Nine Square
Vegetarian, Multi-Cuisine
Food: 4 | Service: 3 | Décor: 3.5
Nine Square is a vegetarian, multi-cuisine restaurant located at Creaticity in Yerawada. Launched in November 2018, the menu at Nine Square has been curated by Chef Ajay Chopra.
DÉCOR
Nine Square is located in the newly revamped Creaticity (previously Ishanya Mall) and has many other restaurants and bars for company. The décor is vibrant with use of cool, bright colours on the walls, furniture and the embellishments. There is an alfresco area partially covered by a glass ceiling, overlooking the high-street style section of the mall. The indoor section has an eclectic mix of comfortable chairs and tables. The colors and the décor create a fresh and relaxed ambience, perfect for a meal with your family or friends.
FOOD
Nine Square’s menu is elaborate and creatively curated by Chef Ajay Chopra. The restaurant does not serve alcohol, but their mocktails and coolers are worth a try. We tasted and loved the unique Kokum Martini and the refreshing Orange Kaffir Lime. As it was a chilly evening, we moved on to the Slow Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (served with a tomato crostini) and the Thyme Scented Mushroom Soup (served with mushroom garlic crostini). Both the soups were incredibly hearty and flavourful and the accompanying crostini was a great touch. The Small Eats and Appetizers sections on the menu offer a plethora of interesting options some classics and some fusion. We started with the intriguing Dabeli Croquettes which were fried croquettes with all the typical dabeli ingredients and toppings. This was extremely creative and tasted great. Another equally creative and delicious dish was the Pao Bhaji Spring Rolls. A khasta roti was stuffed with a potato-capsicum stuffing and served on a bed of pav-bhaji fondue.
The moment we saw chaat items on the menu we simply couldn’t resist ourselves and ordered the Crispy Paneer Ki Chaat, Black Jack Sev Poori and the Pudina Pani Poori. The crispy paneer chaat surprised us with its flavours of the tawa crusted paneer and mirchi ke tipore. When they served the pani poori, were slightly disappointed with the use of liquid nitrogen, which seems to be synonymous with fusion food these days. But the pani poori tasted excellent and the flavours were spot on. In fact, we called for two more portions, sans the liquid nitrogen, of course.
With such an elaborate appetizers menu, you could easily skip the mains. But there are a lot of options there too. We decided to go with the Indian Curries and ordered the Makhni Dal which was creamy and very comforting. The generous blob of white butter took the dish to another level. We paired the dal with a crunchy Chur Chur Naan finished with white butter again.
For desserts, they have cupcakes, tarts and pastries on display. But we picked the creamy and sinful Rabri Malpuah Tower. Malpuahs stacked on top of each other topped with a cardamom flavoured rabri and served with chocolate and fresh fruits.
PLUS & MINUS
Contemporary vegetarian restaurants with a new age menu have gained a lot of popularity across the country. Since the launch in 2018, Nine Square has emerged as one of the most popular vegetarian multi-cuisine restaurants in the city. The fusion dishes might sound gimmicky at times, but everything we tasted was great and remained true to its original flavour. The staff was polite and hospitable, but the service faltered slightly.
Must Try Dishes: Dabeli Croquettes, Pao Bhaji Spring Rolls, Tandoori Soya Chaap, Pudina Pani Poori, Makhni Dal, Malpuah Rabri Tower
Meal for Two: Rs. 1200
Address: Unit 5, Pubtown, Creaticity Mall, Shastri Nagar, Yerawada, Pune
Contact: 020 48612799
Timings: 12:00 pm – 11:30 pm (Weekdays) | 12:00 pm to 12:00 am (Weekends)
Photo Courtesy: Nine Square
Note:
This review was first published in Pune Times on 10 January 2020.