The underlying theme of this wonderful place called Terttulia matches that of our own blog – Eat, Drink, Love. Just because Lifestylerr has ‘Live’ instead of ‘Drink’ in its tagline doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy a glass or few every so often. We love our liquor here in Lifestylerr, so don’t go thinking we’re soft.
When the Foodadda team received yet another privileged invite to attend the exclusive tasting at Terttulia Pune, we couldn’t resist getting ready to go. I had already caught glances of some great reviews for this place. It excited me to be part of this particular food bloggers’ meet.
The charming and friendly Nishant who manages Terttulia Pune welcomed us. He gave us an insight of the fun behind the locale and their plans of opening many another outlet across the country and abroad. Terttulia has an excellent outdoor seating, making it perfect for any kind of meal at any time of day. The outdoors have a sensational vintage décor, as you’ll see on the walls. Palm trees helped keep the zone cool while you sit to enjoy a nice breakfast, lunch or brunch.
The exclusive lunch menu was already waiting for us on our tables. A few of the dishes came from the specials menu. What we were looking forward to before we could get down to eating was to sample the special wines Nishant had in store for us. We started with the Sparkling Bellini, which is a shimmering wine/cocktail of Italian origin. The color was a bright scintillating orange with the wine’s peachy tang striking the perfect note for us to begin our gastronomical journey at Terttulia.
The first course was Wild Mushroom Cappucino soup, which truly lived up to its name. It was a warm wild mushroom broth topped with milk froth served in a cup. I couldn’t help but think how well it resembled a nice cup of, well, cappucino. Accompanying it was lavash with crispy bacon completing the picture. The way they presented it made it seem like an exotic ceremonial drink of sorts. One crunchy dip and bite of that bacon strip and I thought I was initiated into a secret order. Yeah, right, secret order of food lovers is more like it.
The second course of appetizers came strolling along. I feel they each deserve special mention instead of just one collective review. So here’s me detailing each, with photos of course.
The Broccoli with Chili Lime and Butter was an interesting number. The broccoli wasn’t all too crisp but it absorbed the lime and chili, giving us a perfect beginning bite to our second course. Nothing like spice to get the hunger growing.
If you are looking for a light yet flavorful meal on a sunny afternoon, the Mushroom Soup and the Watermelon and Feta Salad with Arugula Dressing are an absolute must-eat. The creamy feta and the punch of rocket leaves with the sweetness of watermelon will leave you demanding more. The balance all these different flavors bring to your palate is nothing short of art.
The Mini Quiche of Roasted Corn, Buttered Spinach (which in itself makes you salivate) and Mushroom with Melted Cheddar (just when you thought things couldn’t get any better) were little pockets of paradise bursting with flavors. They’d baked the quiche to perfection, making each bite worth savoring. The warm cheddar with spinach and mushrooms is a deadly combination in the good sense of the word, and one of Terttulia’s best.
The next awesome appetizer coming our way was the Calamari with Wasabi Mayonnaise. The Calamari was fried not oily and crunchy not chewy. Very few people can make this dish come out right, especially eliminating the oil content after frying. The wasabi mayonnaise had the right mix of mustard and complimented the calamari in ways only your taste buds can imagine.
The Charcoal Grilled Honey Sesame Chicken Kebab had everything going right for it except the honey. This Oriental dish wasn’t quite popular on the table even though the black and white sesame seeds added plenty of flavor. It looked great, though.
Basa! Most seafood lovers don’t categorize it as fish per se but it is in a way. Ironically, people like me who aren’t very fond of seafood love it. Terttulia’s Basa was especially memorable. I’ve always had it with a regular herb coating or used butter and lime, but the Garlic Sautee Basa in Chili Cilantro Pesto at Terttulia was as different as it was out of this world. The flavors of fresh coriander and lime had seeped right through to the core of the soft fish. Pretty soon, savoring this dish became an honor.
Bye appetizers and hello main course. We entered this phase to find Barbeque Pork Ribs with Cranberry Compote and Jalapeno Corn Muffin waiting for us, both of which were an instant hit. The sweetness of the cranberry compote created ideal balance with the meat and spices also present in the dish. The jalapeno and corn muffin was baked to a beautiful finish; I failed to taste the jalapeno in it. A little spice would have done wonders, especially with jalapenos having the hot reputation they do.
I was eagerly awaiting the 3-Mushroom Risotto with Roasted Hazelnuts and Aged Parmesan. One of the reasons behind my excitement was that I had read great reviews of this number. When Nishant introduced it to us, I soon found the dish wasn’t too cheesy like regular risottos. I was glad that the mushroom flavor overshadowed the cheese part. The arborio rice was wonderfully done, which along with a small bite of roasted hazelnuts created magic on my palate. This dish will certainly be on my mind when I return to Terttulia.
When you have a wide range of dishes for tasting, at least one dish won’t make it to the ‘top contenders’ list. It’s just natural, I’m guessing. The Red Wine Braised Lamb Ragout with Chili Butter Spaghetti was one such dish. I found the lamb in this dish wasn’t cooked well, rendering it a bit chewy. However, the Jus and Spaghetti that were part of the dish packed amazement.
Next, a Cajun Styled Tofu Steak with warm Couscous Salad. It was, in my opinion, the showstopper of the afternoon. Check out the snapshot we took of it (above). Don’t you just love the presentation? We didn’t feel like touching it, it was that well presented. But then again, it had to pass the taste test. One bite was all it took to convince me why I love food so much. I am not a tofu or paneer fan but this dish was sensationally marinated and as soft as fresh paneer. The couscous salad was fluffy with a few crispy granules and bellpeppers adding to the marvel. This is one of the best dishes I tasted at Terttulia and one of the most delicious veggie ones I’ve had in a long while.
Onto the other side of the fence, most of us chicken lovers were looking forward to this next dish. The meat in the Herb and Rock Salt-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Garlic Mash and Red Wine Jus was perfect, despite being a tad salty.
Another meaty beauty was the Grilled Tenderloin with Cilantro Garlic Mash, Mushroom and Red Wine Jus. It was a treat to the eyes as well as the tongue. Loved the light green cilantro mash – creamy and fresh. This was yet another enchanting presentation that soon grabbed our taste buds and didn’t let go.
The last course was desserts, and I was hyped up to face it head on. Granted, we were full to bursting. However, nobody in their right minds who also have a sweet tooth can turn away from the sight of divine Gooey Chocolate Cake. It lived up to its name: mushy, gooey, chocolattyyyyy, soft and moist. It was a spoonful of heaven that left me craving for more. I highly recommend this incredible dessert.
The second one that flew up to meet us was a Warm Croissant Pudding infused with Bourbon Whisky Sauce. Perhaps the reason we couldn’t fully enjoy this sophisticated dessert was the Gooey Chocolate Cake that had transported us to another land earlier. Most of us agreed we couldn’t taste the Bourbon Whisky. That took something away from a dish that had whiskey in its name. That malty, bittery alcohol taste could have done wonders for this particular sweet-bomb.
Finally – or should I say eventually – our gastronomical journey at Terttulia lowered its curtains. We whole heartedly thank Terttulia and Nishant for taking us through this ride. A special thanks to Chef Sanjeev for preparing a special menu for the Foodadda team. We just loved the hospitality, the graceful decor, the ambience that set the right mood and obviously the food that took us places we never knew we could go.
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