Oblique Kitchen
All Day Dining
Food: 3.75 | Service: 3.5 | Décor: 4
Oblique Kitchen is an all-day restaurant located in Kothrud. Just over a year old, Oblique serves food ranging from Continental and Oriental to Grills, Tandoor and Rustic Indian.
DÉCOR
Oblique Kitchen is tucked away in a quiet lane near Karishma Society in Kothrud. The restaurant is housed in an old mechanical workshop and some of the machines have been retained as a part of the décor. Rustic but new-age design ideas like concrete walls, tin-roof, distressed wood stairs, metal ledges and gabion pillars (a metal cage, filled with concrete blocks) create a contemporary ambience. The seating is ample and comfortable. A wooden staircase leads to a mezzanine floor which houses the bar. There is an alfresco seating area which is perfect for breakfasts and brunches.
FOOD
The food menu is expectedly diverse and the cuisines range from continental to local Puneri. Oblique also serves breakfast and that menu is equally elaborate. I visited the place over a quiet lunch on a particularly chilly day. The ambience and the alfresco setting were absolutely perfect.
We started with the unique Beetroot & Coconut Soup which was slightly sweet, creamy and hearty. There are a lot of options to pick from in the appetizers, small plates and grills sections. The place is not particularly known for their sushis, but the Crackling Ebi Roll was fresh and delicious. The prawn sushi was topped with togarashi spice and mayo and served alongside a soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger. After reading the description for the Mushroom Butter Garlic, we were hoping to get mushrooms tossed with butter and garlic. Instead the mushrooms were coated in flour and tossed in a butter garlic sauce, which was rather disappointing. The Broccoli Malai Kebab is a current favorite among a lot of chefs and these kebabs were excellent at Oblique. The creamy marinade was delicious and the broccoli was grilled to perfection. It was great to see the Parsi classic, Patrani Macchi on the menu. Fish fillets are marinated with a coriander based green masala, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. The fish used was basa and I personally would have preferred ravas or surmai, but the masala was extremely flavourful and the fish was perfectly cooked.
After an impressive array of appetizers, we hardly could do justice to the mains. We picked the ever dependable and popular Kheema and accompanied that with a Khow Suey which is newly added to the menu. The kheema was delicious and the flavours were on point. Our server sweetly agreed to replace the pav with a tandoor roti when requested. Khow Suey is a Burmese coconut curry served with crispy garlic noodles and a number of condiments on the side. The prawn khow suey we tried was a departure from the original recipe but tasted delicious.
Like the other sections, there are a lot of choices for desserts. We gladly picked the Decadent Chocolate Mousse Cake which was exactly the way it was described – dark, decadent and an absolute winner.
PLUS & MINUS
Oblique Kitchen definitely impressed us with its elaborate menu, beautiful décor and the impeccable service. From the menu, some dishes left a lasting impression and some dishes were a miss. But there is so much more on the menu that we did not try. I would definitely love to go back to explore that along with their impressive breakfast menu.
Must Try Dishes: Beetroot & Coconut Soup, Crackling Ebi Rolls, Broccoli Malai Kebab, Patrani Macchi, Kheema Pav, Decadent Chocolate Mousse
Meal for Two: Rs. 1500
Address: 17/1/B, Plot no 9, Bhau Joshi Road, Sangam Press Lane, Kothrud, Pune - 411038
Contact: 9130849130
Timings: 7:30 AM – 11:30 PM
Photo Courtesy: Oblique Kitchen
Note:
This review was first published in Pune Times on 24 January 2020.