Pune’s Koregaon Park is a cultural hub that draws many foodies. One of the iconic eating places within the neighbourhood is Malaka Spice, which has been round since 1997. Established by Praful and Cheeru Chandawarkar, this Pan-Asian restaurant is impressed by their travels round Southeast Asia. The intensive menu shines a highlight on in style and area of interest delicacies from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and Cambodia. Malaka Spice additionally takes delight in its farm-to-table strategy and champions sustainability in numerous methods. After we visited Pune not too long ago, we had the prospect to drop by and style a few of its signature and seasonal delights. Learn extra about our expertise beneath.
Photograph Credit score: Malaka Spice
Malaka Spice has two institutions in Pune (Koregaon Park and Kharadi) and two in Nashik (Vallonne Vineyards and Gangapur Street). The unique house at Koregaon Park boasts an inviting atmosphere with indoor and out of doors seating. Regardless of the warmth and humidity of early summer time, we loved our feast open air. There are strategically positioned coolers, making certain ample air flow. An abundance of crops alongside the perimeter ensures you momentarily overlook the concrete jungle. The lighting will not be frustratingly dim – simply shaded sufficient to create a way of intimacy and heat. The indoor house has its personal benefits: native artists show their masterpieces on among the partitions, enhancing the decor with their particular person aesthetics.
Soups, salads, sushi and starters. We started our meal with Pumpkin Chips. This season, they had been made with ash gourd. The flavourful seasoning and the crunchy wholesomeness made it as delectable as peri peri fries (as potato lovers know, this isn’t a praise to be furnished calmly). This was adopted by a signature Malaka starter: Prime Hats. This Malay-inspired deal with has been round for a few years and boasts legions of followers within the metropolis, Ilvika Chandawarkar tells me.
Kebabs on Sugarcane Skewers. Photograph Credit score: Instagram/ malakaspice
As I chew into the crispy stuffed cups, I perceive the foodie fanaticism. Such a easy thought: to fill fried ‘cups’ with hen mince and sprouts. The result’s an explosion of flavours and textures in your mouth that you’d wish to return to, repeatedly. I additionally fell in love with the Kebabs on Sugarcane Skewers, which glad my yearning for the succulent deal with with a particular Asian twist. One other non-vegetarian delight was the Thai Mutton Chops, cooked to perfection. Ilvika is in control of Analysis and Enterprise Growth of the model at current, and has watched her household’s restaurant evolve by means of the years. Her observations make me realise that tales are additionally a type of sustenance at Malaka Spice, they usually give delivery to some lip-smacking meals.
Every appetiser launched a special flavour profile, past the same old varieties one encounters at most Pan-Asian institutions. I used to be solely midway completed, however I already had an inkling of the novelty of my expertise. This dedication to flavour and balanced indulgence was mirrored within the mains as properly. I savoured the playfully intricate Roti Jhala with the fragrant Malaka Kari Kapitan as I listened to the legend of how the latter obtained its title. I additionally obtained a style of the summer time menu.
Nasi Kandar-inspired Thaal. Photograph Credit score: Malaka Spice
For summer time 2024, the staff has determined to hone its concentrate on Peranakan delicacies with a particular Thaal twist. “This 12 months, we needed to pay tribute to the colourful flavours of Nasi Kandar and the Peranakan meals tradition that embodies the essence of Malaysia,” says Praful Chandawarkar, Founder and Managing Director of the Home of Malaka Spice. Nasi Kandar is a hawker meal served from brass pots balanced on bamboo poles to dock employees. It’s stated to have been dropped at Penang from India. Malaka Spice’s summer time particular presents a delicious interpretation of the various curries that accompany the aromatic rice on this dish.
There are set vegetarian and non-vegetarian menus, served Thaal-style, for a homely exploration of recent flavours. For us, the highlights from the vegetarian unfold had been the juicy Tamarind Corn Ribs and the wonderful Pineapple and Yam curry. Different delicacies embody Fried Beans, Yam Malay Curry Puff, Black Pepper Tofu, and many others. Non-vegetarians can get pleasure from dishes just like the Rooster Malay Curry Puff, Black Pepper Squid & Prawns, Buff Rendang or Pulled Lamb Curry, Malay Rooster Curry and extra.
Malaka has a variety of wines and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) which can be as rigorously curated because the meals menu. The cocktail menu at Malaka is harvest-based. My favorite drink of the evening was ‘A Lovely Mess‘, a gin-based cocktail infused with mulberries from the farm. The title is a reference to an unwitting mix-up on the harvest stage. The berry is the simple star of the cocktail and provides it a luscious thickness. One other celebration of the farm’s produce was ‘The Forager‘, a clarified tequila cocktail with notes of jalapeno, pineapple and starfruit. For a lighter sip, we suggest the ‘Holy Gimlet‘ with gin and basil. The restaurant additionally has a tempting array of non-alcoholic drinks with distinctive and refreshing mixtures. I particularly liked the Malaka Iced Tea, which is their tackle Thai Iced tea.
Among the many desserts, I savoured Malaka Tab Tim Krob, a mouth-watering interpretation of the well-known Thai dessert. We liked the crunch of the chocolate-coated water chestnuts, served with creamy coconut ice cream and pandan-infused coconut milk. In case you’re visiting in chickoo season, you might also get the chance (like me) to strive Malaka Spice’s pretty Chickoo Mousse. What a enjoyable solution to benefit from the fruit’s distinctive texture!
Cherish Farm gives friends a tranquil farm expertise full with natural meals. Photograph Credit score: Malaka Spice/ Cherish Farms
My style of Malaka Spice’s hospitality and innovation didn’t finish there. The subsequent day, I had the prospect to go to Cherish Farms and take a tour of the plantations that offer produce to the totally different Malaka Spice institutions. The Chandawarkars work the farm in collaboration with in-house consultants with helpful area expertise and use the farmhouse as an area for pop-ups. The modest lodging can be obtainable to lease and supplies a serene getaway alongside the Bhima River simply an hour away from town. It’s worthwhile to notice that Malaka Spice’s farm-to-table idea additionally works in the wrong way to minimise meals waste. Leftovers from the eating places are was compost right here and transformed into nutrient-rich manure for the farm.
As I walked across the farm, I noticed the chickoos of my mousse, the mulberries of my cocktail and the various shrubs that flavoured my curries. It was quietly rewarding to retrace the provenance of the beautiful delicacies I had loved the evening earlier than. I’ve at all times valued the facility of meals to forge connections – with oneself, with others and with Nature. My experiences at Malaka Spice and Cherish Farms strengthened that religion with its holistic strategy to the whole lot from sourcing components to giving a contemporary twist to a dish. It is a culinary expedition you can not afford to overlook.
The place: Malaka Spice, Siddharth Chambers, Lane, off North Fundamental Street, Koregaon Park, Pune, Maharashtra.
