Malaka Spice
Rated: Good
based on 5 reviews
Virdavan Apts, Opp, Sanas Residency, North Main Road, Koregaon Park, Pune
26136293, 26141088
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« Reviews on Malaka Spice
Apr 08, 2008
Inventive menu, youthful vibe!
I was really looking forward to trying this joint after hearing good things about it on burrp! and from friends who frequent Pune more than me. The wife and I planned on spending a good 2-3 hours, taking it slow, and trying as many small things as possible to get an expansive flavour of their menu. The menu itself is a well-crafted, witty piece of work, with "did-you-know" type facts and other tid bits littered throughout. This place is a self-proclaimed South East Asian joint, and boasts representation of most all South East Asian countries, ranging from Indonesia, to Vietnam, to Thailand, to Singapore, and everything in between. I must say that while I have not been to most of these countries, and cannot verify the authenticity of the cuisine, it tasted damn good!
We started our meal with a bottle of Ivy Malbec by Chateau Indage - not bad for an Indian wine. You're dealing with wine snobs here, so I can't give kudos to a vintner who is not yet at a level where they can compete with quality labels internationally (albeit a big difference in consumer tastes and expectations in India). We ordered a few starters, one a peppery grilled kingfish and a more traditional chicken skewers served with peanut sauce. Both were excellent, especially the spicy grilled kingfish. For main course, we simply opted for a fragrant basil rice, along with Green Curry Vegetables. I've had better Green Curry here (Seven Spices in Park Plaza, Goregaon); but it was still a valiant effort, and we enjoyed our meal.
We finished off with a few glasses of Muscat (white dessert wine) along with some light chocolate mousse (not the deep, dark, dense mousse, if that's what you're looking for). All in all, a great dining experience. There was a lack of continuity with respect to service (we had three different order-takers during the course of the meal), so I subtract some points for that. Also, the staff wasn't terribly helpful in suggesting the more popular stuff, even when we were very specific about what we like and what we don't like. All in all though, we had a very pleasant experience, and would definitely go to this place again the next time I'm in Pune.
