BMG - Unplugged — Restaurant in Maharashtra

I was in Pune for a day as a part of my vacation and wanted to eat out. I was thrilled to find BMG Unplugged to be walking distance from my friend’s flat and headed there without further ado (they have an outlet in Dehradun and I’m a regular customer there).

Location The outlet is on the 1st floor of the West Wing of Amanora Mall (right next to a few other pubs).

Seating & Ambiance This place is HUGE. They have 4 distinct areas – an indoor space, an outdoor covered space, an outdoor space looking out towards the centre of the mall (which, I’ve been told, is being developed as an amphitheatre) and a very unique setup on the outdoor staircase. (Check the pictures for reference). The interiors have been done very tastefully and there is just so much to take in that looking-around-while-your-partner-is-on-the-phone will never be a dull moment. What’s more, ALL of the artwork has been hand-painted (including a fresco-like ceiling mural featuring The Beatles). And yes – they have their signature Yellow Bicycle, too. The music might seem a tad too loud outside but that’s only because all the pubs in the vicinity seem to have an unspoken contest to be the loudest-of-them-all.

Service I have no clue how the hospitality generally is in Pune, but this place is definitely one THE finest. The staff are attentive to your table without being intrusive and have some really great suggestions if you ask for their opinion on what to order. The cherry on my cake, however, was when the bartender came over to our table, asked about our preferences and then gave us some absolutely incredible drinks!

Food Gluttony will definitely be my sin. So be it. I accept it. What did I order? Everything I could get my hands on, apparently.

We started with SHARABI TIKKA and MUSHROOM GALOUTI. The former came in a jar that was given a flaming dose of some alcohol in front of us (it added to the taste and was a total WOW moment to witness). The latter was the vegetarian equivalent of mutton galouti and was pretty decent.

Next, we ordered CHCIKEN BLACK PEPPER N GARLIC and PAV BHAJI FONDUE. I loved the sauce that the chicken had been tossed in as it was impeccably balanced. The fondue had a good north indian flavour of bhaji with just a little bit of cheese thrown into the mix and came with bite-sized pav that we could dip – a fun (and tasty) affair.

We also got a portion of MUTTON GHEE ROAST which was flavourful with a distinct taste of ghee. We then ordered some DRAGON SMOKY POPCORN as it was something new for me – small crunchy puffs that were tossed in liquid nitrogen to give “dragon breath” on chewing.

For our main course, we tried something adventurous : DAAL MAKHANI SPAGHETTI . Yes, you read that correctly. And yes, I was just as sceptical as you might be after reading it (cue – rolling eyes). BUT IT WAS AMAZING ! You’ll have to try it to believe it, but I can’t wait to have that combo again!

We rounded off the meal with CHOCOLATE COOKIE LIVE ICE-CREAM which was basically fresh ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Was it good? Hell yeah!

Our meal was accompanied by a variety of drinks : *FIRANGI PAUVA, *BMG 007, CHOCOLATE MARTINI, BERRY BASIL BEER COCKTAIL & BMG SPL. MOJITO. They were all made really well, had very distinct flavours and a decent amount of alcohol.

Note : The drinks marked with ** are a part of their new menu (we got a preview – YAY!)

Conclusion I’ve been told that Pune is a HUGE city which can take hours to go from one end to the other. You know what I’d make that trip for? BMG Unplugged.

Pro Tip : If you have a specific taste and alcohol preference, be sure to have a chat with the bartender to get some exceptionally ideal...

BMG Unplugged should unplug!

Go here if you want to spoil your happy time with your loved one.

Firstly they ask us for paying cover charge at the entrance (500/- per person ie. redeemable in the bill) as they had a local band playing inside. FYR, Cover charge is understood to be something that restaurant charges to cover the expenses of live performance so that even if the customer doesn't order any items, they have their expenses per table covered.

Then as we enter at 8pm the place is empty, the staff alloted us the front table, and the band was still setting up their equipment, making random loud noises for the gig that is advertised to start at 7:30pm. Clearly no respect for anyone's time! The band still kept setting up and finally started live music at 9:05pm. That's 1.5 hours late!!

From 8pm to 9:05pm we had already ordered and consumed couple of starters and drinks to pass the time and wait for the live music to begin so we were already half full. Then we ordered main course to eat while listening to live music.

At 9:45pm the waiter who was all happy to serve food and recommend dishes suddenly comes asks how long will you be here!! The manager starts coming to the table to check if we are eating!! The waiter then comes with a bill and says "Ye lo aapka bill" while we are still having the food. We ask why and he says "Sir dusre guests ko ye table dena hai"

So apparently they have time limit set for the table even after paying cover charges which is normally understood that once you pay cover charge and go in you are paying for the whole experience till you want.

The greedy manager and staff think otherwise! They just want you to come pay them, eat your food and drinks and leave as soon as possible. They are not at all concerned if you are having a good time or not.

The manager had the audacity to say "Sir humko business karna hai, music toh chalta rahega". It shows he had no value for the money we were already spending (1400+) which is no small amount and also above their avg. cost of two as per Zomato listing.

Basically they just wanted to get rid of us so that they can charge another customer cover charge for the same table. Our mistake was we reached on time for the music which started late and we were occupying the front table alloted to us by staff themselves.

They have no regards for customer satisfaction and loss suffered due to Covid Lockdown by such establishments.

It will be difficult to survive for a place run by such greedy and undeserving people in this line of business with such attitude and service.

Thank you so much for spoiling the mood completely for us on our...

I believe this restaurant is not at all user-friendly. If you are booking through Zomato or Swiggy. At the entry itself, I shown them a Zomato pre-booking ID and in spite of that Bouncer was asking about Rs. 1000/- cover charge for getting into a restaurant. Hence, if you are booking through Zomato, you are making a big blunder for this restaurant, they will treat you like you are a loss-making customers to them and they will give you a secondary treatment. At first, Waiter will try to sell the in-house offers of (1+1) on drinks and asking us to order the same. And waiter behaviour was rude and he was constantly checking about when our packaging the table so that they can accommodate different customers without Zomato booking. We were using a dance floor in the middle of her food and drinks and water came to us three times and asking for making a payment first then we can use the dance floor, we told them we are expecting more guest so hence we are waiting for them so that we can make a final payment through Zomato. And finally when I was about to make full payment , waiter told us that D drink and food Offer is not applicable for Zomato customers and he forcefully changes the bill to double and he has asked us to pay the double amount which he should. I have tell us before making an order. Overall, the experience was pathetic from bouncers asking us to pay thousand rupees each as a cover charge to the final bill payment. Hence please do not book any table through Zomato. They will treat you...