Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen

This place redefines what it is to be a vegetarian. Every person who believes being vegetarian is eating “khaas phus”, should visit this place atleast once. This is all it will take to change your mind.

The six floored building has so much to offer that will leave you wanting to come back multiple times. The magical words – ‘Gourmet Food’ that tops every foodies list, can be experienced here. The first two floors are already functional now and others will be starting soon for the public.

Every single floor on the building is beautifully designed which will give you an everlasting impression.
1st & 2nd Floor – Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen
3rd Floor – Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen
4th Floor – Babylon Grill Room
5th Floor – Level 5 Bistro & Bar
6th Floor – Babylon Craft Brewery

The place illustrates 5 years of efforts behind this project. The owners, Abhishek & Amrita have given their heart and soul with immense planning to make this place the most exclusive one.

I witnessed the extraordinary dishes that came for our dining experience prepared with the most basic ingredients which just blew my mind. I am sure everyone has experienced the tricks that our moms use to make eat traditional vegetables. Surely, they never worked. This place masters such tricks. Not for a second will you realize the ingredient/veggies used in the lip-smacking dish that you just devoured so happily. I was awestruck with the first bite of every dish I tried Not only did I leave with a full tummy but with absolute heartfelt content.

The ambiance is amazing and gives a heartwarming welcome followed by comfortable seating. The staff is humble and proactive which reflects in the quick service.

Coming to the food part, how much ever I try to pen down my experience will not be enough and justified. I had the most amazing dishes of my life prepared from the veggies I could never possibly imagine. Those masterchef level dishes that made way out to table astonished me.

Afterall, the man behind the food is none other than celebrity chef Amit Puri himself. He along with owners designed and finalized the menu and brought it to perfection after multiple recipe trails, in two months.

We started with the soup –

Corn & Coconut Soup – Sweet and creamy with fresh chunks of corn, capsicum, broccoli and the best part was the tender coconut julians. I loved the texture and consistency. It was prepared in coconut water which added a nice flavor. Loved it. #Recommended

Mulligatawny – A unique sweet potato soup, flavoured with coconut and spiced with black pepper that hits the throat. Garnished with papad crisps. The flavor was strong for my liking but for those who likes black pepper might like it.

Starters –

Breaking the myth that vegetarian food is restricted to paneer this place offers the variety of starters displaying all possible vegetables you can and cannot think of. The use of these vegetables is not only restricted to Indian cooking but offers various cuisines from the same. We tried –

Badam Broccoli – Broccoli florets marinated in yogurt, flavored with cardamom, char grilled in almond butter and finished with roasted almond flakes. I liked the blend of smoky flavor in contrast with buttery almonds.

Honey Chilli Lotus Stem – Loved the way lotus stem is turned into Chinese cuisine. Crispy chunks of lotus stem well coated in sweet, tangy and spicy Chinese sauces to give it a profuse flavourful taste.

Mac n Cheese Poppers – I am not a huge fan of Mac n Cheese but who doesn’t love poppers? Creamy, cheesy mac n cheese with crisp fried crust is a perfect starter at any time of the day.

Paneer 65 – Modernizing the traditional way of preparing paneer 65 this one got an all-new avtar. Chunks of paneer 65 covered with crisp noodles prepared with dimsums dough. Yes, this innovation turned out to be an amazing.

Mushroom Cheese Melt Panini – Crisp grilled panini stuffed with four types of mushroom chunks – shitake, portobello, button and porcini tossed in herbs, cheese mix and butter. Simply loved it. #Recommended

Bhuna Kathal Wrap – What an outstanding dish this was. I just can’t get over it. Each morsel had done with magical spices to flavor kathal (jackfruit). Nice flaky wrap filled with tender, juicy kathal chunks prepared in spicy flavorful gravy. The best dish I have ever had in my life. This won my heart. #HighlyRecommended

Peri Peri Arbi Tuk – Boiled and fried arbi well coated with peri peri masala giving it a nice crisp crust. Perfectly spiced crust gave arbi a nice twist. Loved it.

Mains –

After having enough of delicious starters, I was so full. The taste, aroma and magic of flavors hijacked my mind completely. After having such a wonderful start, I was so looking for the mains despite being so stuffed.

Kalinga Margarita – Perfectly baked crisp yet soft pizza topped with lots of cheese, tomato and fresh basil leaves. The basic pizza covered with thick cheesy layer and minimum toppings is what makes it super delicious. Liked it.

Assorted Bao – Assorted steamed buns flavoured with beetroot, garlic and active charcoal to give nice different colours, filled with mushroom curry. I am not a huge fan of baos but the filling was delicious.

Malaysian Curry with Parotta – Creamy coconut curry with fresh chunks of vegetables like potato, French beans, onion and babycorn. Nice accompaniment to go with paratha. A good option when you are bored of regular curries and want to try something different.

Teriyaki Exotica with Fragrant Rice – As the name suggest, exotic veggies like oyster mushrooms, asparagus, chestnuts and bambooshoot dipped in sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce served along with fragrant rice.

Kale aglio olio – Perfectly cooked al-dante spaghetti with garlic in olive oil along with kale. Loved the flavor and aroma of olive oil used perfectly blended with garlic mine. Loved it.

Koyla Dal Makhani – A delicious smoky and creamy dal makhana served along with multi grain roti. If such is the taste of Indian food it definitely needs a place on global menu. I so loved it. If multigrain roti can be so delicious I can have it every single day. Different roasted seeds placed over roti. Loved it.

Baby Naan – Flavored baby naans – beetroot, cheese and pumpkin served along with coriander pesto and motabal. Loved it.

Desserts –
We had to take break before we finally hog on to the most awaited and delicious course of the meal.

Fudgy Brownie with icecream – The most delicious, fudgy and gooey brownie I have ever had. The portion size is huge and it tastes divine. It is a must have dessert on the menu.

Mango Cheesecake – I’m not a huge fan of cheesecakes but the yummy flavor of mago made me loved it.

Filter Coffee crepes – Perfectly prepared crepes filled with coffee mousse with chunks of nuts. The presentation was top notch and so was the taste.

Cost – Average Cost is 700/- for two
Timings – Sunday – Monday 08:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Location - 1st-3rd Floor, House of Nosh, CTS 1365, Gulawani Maharaj Path, Opposite Mehendale Garage, Erandwane, Pune
Overall Experience – I had an amazing experience with the food I was left in food coma after having such delicious delicacies that I could never think possible. Food is fresh and prepared with most humble and exotic ingredients. No stone is left unturned to make you go gaga over the food. Loved it.