Posted On Friday, February 03, 2012 at 08:46:00 AM
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Other than being an absolute Pandora’s box for shoppers, malls do have one more thing that manages to attract hordes of consumers — the availability of a variety of fast food.
| Rajesh Nirgude |
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Having a bite after a shopping spree is quite the trend nowadays. With the burgeoning mall culture in Pune, food courts can be seen to be quite packed on weekends and in this age of cut throat competition, every outlet struggles to serve its customers something unique. So, it comes down to the themes they promise or the catchy combos they will serve up to attract customers.
Maroosh at the Phoenix Market City in Viman Nagar manages to do just that, attracting customers with an interesting shawarma machine installed eye-catchingly at their establishment.
A huge placard indicates — ‘200 delicacies starting from Rs 49’ – which made me all the more curious to check out the joint. It was quite amusing to find egg rolls, veg makhanwala, Hyderabadi kheema and rogan josh in a Lebanese outlet, but their Lebanese menu managed to compensate for the surprise.
The menu here is comfortingly typical, with hummus, moutabel, falafel and shawarma up on offer. The Lamb Shawarma (Rs 160) is quite excellent fare. The main aspect — the meat — is well marinated and not at all chewy.
The tahini and hummus were close to exactly how they should be. It was, however, disappointing to have it cold, as neither the bread nor the meat were hot enough to be enjoyed more.
The pita bread wasn’t exactly perfect and the shredded lamb isn’t served in pockets, but in a roll form. Their Fattoush salad (Rs 120), Tabouleh (Rs 120) and Moutabel (Rs 130) are pretty authentic too.
The main ingredients, i.e. tahini paste, chickpeas, broad beans, bulgur wheat and olive oil make all the difference to the taste. Moutabel generally varies from places to place and it is very important to get the garlic-aubergine-tahini proportions just right, along with the crucial selection of eggplant — which this place manages fine.
After having their Lebanese fare, I was eager to try out some combo meals, after seeing several customers choose them over the Lebanese menu. One can prepare their own combo with the choice of a starter, main course and of Indian bread. Dal, rice and salad come complimentary.
Somehow, personally I did not find the Indian fare as exciting as the Middle Eastern stuff. While the gravies are mostly derivatives of a certain type, the starters are slightly similar in taste, spiced up with garam masala or topped with cream. The dum biryani here comes as a tawa pulao.
However, the main recommendation I will make for this joint is the shawarma. It is also a great option for a quickly grabbed meal. Insist on a warm/ hot filling to enjoy it to the very fullest. The Middle Eastern fare here has the least chances of leaving you disappointed!
Maroosh
2 nd Floor, Food court, Phoenix Market City, Viman Nagar 02030950666
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03:37:44 PM