A good experience !

Rating – 4/5

Charcoal Eats has over 10 outlets all over in Pune and I happened to walk across to the Kalyani Nagar location with my hopes not too high as I don’t usually fancy on the go food packed in a box for quick consumption. I am more of an Old School, conventional Restaurant food lover so with a bit of reluctance I agreed to try their food.

Ambience – The ambience is pretty decent if a bit minimal with 6-7 tables within the premises. They have a concept of Centralized kitchen wherein their items are delivered in slots to all the outlets and are kept/prepared within a controlled environment to give the customers a quick order and fulfillment experience.

The Food – All of the items I tried during this outing were surprisingly good but the definite star of the evening were the Loaded Fries with Tandoori spice flavor, topped up with garlic mayo that took the preparation to such an exciting level that I had to order another one. Despite the fries loaded so much with the sauces, not for a single moment did the fries feel soggy at all. This was one of the most fantastic Fries preparations I had in a long time. At 119 bucks this is one of the best value for money preparations you can get while you’re here. #oneofthebestfriesever

Achari Aloo –  This was a bit spicy and had a bit of crunchiness going for it. The masala engulfing the potatoes was tasty and overall I liked the preparation.

Classic Chicken Biryani – The Biryani is good with tender chicken pieces however one shouldn’t expect this preparation to compete with a traditional dum biryani, so keep your expectations honest and hopefully you wouldn’t be disappointed. However being the biryani-master I wouldn’t rate this as one of the best biryani preparations I would look forward to queue up but this isn’t a bad preparation either by any stature of imagination.

Peri Peri Chicken Pizza Squares – This Pizza is pretty good and the defining factor is the puff base which makes it so different from everything else in the market. The toppings are pretty pizza like while the base has the crunchiness and puffiness of a Puff ! At 169 bucks this is again a value for money preparation guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds and appetite. #prettygood

Chocolate Mousse – This was an Okayish preparation since the consistency half of the way was kind of freezed and later on became a bit frothy and light. I wouldn’t call it a traditional Mousse preparation and it certainly left a bit more than what I desired for this one.

The Verdict – This is a pocket friendly place that serves you pretty decent food while not taking too much of your time. This is an ideal place for on the go food, the place is self-serviced and all the meals come in boxes from which one can eat directly with plastic spoons and forks. Overall given the pricing and taste combination, I would rate them highly in the value for money proposition, go for it when you can !