The Barkhana — Restaurant in Maharashtra

Lately, there have been some really fine additions in our locality ranging across cafes, bistros, restaurants and lounges. One such addition is The Barkhana, one which would really get you excited with its well crafted interiors and food.

Talking about interiors, it has been divided into two sections. One is a bit gloomy to begin with but has alot of attention to detail, things like loud stickers, quirky facts and artwork are the hallmark of this section. Also this one is on the comfy side with big sofas and chairs. One which you would prefer when you come here all played out with the day's work. The other section though is my favorite! Adequately lit, tall chairs, a huge bar and some thumping yet soothing music. I specifically loved the ceiling which houses alot of bulbs, which eventually compliments the whole dimension of this place beautiful, rather adds a unique avenue altogether which is clearly visible from the outset and alluring indeed.

As it's a lounge, it specialises in north indian and continental food which go really well with the drinks rolled out here. Coming to that aspect, the cocktails and food dished out here are outstanding in their own right. So let's dive straight into it

⭐ Cocktails

🔹 Hazelnut Sour- A whiskey based drink consisting of hazelnut syrup along with pineapple and apple juice. The drink offers a tickling yet refreshing touch to the taste buds thanks to the hint of cinnamon in it. Outstanding.

🔹 Strawberry Delight- A vodka based cocktail with strawberry crush as its main ingredient, topped with orange and lime juice to give it a citrusy kick. This is for the ones who like their drinks to be citrusy. In my personal opinion it was too citrusy for my liking.

⭐Food

🔹 Butter Chicken Naanza- No better snack to compliment your cocktail than a cheesy butter chicken naanza. Filled with loads of butter chicken gravy and cheese, this one will surely hit the right spots of your palate. The long cheesy pull is certainly the highlight of this dish and can make you drool all over it.

🔹 Chicken Chili Wings- How about desi tadka with a chinese twist. Well it tastes as delicious as it sounds. These wings had a nice spicy touch to it with alot of flavours coming through pretty well. Good ones.

🔹Dal Makhani Nachos- This is something unique to begin with and something which will lure into coming here again and again. The nachos are crisp with loads of dal makhani and cheese poured all over it. The taste is mild as one would expect and will certainly get your conversations started over a pint of beer.

🔹Kheema Bomb- The first thing that impressed me about this appetiser was its presentation. As the name indicates, kheema is stuffed in small round breads which tastes outstanding. Impressive stuff.

🔹 Stuffed Cheesy Baba Wada- Looked like half cut cheese balls to begin with. These crunchy and cripsy baskets of joy were filled with cottage cheese, mushrooms and Cheese. Absolutely delish.

⭐ Desserts

🔹Gulab Jamun Tiramisu- To be honest I was disappointed in the beginning as the name triggered an image of gulab jamun given a twist of coffee to it. Instead we get a dessert which is topped with rose flavoured whipped cream with gulab jamun below. Although the taste was really good as the GULAB Jamun was able to create magic on my tastebuds, the name was a bit misleading.

🔹 Chocolate Rum Firni- Firni has always been my favourite as far as traditional desserts are concerned. In order to experiment a bit, they tried to add chocolate and rum into it. Although it looked great the taste of rum was a bit overpowering in it which completely messed up the dessert.

That being said about the food here, which was quite good in most parts. The service here is immaculate too. The staff here is super courteous and welcoming. They treat you very well right from the moment you arrive till the time you leave, all your demands are taken care of in a very seamless manner. Loved the hospitality here. So that was about my visit here, I hope this gave you an insight about this place. Do...

So I visited The Bar Khana this Friday.  The Zomato reviews and pics already had set my expectations and I was looking forward to a good time here. 😁

AMBIENCE - 🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐

The place has been given factory kind of rustic interiors and decor along with lot of little props to gel with this theme, like the coal operated iron, police barricades, etc. l really loved the way they have done everything. The vibes were dark and lit at the same time.

The seating was ultra comfy. It has 2 major seating sections where one of the area has the dance floor and the other one overlooking the Pune-Mumbai highway where the lights from passing vehicles just added to the experience. The roof of this section is lit with innumerable bulbs and the reflection on the glass wall works like a charm.

MUSIC - 🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐

The music is really worth talking about. Unlike the recent English and Punjabi music culture in pubs, The Bar Khana's DJ had a choice of Old School and Desi rock songs. These songs were not unheard of, but mostly not played in generic play lists. I personally had a great time listening to those.

Now let's get to the food and drinks -

COCKTAILS - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lady Luck-🍹🍒 Vodka based cocktail with Passion Fruit, Cranberry and Orange Juice

Hazlenut Sour-🥃🍏 Whisky based cocktail, mixed with Hazelnut syrup, apple and Pineapple juice topped with loads of ice.

Beerito - 🍺🍸 It's a beer based cocktail with Tequila, lemon juice and soda topped with Mint leaves.

Passion Fruit Mango Spiced - 🍋🌶️ This is mostly getting into a classic seasonal cocktail. You find it almost everywhere. Mango juice blended with Passion Syrup, spiced a bit and served with two green chillies on the edges of the cocktail glass to make it look like a devil.

FOOD - 🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐

Pav Bhaji Canopy - (must order) 🍔🥘 One of the best fusion food experiences till date. The pav was filled with bhaji and topped with loads of Cheese. The taste was impeccable. Absolutely adored the concept and little pav canopies.

Bhuni Mirch ka Malai Tikka - 🌶️ This was a regular Malai Paneer Tikka which was made different by a Green Chilli infusion.

Mushroom Masala Naanza - 🍕🍄 Naanzas have been talk of the town for a couple of years. The base was perfectly crisp and cooked really well. It had ample amount of Mushrooms, but a little too saucy for my liking.

Paneer Masala Punjabi Thali - 🍣🍛 The best main course thali combo for sure. Having a full portion of Gravy, Rice, 4-6 pieces of Naan/Roti accompanied with Munchies, Pickle and Lachha Onions, and all this offered for a mere 340 bucks. Totally enough for 2 people.

Gulab Jamun Tiramisu - 🍧🍰 My first reaction was - Did I read that right? This was unexpected, yet I liked the flavor. Somehow the taste blended pretty well. Both Tiramisu and Gulab Jamun were equally delicious. The dish looked so aesthetic garnished with Rose petals on the top and then layered with Gulab Jamun and Tiramisu alternately.

SERVICE - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was something I have rarely experienced. The service here was so quick like someone ordered it for express delivery. You order it, take a sip of your drink and voila, your item is already on the table. Magical to say the least. The staff is super friendly. I had Manish on our table and he was a happy go lucky chap.

VALUE FOR MONEY - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Scores full marks here. The prices have been set perfectly. The amazing food quality and the serving portions did absolute justice to the prices. A section of starters or quick bites have been really priced in 150-200 range. A steal deal for a place like this. Other thing specifically I'll say about is the Thali which I mentioned earlier. What else, it has Zomato Gold too!

Special thanks to Mr. Dani and Mr. Vijay for this experience.

Highly...

Plenty of good reviews on Zomato and a great deal on DineOut lured us into The BarKhana for our Saturday night drink binge!

Cocktails: Peach Lager: If you like peach flavour, simply go for this drink. Perfect mix of vodka, beer, peach and orange juice. #Recommended Battery Acid: Sounds scary, but was a smooth, creamy, coffee based white rum cocktail which tasted like Baileys. Passion Fruit Mango Spiced: Sweet, spicy, well balanced drink with a Mango juice base and a hint of spiciness. A good combination I reckon! Bloody Mary: Need I say anything about this one? Just the run of the mill vodka in tomato juice. Romance on the highway: As interesting as it may sound, it tasted more like a mocktail! Needed much more vodka in it to call it a cocktail! 3 Mile Island: The bartender seemed to have messed up his proportion with this drink. It was supposed to be more like a Long Island Iced Tea, but had an unusual cough syrup like after taste.

Food: Talking about food, they have a variety of options to choose from and each of their dish is well worth a try! Butter Chicken Naanza: Flavourful butter chicken laden with in house cheese on top of a naan! As good as it can get. #MustTry Chuza Khaas Biryani: Didn't expect such delectable Biryani in a bar! Flavoursome, aromatic with a right blend of spices! It can easily give the best biryani restaurant in Pune a run for the money! #MustTry Chicken Chili Wings: Chicken wings covered with chinese sauces and a desi tadka to add the twist. O live U Kombdi: Tender pieces of chicken marinated in yogurt, but could hardly find the olives. Tasty nevertheless.

Value for Money: They have some really good offers in place which makes this place a total value for money affair!

Ambience: Please get better speakers! The volume was not loud enough and the feel of the place went for a toss! Felt more like a restaurant than a bar. Would have been much enjoyable experience if the DJ had a better playlist and a nicer sound system.

The outside seating area needs cooling and it's highly uncomfortable! Either install an AC or get some more fans please!

Service: The staff was helpful and willing to assist, but seemed pretty naive. The service was prompt and the staff was attentive even when the bar was totally packed.

Overall, The Bar Khana ticks most of the boxes and with a little improvement can be one of the go to...