Fine dining at it’s Best !

Rating 4.5/5

I would begin on a different note from my usual tone of reviews to straightaway come to the point, this place is guaranteed to evoke extreme emotions – either you’re going to like it very much or you may shrug it off just like another place and in that case may frown as well given the prices 😉 However I am not complaining at all, every foodie who likes a bit of experimentation with their food needs to visit Syrakko at least once ! From the same owners/Management of Sin Envy Pride this restaurant is here to to build their own niche in the sphere of fine dining and fusion cooking and whatever I tasted they seem to be very good at what they’re striving to achieve !

Talking about experimentation, imagine Solkadhi without Kokum, an innocuous Pumpkin transforming to a delicious Soup or having a dessert called Espresso Firni – if that’s what excites you then you just cannot afford to miss Syrakko for sure.

At the danger of writing an extremely long review I will try to limit my food emotions to the minimum and talk about food objectively 😉

Location & Ambience – 5/5 – Situated in the well known Kapila Matrix in Mundhwa or KP Annexe as some people like to call it the place is easy to locate (on the 7th floor) and has their own Valet Parking Service to ease you of any Parking issues that are usually associated with the side of the Town. The location comes in handy as it’s still a bit insulated from the usual hustle and bustle of KP yet it’s so nearby to all the happening places in the vicinity. Talking about Ambience, being a fine dining place the Ambience is pretty good and the decor is tastefully chosen indeed.

The Palate Cleansers – This was another highlight, we were served with specific palate cleansers before each course of the meal, a first that I have witnessed in my outings in Pune so far.

Food – I’ll give them an overall rating of 4.5/5.

Terming something tasty and palatable is always subject to an individual’s opinion and I cannot guarantee that everyone who eats at Syrakko would find the food as taste-worthy as I did but I can definitely say that you would find the preparations unique and different from the usual.

I am going to post pics of all the dishes I tasted however will write about the ones I really loved and want the readers to really try them when you’re there.

The Soups – 5/5 – The best soup of the menu for me is the Prawn and Garlic Chowder Soup (Rs310). It’s a white creamy based textured soup and has small chunks of prawns and is absolutely delicious. Mind you this is coming from someone who just can’t stand the smell of prawns and still I have no hesitation in terming this as the best soup of the evening.

The Chicken and Almonds Shorba comes a close second with shredded almonds enhancing both the flavor and the appearance and the flavors are mild yet it impresses with it’s richness, subtle spices and tender chicken chunks.

The Starters – 4/5 – Out of the Array of starters served the best I found to my liking was the Murg Thecha Kebab (Rs.300). It’s an absolute delight with the traditional Maharashtrian thecha masaala with a surprising yet competent and tangy Sundried tomato thecha further accentuated by Solkadhi (without Kokam) and pickled cucumber and beetroot. The Sundried tomato thecha was everything that I have never tasted before, it was tangy, a little sweet and did a very good job in balancing the spiciness of the regular thecha masaala.

Malai Prawn Tartlet(Rs.350) – The only word is WOW ! The prawns were tender, creamy, sprinkled with tarter sauce, devoid of any pungent smell and were complemented by a short bread accompanied with the preparation.

Other notable mentions were the Pea Escalope(Rs.260) and Shish Taouk (Rs.310 – Chicken needed to be a bit more tender). The Shami kebab (Rs.310) didn’t quite live up to my expectations as the flavors and required tenderness associated with the preparation was missing.

The Main Course – 4.5/5 – This is where the things really started to hot up with almost all of the preparations being Top Notch with the exception of Awadhi Lamb Korma (Rs.460 –  was too subdued for my liking). The Indian Mains come with a small serving of Rice and 1 piece of Naan.

Strongly recommended – When you’re here you may order any of these Mains based on your preferences and you shall not be disappointed – Coastal Prawn Curry (Rs.490), Murg Dungar (Rs.400 – the best one for me), Mediterranean Risotto(Rs.390)and Herb Roasted Chicken (Rs.440).

The Desserts – 5/5 – Oh and heavenly they were !

White Chocolate & Wasabi Parfait (Rs.280) – Can you imagine Wasabi’s usage in a Dessert? The White Chocolate and cream based Parfait was creamy and rich and went great with the surprising yet subtle flavors of Wasabi.

Salted Chocolate Mousse (Rs.290)- A mouthful of dark chocolate served with Malibu Soup, this is meant for the dark chocolate lovers for surem needless to say I liked it.

Espresso Firni (Rs.250)– Wow, Wow and just Wow. This was arguably the best dessert I have had in a long long time, the combination of coffee flavored ball with Tiramisu combined with Chocolate soil (as they call it) worked wonders and evoked such fountain of flavors, crunch and punch literally bamboozling me and this for me was the highlight of the Menu.

Dark Chocolate Fondant with Raspberry Caviar(Rs.280) and Fresh Fruit Sorbet (Rs.240) were pretty enjoyable as well and the desserts on the whole were the best course of the meal.

Value for Money – 4/5 – Firstly the portion sizes of almost all the dishes are strictly for one person only and a decent meal for two should set you back between 1800-2200 bucks. Having said that the preparations are unique and I for one don’t really mind shelling out that amount for a fine dining experience and Chef Nagaraj deserves a special mention for the awesome plating on display for all the preparations.

Credits – A huge shout out to the BTeam especially Mishraji (Divyanshu as I fondly call him) for inviting me to the food tasting event. Our Dinner session though got wrapped up by 11 but we had lots & lots of interesting conversations with the Management to understand their ideas of fine dining and fusion. Enjoyed all the conversations with Mr.Prasad, Mr.Ameya, Chef Nagaraja, Mr.Mayank and loved the hospitality of the entire staff.