Absinthe-Pune

My first evening in Pune, I found myself in the swank settings of Westin. My friend's husband's birthday turned out to be just the right occasion for trying Absinthe. I could afford to drink knowing that I was not driving later.

Westin's drink menu had to varieties of Absinthe---the original and more popular Green Absinthe with 70% alcohol content and the Black Absinthe with 85% alcohol content. I decided to try the Green Fairy. It came with a word of caution from the waiter. "Great choice, ma'am but it's very potent." Um...I saw no problem there! So the girls, my friend and I ordered our green Absinthe and waited in giggly anticipation when we saw the waiter arrive with 2 shot glasses of the lovely green drink.

He placed our glasses with butter-knife-like spoons with 2 sugar cubes placed above it and poured Absinthe over the sugar cubes so that the drink trickled down to our glasses sweetened. they he lit the cubes on fire which then lit the drink below. So far, I was loving the show and drama! the waiter then poured ice-cold water over the flaming sugar cubes and the the entire glass lit up like a big firefly. Awesome!

After happy cheers, we clinked the glasses and took a sip. It tasted like toothpaste. Colgate gel toothpaste to be precise. I was not prepared for the minty and slightly sweet taste but I still drank it in anticipation of some crazy mind games. It never came. I felt slightly tipsy and very relaxed but that could easily have been attributed to the very, very busy and tiring day I had that day and I would have unwinded just the same had been drinking diet Coke. Now this is from someone who does not drink much. I wondered how disappointed the hardcore drinkers might have felt. 

Nonetheless, I can now happily cross out Absinthe from my list of drinks to try.

Playing with Food at "Mamagoto"

If you are a frequent visitor at Khan Market, you need not be warned that one needs to be prepared for a long wait even to reach the "reserved" seats at almost any eating joint at Khan Market on weekends. So,

despite our reservations at "Mamagoto" for 9:30 PM, we got our table only at 10 PM. Something that I was not very happy about. However, since this was not my first trip there, I know for sure, they make-up the delay with great service and I was not wrong.

Mamagoto serves Asian cuisine with very interesting twists. Thankfully, the "twists" are not very outlanding for those are quite non-experimentive by nature. Besides their food, I have always loved how Mamagoto makes up for it's small and tight space with fun art and colours that somehow takes your mind off the person at the next table sitting uncomfortable close...almost like somebody who was forcing his way into your dinner group.

Nonetheless, the great addition to their menu are some really good cocktails and mocktails; though the list is kind of short. I decided to try out the "Mamagoto Breezer" this time.

Drinks: 

Mamagoto Breezer was vodka with Cranberry and Pineapple juice finished off with Peach essence. It was a tad too sweet but it tasted great after all that ice watered it down by the end of my meal. I would recommend it to others but for those who are not very fond of drinking what tastes like sugar syrup at first go, request the waiter to watch the sweetness.

That's me and my Mamagoto Breezer

Appetizers: 

Water chestnut spring rolls served with chilli-black bean jam. It wasn't bad but I have had better. The Water chestnuts in the roll do add an interesting crunch and texture as you bite into them so it's a good dish to try at least once. The accompanying jam, is well, redundant as they seem to refuse to stick to the rolls and add their flavor no matter how mild.

Mixed vegetables tempura was really nice to just eat as a separate dish since the batter was light and crispy. It would make one feel a whole lot less guilty of choosing this over Indian pakodas any time just by the way it looks. But no. It is not really a healthy treat if you are on a diet.

Dinner:

I ALWAYS order Hawkers noodles when I eat here (it is a habit I'm trying to come out off). The Phad Thai (flat noodles) that are slightly sour in taste are accompanied by crunchy sprouts and a wedge of lemon. It is great to eat with any other dishes or like we did last night, order something to balance the sourness like Schewan Chicken (curry).

This time, my friends and I decided to skip the desserts here and head to our frequent joint. However, since I have tried the desserts here, I do not think anybody is really coming here to satisfy their sweet tooth over their choice of 5 desserts on the menu. You can let the desserts be and not miss it. 

Avg. Cost: Rs. 1100  for meal for two.

Rating: 3.5/5

Location: Besides the now famous branch in the middlelane of  Khan Market, Mamagoto is located on 2nd floor of Select City Walk and a new branch is coming soon to Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden.