“K” – Authentic Korean in Pune!

Korean Food in Pune!

“K” – Korean Restaurant has recently opened up in Aundh, behind Medipoint restaurant. Serving authentic Korean cuisine, they sure bring some exciting flavors to our palate. #baconbaba was invited for a tasting to this tiny cosy little place.

Here’s a quick run down of my experience.

Tangsu

A dish with Korean-Chinese origins, the Tangsu consists of Batter fried mushrooms with Mixed vegetables and a sweet and sour sauce. The highlight was the thick sweet sticky golden sauce, characterized by the flavor of pineapple and vinegar. Fresh pineapple slivers added to the overall sweetness of the dish.

korean baconbaba Tangsu with Fried Chicken — Tangsu with Fried Chicken

The Fried Chicken Tangsu had very similar flavours as the mushroom variant. The Red garlic chilly sauce and pickled radish served on the side add a much needed salty/spicy kick to this overall sweet dish.

Jampong (Veg)

Jamppong is a Korean-Chinese noodle soup with red, spicy broth flavored with gochutgaru (chili powder). The veg version is loaded with vegetables and mushrooms. While this had quite a hit of spice the strong flavor of mushrooms in the broth was noticable.

Nagasaki Jampong (Sea Food)

korean baconbaba Nagasaki Jampong — Nagasaki Jampong

A form of Korean Ramen, the Nagasaki Jampong is a lovely sea food broth – prawns, mussel, squid with mixed veggies and pork. Super light, super delicious – a must have for all you sea food lovers!

Clear Noodles Chicken soup

Like the name suggests, this is a simple, clean broth with mixed vegetables and chicken. The strong flavor of the chicken stock shines through.

Jajang (pork)

A thick Black bean paste based gravy with chopped Cabbage, Onion and minced Pork on a bed of noodles. My first taste felt rather bland – the flavors just didn’t work. But mix it all together, and it results in porky noodle awesomeness! The flavor is rich, lightly spiced, minced pork and onions. Most noteworthy was the flavor profile – its different from anything I have tried before.

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Best experienced with chopsticks!

K is a great new addition to the ever growing food culture in Pune. A host of new flavors, this brings authentic Korean cuisine to our city. Looking forward to more trips here!

The menu is rather cryptic, so feel free to ask the waiters for advise. And, if you do land up here, be adventurous! Its a great experience.

I was invited to be part of blogger’s table. The Usual Disclaimer applies.

Bubsterrs Porky Burgers!

The Love for Pork!

Its no secret that I love pork (#baconbaba ftw!) So naturally, when I was invited for a pork special tasting, I was excited. I love pork as a meat for 2 reasons – 1. it is extremely versatile in the ways it can be cooked – bacon, ham, smoked, pulled pork, steamed, medium rare, crisp fried, etc. and 2. the inherent flavor of the meat is lovely – that slightly sweet fatty-ness makes it just beautiful. Also, Bubsterrs has a history of having some great pork (anyone remember the pork overload?)

Porky Perfection

Jumping straight to the new menu, Vidur Mehmi, the chef/owner at Bubsterrs, really knows his meat. Every burger has the meat cooked to perfection – unlike a lot of Indian chefs, he doesn’t believe in incinerating the meat – he has the courage of taking it to the edge, where the meat is pink inside, and just right on the outside. In fact, I would love to see how he treats a steak – i bet he could pull off a medium rare to perfection. But I digress.

The Classic Pork Burg

We started off with the Classic Pork Burg. The simplicity of this burger made me fall in love with it. Light dash of mayo, one slice of tomato, and a bit of lettuce is all that is there, apart from the gorgeous patty itself. The pork patty is lightly seasoned, allowing the natural flavor of the meat to be the star. Lightly grilled on the outside, and perfectly pink in the inside, this one is all about the meat. On a scale of 1 to 10, this one is a major go!

baconbaba bubsterrs classic pork — The Classic Pork Burg

The Spicy Pork Burg

Next up was the Spicy Pork Burg. Don’t let the name fool you – the spice level is low enough for the meekest of intestines. A dash of their inhouse chipotle sauce and a few slices of jalapeno are all that give it the ‘spice’. The patty it self, in addition to the mild seasoning from the classic pork burg, also has a teensy weensy bit of chilli flakes, just to add a bit of oomph to the perfectly cooked burger. And did i say it has crisp fried bacon?

baconbaba bubsterrs spicy pork — The Spicy Pork Burg

The BBQ’D Pork Burg

On the other end of the spectrum is the BBQ’D Pork Burg. The bacon is glazed in the same bbq sauce that lathers the pork patty itself, lending a lovely sweet n savory flavour to the hole bite. That being said, I could have done with something to cut through the overwhelming sweetness of the overall package (maybe a slice of jalapeno?) This one is perfect for the little ones.

baconbaba bubsterrs bbq pork burger — The BBQ’d Pork Burg

The Massive Porky Lucy

The last one up to the table was the Massive Porky Lucy. A Take on the classic Juicy Lucy, this had a blob of molten cheese right in the middle of the monstrous patty. As you bite into it, the molten cheese oozes out, leaving behind this feeling of awesomeness that only molten cheese can bring to you. Cooked in the classic ‘steaming’ style, the patty is beautifully balanced with the cheese.

baconbaba bubsterrs porky lucy — The Massive Porky Lucy

Salads? Really?

They have also introduced a bunch of salads. Now, this is one territory I strictly stay out of, coz of my general aversion towards raw food. But one particular concoction stood out for me, and that was the Chef’s Special Salad.

The Chef’s Special Salad

The Chef’s Special Salad consists of thinly sliced beetroot, glazed in balsamic vinegar reduction, with toasted walnuts, feta cheese and an olive oil/parsley infused dressing. There are few words in there that kind of put me off, including ‘beetroot’ and ‘salad’. But this was a revelation. The beetroot, due to the balsamic vinegar glaze, completely transformed the root vegetable. The sweetness of the beetroot and the balsamic vinegar, along with the seasoning, the crunch of the almonds, and the fresh veggies, resulted in a mouth feel like no other. For possibly the first time in my life, baconbaba is recommending a salad!

baconbaba bubsterrs chef special salad beetroot walnut — The Chef’s Special Salad

Guys, if you are looking for a pork burger, this is the place to head to. #baconbaba approved!

I was invited to be part of blogger’s table. The Usual Disclaimer applies.

Sunday Brunch at the Burrow – Playboy Beer Garden

When you hear ‘BRUNCH’ you visualize eggs and toast, biryani and pizza, fruits and salads, grilled meat and veggies and paneer, beer and wine, and a forest of desserts. Everything one can imagine from breakfast to lunch.

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Well, take all that, add a magic show, a foot massage, sprinkle some amazing music coupled with a super chill ambiance, and you get the Sunday Brunch by Playboy Beer Garden.

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As I entered, the seductive fragrance of sweet sticky barbeque sauce on thick sexy pork ribs pulled me right in.

img_20161127_164151 — Pork ribs on the grill

20161127_131410 — Pork ribs, loaded with bbq sauce!

Flanked by chicken sausages and basil chicken thighs, the grill section is certainly the highlight of the brunch.

Right next to the grill section is the Mimosa bar. A Mimosa is a cocktail composed of champagne (or other sparkling wine) and chilled fruit juice, and these are absolutely delectable! With orange, apple, and cranberry options, I just couldn’t stop at one!

For the uninitiated, here’s the 1-2-3 of the Mimosa bar:

Pour the bubbly (champagne ftw!)
Add some juice (Fresh fruit juices – Apple, Orange or Cranberry – take your pick!)
Top with fruit (Cranberries, kiwis, Orange, etc) #DoNotMiss

As you walk into the plush indoor section, you are greeted by a vast selection of salads, cheese, fresh fruits, cereal (yes there’s breakfast too, remember?) and breads. I particularly relished the Tenderloin Roulade – A beautiful roll of meat with sultana and rosemary inside.

20161127_133244 — The Tenderloin Roulade with Sultana and Rosemary

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An array of salads

They also had some delectable kebabs, springrolls, pizzas and starters served at the table.

The main course included a veg khow suey (they made a chicken one for me on request) which was surprisingly good, though a tad spicy due to the green chilli – that being said – this is entirely customizable; just ask for the condiments to be served on the side!

20161127_135451 — Khow Suey, made to order

Chicken biryani, thai red curry, and chicken macaroni were nothing to write home about, but the Chicken Fricassee with mashed potatoes was nothing short of excellent.

20161127_135303 — Chicken Fricasse with mashed potatoes

When I was taking break from the hogfest, i sat at the foot massage chair, and got a complimentary foot massage – much needed for my sore feet due all the walking around the buffet counter An illusionist impressed us with some surprising card tricks as we were chilling with the mimosas

15110999_1637294333237226_4162910328004429019_o — The Magician – AP (Image courtesy Facebook – Playboy Beer Garden)

I could go on and on, but this just turns out to be the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Chill, drink, listen to some good music, eat some great food, relax and just have a good time over all with friends and family.

Amazing live music by Jameer from #theStage2

Packages (All prices are inclusive of taxes) –

Only Food = Rs.1073
Food +Beer+ Sangria = Rs.1480
Food + IMFL + Mimosa Bar is Rs.1829 – Highly recommended: the Mimosas are worth the extra $$

A big shout out to Ashutosh from TLND for inviting us and Team PBBG for hosting us. #TheBTeam loved the entire experience!! #TheBTeamRecommends

Note: This review is a combined experience of three visits to the PBBG Sunday Brunch, which include two blogger invites and one self sponsored family visit, over a period of four months. Surprisingly, all the experiences were equally good, however, for all intents and purposes, The Usual Disclaimer applies.

A few more drool-worthy pics here:

Mimosaaah!

Croquettes

Pizza!

Bread counter

Custard shots

Mango tarts

Waffles

Doodhi halwa

Mango cupcakes

Chocolate roulade

Khowsuey

The kids loved it

Continue reading “Sunday Brunch at the Burrow – Playboy Beer Garden”

Effingut Brewerkz, Baner – Pork ribs heaven!

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This is going to be short.

And sweet.

And sticky.

And delicious!

I’ve been visiting Effingut Brewerkz, Baner at least twice a week since it opened. My usual order? Strawberry cider and bacon wrapped prawns. And the jerk chicken, if I’m hungry. And, the chicken khow suey, if I’m super hungry!