Want to know which is the best veg restaurant in Pune? Read along.
Creaticity Mall hosts a lot of excellent restaurants, bars and pubs in Pune. Now it is home to one of the best vegetarian all-day diner in town.
I was invited for a tasting at Nine Square and here is my experience
Details about Nine Square:
Nine Square - Creaticity Mall
What if I tell you, that there is a place located inside creaticity mall which is loved by the most hardcore non-vegetarian bloggers around town happens to be a vegetarian all-day diner? Intrigued, read along.
Address: Unit 5, Pubtown, Creaticity Mall, Yerawada, Pune, 411006, India
Price Range: $$$
Days: monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday
Opening Time: 12:00 PM
Closing Time: 12:00 AM
Serves Cuisine: Continental, North Indian, Italian, Asian
Nine Square is one of the best veg restaurant in Pune
There I said it. In my opinion, this is the best place to enjoy delectable veg food in Pune. Let me explain by giving you the advantages of this place:
- You don’t have to think about traffic
- Parking your vehicle is a breeze
- Finding the place is fairly easy
- Has an alfresco seating so that you enjoy the evening breeze
- If you visit for lunch and do not prefer open-air seating, It has an AC indoor setup
- The service is top-notch
- Happy Hours and offers all year round
- The ambience is uber-cool and relaxed
The main reason I termed Nine Square the best veg restaurant in Pune – The Food
We started our journey on a low note. I ordered:
➤ Orange Kafir Lime Mocktail: For me, the Kafir lime brutally overpowered the orange. The zest and the tang of the orange were killed by the brawny flavour of Kafir Lime. I am not a huge fan of it, but for someone who likes the relish of Kafir Lime would enjoy it.
➤ Roasted Tomato Soup: During the wintry evenings this would be the best pick. With a warm, homely feeling this became the main attraction on the table pretty quickly. Mild yet complex flavours giving it a sweet and sour texture was a win for me. I would have liked the consistency to be a little thick but I am nitpicking here.
➤ Detox bowl: Recently I have developed a huge liking for a good bowl of salad. This fits the criteria very well. For me, a salad should not be just a mixture of green things tossed together. It should have character; a flavour which is complex enough to be appreciated. The combo of Kale, Sprouts, Green apple, Pomegranate, Beetroot and microgreens were wrapped in a sweet dressing of honey. I was delighted to see the balance between the crunchy texture of kale and the smooth bite of the sprouts. The honey after taste was a cherry on the top.
➤ Tortilla Salad: I think this was served alongside the detox bowl and it compliments the former very well. The crispy strips of tortilla with a crunch of onions and the bite of the corn was lip-smacking. Green beans added another dimension of flavour to the entire mix.
After devouring the salad bowls we moved towards the chaat menu
➤ Pudina Paani Poori: The first dish to come on the table was Pudina Paani Poori. Pooris were plated on glassware which had dry ice at the base. I thought it was just a gimmick. It does not add anything to the dish in terms of flavour or texture but pleases the eye. (Then again, who am I to judge, I burst soap bubbles whenever I get the chance 🙂 ). The pooris were made with corn flour which kept then nice and crisp while we poured the sweet and spicy concoction in it.
➤ Chaat Cornetto: A super crispy cone-shaped tostada stuffed with a handsome mix of onions, tomato and fried potato chaat. It was topped with sour cream, shredded beetroot & carrot. I was sceptical about the novelty and the play of flavours together. I was proven wrong at the very first bite. Chaat will never disappoint an Indian palette.
➤ Dabeli Croquettes: A fusion dish with Dabeli masala rolled in breadcrumbs and decorated with sev was something that every age group will enjoy. It takes a lot of patience and retries to perfect this kind of dish and I am pretty sure that the team at Nine Square nailed this preparation after a lot of efforts.
➤ Smoked Chilly Cottage Cheese: Huge and soft chunks of cottage cheese marinated well and topped with peanuts, shredded beet and coriander is a well-disguised version of paneer tikka. Although I would have liked to see the garnish to be something different after seeing shredded beet and carrot on many of the dishes. I would let it pass for the sheer pleasure of digging my teeth into the chunks and getting that original Indian masala to salivate my taste buds.
After eating such a huge spread there was little space left for the mains but here are a few dishes I would like to mention:
➤ Tandoor ka bhuna Kadai Paneer: The taste of kadai paneer is totally dependent on the freshly pounded spices and the freshness of the cottage cheese. Both of them were on point. The Indian spices shined through and pair it with a Chur Chur Naan and you are in for a delightful, tummy full meal.
➤ Dal Makhani: My North Indian friends who crib that Pune does not serve the Dal Makhani you get in the lands of Delhi or Punjab, must try this. The buttery aroma was very inviting and the perfectly cooked lentils made my meal complete. Devour it with burnt garlic naan or Awadhi Pulao and satiate your cravings for authentic Punjabi dal makhani for sure.
We were so full after this that there was no point in ordering anything else, but how can we forget the desserts
➤ Falooda Kulfi: I am a huge fan of Indian desserts. Falooda lands somewhere on the top of my list. After trying one of the best Falooda in town at Kalinga Veg this one was a pleasant delight. Not very sweet as the kulfi is prepared in house. Garnished with pistachios and basil seeds this one is a charmer.
➤ Mal Pua: Another Indian dessert for the sweet tooth in you. Much sweeter than the Falooda. Small pancake sized mal pua overloaded with cream and nuts is a decent option. Kudos to the plating again.
➤ Belgian Chocolate Cake: If you do not like your desserts to be very sweet, this one is for you. topped with choco chip this cake was the show stopper. The ganache was sublime and the base was moist and had a complex chocolate flavour.
Overall I loved the fact that there are places like Nine square that exists. Not only it helped me realize that vegetarian food can be as tasty as meat but also made me appreciate the efforts and thoughts that are put into each and every dish that comes out of the kitchen of Nine Square.
Let me warn you about the portion size of the dessert serving here. It is more than enough to order a single dessert for 3-4 of you.
The high tea menu deserves a special mention. The coffee is prepared from a special roast of Blue Tokai coffee beans specially crafted for Nine Square. The savoury items are a good gateway to the beguiling food served.
Let us know how would you rate Nine Square?
DISCLAIMER
I was invited to a complimentary food tasting event. This blog is a narrative of my experience at the event. These are my views that I have expressed. Others are most welcome to agree or disagree with the same. The blog is not personally or commercially influenced. I have not lifted, copied or plagiarised it from any source either. However, I have done my due diligence via publicly available information on the internet and as shared by the client/PR agency. All rights reserved.
