Cafe 212 New Menu Launch !

Rating – 4.5/5

Off-late I have gone to a few tastings where either the Restaurant was a Vegetarian one or I couldn’t eat Non Veg for one reason or the other. As my handle BiryaniMaster would suggest that I am a hardcore Non-Vegetarian eater however the last few outings eating only Veg food while on tastings has given me an insight on the innovation and evolution that is happening on the Pune Food scene. My latest outing at 212 All Day Cafe wasn’t any different and I enjoyed every bit of the new Menu and the vegetarian offerings that will be available from August 23rd at their Phoenix Mall Outlet in Viman Nagar.

The Ambience – As always this place offers both Outdoor and Indoor seating and based on your preferences you can take position on either of the variants. While the outdoor one offers a magnificent experience on the Chilly Monsoon evenings the indoor seating is quaint and offers a rather peaceful experience, to each his own !

The Drinks – Out of all the drinks served I can vouch for the Strawberry R&R, it was the best Mocktail I had that evening and is certainly among the best ones I have had in recent times. It wasn’t too sweet and didn’t taste like Strawberry juice either, it was all that you could hope for in a refreshing Mocktail !

The Food – I didn’t have the pleasure to taste the Eggs dish but my fellow bloggers were all gaga about it. Out of the rest three the 3 Hummus Pita where the Hummus came in the variants of Beetroot, Edamame & Burnt garlic flavors while the Pita was in a crispy avatar. I liked this one the most and went really well with the beetroot flavor.

The Eggplant Bruschetta – This Bruschetta surpassed all my expectations and the combination of eggplant and fried onions created such a juicy and slightly sweetish flavor to go with the crispy bread that I just loved it !

The Cheese Overload Poutine – This combination of crispy french fries tossed in melted cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms and green peppers was something that immediately evoked that “WoW” feeling ! Even the Non Vegetarian counterparts had a good dig at this one and I had to really guard it to satiate my cravings being the only veggie in a group of six 😉

Mediterranean Panini – This was a decent Panini preparation if a little bland to my liking. The filling of grilled Zucchini, yellow squash, black olives and hummus was otherwise pretty decent.

Green Pea, Baby Potato & Celery Cakes – This was a preparation where the mashed potatoes filling was wrapped in grape leaves and this is suppose to be had after uncovering the leaf and the potato filling was tasty indeed if a bit more tangy.

Veggie Chimichangas – These were deep fried stuffed Tortillas that came across as brilliant snack option for the Vegetarians.

Pumpkin, Parmesan & Ricotta Tortellini – This Tortellini served with Onion and cilantro sauce went really well in Mains and again I loved the flavors of Pumpkin & Parmesan.

Paneer Chettinad Pizza – The best thing about this Pizza was a different and unique chettinad paneer toppings. Being a thin crust pizza it went well with a generous topping of cheese and the curry and mustard leaves gave it that typical South Indian flavor, I found the preparation pretty decent.

The Desserts – Both the Desserts were so good that I’ll go over them separately in the next section and this was the best way to end a rather sumptuous and enjoyable dinner.

Peanut Butter Pie – For the Peanut butter fans this is “The” dessert one would want to love and have, it was a soft pastry with Chocolate ganache and Vanilla Ice-cream which was so drool-worthy that I can just have these happily day in and day out.

Tiramisu Eclairs – I believe the picture of this preparation should do all the talking but still I’ll try to elaborate (my mouth is already watering), served with coffee dust sprinkled all over the tiramisu preparation and Mascarpone providing the rich and creamy flavor and texture made this the best dish for me in the entire evening.

The Verdict – The new menu is refreshing and though I am just so satisfied with just the Vegetarian offerings, imagine what a combination of Veg and Non Veg offerings will do in case you do head out to 212 for tasting their new menu from 23rd August onwards. It is one of the best places to go and have an alternative to Indian Cuisine but the food still appealed to my Indian Tastebuds which says a lot about the preparations. Enjoy !