Steamed Rice and Roti: We were shown the Pomfret first as the price is as per the catch. Took them some time to get the final preparation out of the kitchen but the end result was finger licking good. Roti's were a letdown. Rice was just about fine but the quantity less. Being three of us, we ran of the curry. We requested for a bit of extra curry, but the response was "Thoda time lagega"...we got the message.
Price: The food bill inclusive of taxes put us back by Rs 1900 for three. For a seafood fare, this is absolutely great if not brilliant.
Service: The servers were good and made apt recommendations.
I'm glad I agreed to the suggestion to visit Pune Goan Institute as this place was a great find for seafood and at a great price. Here's the ratings for our experience thus far:
Food: 4/5
Price: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
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Overall: 3.87/5 (Rounding off to 4 as per the rating system on Zomato)
P.S: I am pursuing an open issue ticket with Zomato as I am still having issues in uploading photos and reviews in tandem. Zomato support is still looking into it, per their reply on 17 July 2019. Pictures getting uploaded will be delayed.
PGI stands for ‘Poona Goan Institute’ & it's their clubhouse. Pretty much, it combs the charm of an erstwhile Poona whistling into the relaxed bay of Goa.
The service is so honest that our waiter even forgot his own name in an effort to consort us through some great food & wonderful beverages. It's an experience in itself; there's a certainty about their love for their regulars.
See you at PGI!!
This restaurant serves amazing delicious fresh seafood in Pune.
We had matka fish (a very popular dish here) where fish (red snapper) is cooked in a matka and served in creamy cheesy flavor. It tastes simply amazing - a must-try here.
The next must-have is the fried squid. This is, by far, one of the best seafood appetizers I had. The taste is simply too good.
They have a full bar and also a family section. The ambiance is okayish, but good for a relaxing evening with deliciously good food.
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