Scrolls of 8 different countries adorn the walls of Maadjaapaahit, hinting at the culinary journey you are about to undertake to these countries. Elegant interiors with the right splash of ornate complete the look of this fine dining restaurant in Pune.
The menu is elaborate but properly segregated based on the country of origin making selections a whole lot simpler.
This is one restaurant where I would strongly urge you to sample the soups. Each bowl was fabulous and so unique in terms of texture and flavor. Chicken bakso from East Timor comprised of chicken meat balls, ramen noodles and a predominant lemon grass flavor. Thai tum yum gave a real spicy hit from the chillies. The Indonesian tekwan had fishcakes with mushrooms and a very subtle taste. Singapore laksa also deserved a worthy mention.
For appetizers, try the Singapore fried carrot cake which is not the usual sweet carrot cake. Instead it is a gorgeous medley of white radish flour and eggs. Tod mun pla from Thailand which was a red snapper fish cake was equally yummy.
For mains, don’t miss batar daan from East Timor. It was a delicious combination of corn, pumpkin and mung beans with lemon grass adding the vital zing. The Malay chicken curry was fabulous. My personal favourite had to be the phad phak asparagus with zucchini, tofu and mushrooms cooked in a mildly spiced Thai herb sauce.
Personally I am not a big fan of Asian desserts so I didn’t really know what to expect from this category. I have to admit rather sheepishly that I was blown away by what followed. Khao mao tod which was deep fried bananas were soft from the inside and crunchy from the outside owing to the wonderful coating of coconut and cornflakes. Talautu from Papa New Guinea was pineapple in coconut cream. Getuk lindri was a coconut sweet potato cake.
Maadjaapaahit
Hotel Pride,
5, University Road,
Shivajinagar, Pune
Tel No.- 020 30162278
Sanaea Patel
Disclaimer – This review was done on an invitation from the establishment. Views expressed in the review is entirely ours and without any bias. Pictures of the dishes are not the standard portions, they are sample portions.
