Mahesh Lunch Home — Restaurant in Pune

Tucked away in an unassuming bye lane of pune camp is this behemoth of a restaurant named Mahesh lunch home. You are welcomed into a small vestibule which leads into a large dining hall, dim lighting, spacious seating and decent ambience. I chose a deglam corner of the hall and perched myself on the sturdy settee. Flagged off by a bud mag and a bloody Mary, eyes prancing on the aperitif, bombil(Bombay duck) fried in suji caught my eye. The dish arrived deep fried in rawa batter, crunchy and nice.

Prawns chilli pepper is the second of the lot which too was appealing, good presentation and delectable but the portion needs to be upsized a bit.

Koliwada rawas was next in line, portion size and presentation was fair but the dish lacked condiments and flavour, it tasted like chicken which I promptly pointed it out to the maitre d'.

The next dish was the disappointment of a lifetime;squid butter garlic an overload of butter fried garlic with tasteless and chewy, rubbery squid rings.This dish is best avoidable. Ordered another round of Bombil deep fried in rawa coating. This snack is really good folks; at the cost of repetition i will say it's a must try.

Less get to the main course :-

Crab Gassi:- influenced by the konkan cuccini this Crab curry comes in a thick manglorean gravy with a hint of coconut milk. Portion is huge so one dish is good enough for two pax. The only downside is that I wish it was mud crab and not Blue Sea crab.

Prawns ghee roast:- A shrimp dish (semi dry) infused with clarified butter and covered in thick in red pepper paste. Very delectable, strongly recommended.

Garlic Naan is crispy and well prepared and so was the butter roti. Neer dosa, another mangalorean flatbread was soft and nice as well.

For sweet tooth they have typical cold desserts so we just asked for ice cream since Sizzling Brownies was out of stock.

Folks, even though the prices are high, the ambience and well mannered staff makes this place...

I opted for the Mahesh Lunch Home Special Biryani, and it was an absolute revelation. The presentation was visually appealing, with fragrant rice layered with tender pieces of meat and a garnish of aromatic herbs. The first spoonful transported me to a world of culinary bliss.

The rice in the biryani was perfectly cooked, each grain separate and infused with a medley of spices. The meat, whether chicken, mutton, or any other variation, was incredibly succulent and cooked to perfection. The flavors were well-balanced, with the spices working harmoniously to create a symphony of taste.

What impressed me most about the biryani at [Hotel Name] was the attention to detail. The use of high-quality ingredients and the perfect blend of spices resulted in a biryani that was rich in flavor and aroma. The delicate balance of spices allowed each ingredient to shine through, creating a delightful ensemble of tastes with every bite.

The biryani was served with raita and a side of flavorful curry. The raita provided a cool and refreshing contrast to the spices, while the curry added an extra layer of depth to the meal. The portion size was generous, ensuring that I left the restaurant...

Absolutely disappointed .

The old and grand Mahesh luch home has disappeared. The Ravas fry recommend to us by the server was old and probably kept in the freezer for too long that it was unpalatable , it smelled foul too ( kind of ammonia smell). We were actually planning to order the Surmai fry but was recommended full Ravas . However the restaurant did not charge fr the fish . We asked for Tandoori Surmai in replacement ,which was good and fresh . But a highly reputed restaurant which specialises in sea food , shud not palm off old stuff to its customers , and kill the Golden goose . The Surmai gassi was good , but any average sea food restaurant can cook up this . Sol kadi too was good , but the Appam we ordered were over fermented and not fluffy at all , try appam at any Kerala restaurant and one will know the difference . Veg gassi too was just an average dish in comparison to veg kheema masala . Only thing that quenched our appetite was SOL KADI . In fact we had gone to the restaurant to eat Crabs which was not available on that day .

Pull up your socks Mahesh lunch home . Else be ready to travel down .

Highly...