Pune is hot! It is April and temperatures are poised to test the early 40s. This has now become a regular feature, but it wasn’t so always. The senior citizen paradise is lost and the times you didn’t need fans in Pune households are history.
But there’s still hope. Pune still has these green pockets that remind you of old times. Most of Koregaon Park is one of those. It still has a lot of green cover and the dense trees provide enough shade to keep it pleasant outside. So this lazy weekend we decided to check out Prem’s.
Prem’s is much like German Bakery in Koregaon Park. It has been there for a long time and much much before Koregaon Park transformed into a foodie paradise. From being a famous, casual hangout spot in the last century, it has now become a multi cuisine bar and restaurant in the last decade.
So this lazy, somewhat warm weekend, we decided to experience the newer Prem’s. It is easy to miss the restaurant if you don’t know the exact location. Situated on the North Main Road, behind Swig’s, the open air restaurant has plenty of tree cover to shield you from the hot sun.
Prem’s is mostly pushed as a breakfast place, or maybe I had that in my mind somewhere that it is a good place for a grand Sunday breakfast. But hey, what do you know. They have a huge menu and you will find something to everyone’s taste. It was hot, and a cool drink was a must before I could get around the menu. The Jeigermeister Mojito came highly recommended. The thought of minty cool lemonade seemed the perfect choice for a warm afternoon. The liquer tasted a lot like fennel and had a bitter component, which went well with the mint.
With this amazing suggestion, we went with some other suggested appetizers. Prawns Koliwada turned out to be delicious. Cooked to perfection – I need to figure out how to cook prawns right – the koliwada batter had the right ingredients and gave the dish the needed Malwani flavor. The chat masala sprinkle wouldn’t be missed here.
If the Malwani prawns were hot and spicy, the Zaffrani Peshkash was rightly low on the spice. As the name suggested the Paneer Tikka was mildly flavored and had an unmistakable background flavor of Saffron. The paneer itself was fresh and creamy and had no sourness which is quite common in the summer months.
I am a die-hard carnivore and Paneer can go only so far. So Chicken Golabi Seekh Kabab was the appetizer that caught my eye on the menu. It turned out that Golabi is the rosy color that the beetroot topping gives to the seekh kababs. The kabab was gingery with a hint of mint. The texture was a bit dense and on the dry side, I like my chicken to be juicy, but I know most people like chicken that is well cooked.
For the main course I had Res El Hanout Chicken. The grilled chicken breast was promised to have Harissa sauce, which is usually a red chili based paste. Although I can’t remember tasting one brefore, I expected it to be closer to Ajvar paste. However, at Prem’s it had strong fresh coriander flavor – a nice twist. It was served with mashed potatoes, which were smooth and creamy. The herbed rice complemented the green sauce and the veggies were blanched enough to taste cooked but still had a nice bite.
A lazy weekend meal is for indulgence and you cannot cannot skip on the desserts. I am glad that I indulged. These were the winners for the day! The Banofee Pie was an amazing surprise. From the look of it, I expected the pie to be gelatin based. But it turned out to be much more creamy and without any jiggle. The gooey banana, and the biscuit crunch along with the cream was like WOW!
With all the mughlai food, I needed an Indian dessert. But not too heavy. Shai Tukda seemed to be a good choice. Prem’s surprised us with this dessert too. The fried bread was crisp, yet devoid of any residual oil. And that made such a difference. The sweetness of the fried bread was balanced well with the rabdi and chopped Pistachios provided the crunch.
Koregaon Park is known for many things. Today, it has a plethora of culinary choices and a range of bars and clubs. Prem’s definitely provides Punekars an Indian food destination, that Koregaon Park is short on.