Restaurant review: Baan Tao in Pune
At Baan Tao, diners sit by a wooden deck, pointing childishly at the
delicate ripples left behind by the delightful water installation.
The private dining area is surrounded by an aesthetically fashioned water garden.
Imagine a blanket of water cascading down a black-stone facade; imagine cool mist numbing your ankles and elbows, and a gentle draft sifting through your hair; all this while you are indulging in a delicious meal. At Baan Tao, diners sit by a wooden deck, pointing childishly at the delicate ripples left behind by the delightful water installation. And if the diners are corporate honchos out to impress difficult clients, the quiet PDRs offer a serenity customised to their needs. The meal begins with clear vegetable soup.
You lift the lid, and a starchy herb-infused cloud of steam that emanates from within moistens and readies the palate for what lies ahead. Next comes a cocktail of salad, with slippery white cloud-ears, shitake mushrooms, crunchy sweet peanuts and peppered gherkins, and you don't feel uncivilised as your chopstick hunts this down to the last living bean. The carnivores, meanwhile, slurp out the coconut milk-infused green chicken curry, which condenses a balanced sense of jaggery, Thai-basil and kafir lime leaves. In the red curry, you can spot several chunks of garlic, honeyed waterchestnut, artichokes, pok choy, asparagus and every veggie that inhabits Chinese kitchens. If local foodies are to be believed, chef Anthony Huang's team can wrap a neat dim sum around anything, from prawn to spinach and even sour cream and onion. Call for an assorted platter and you'll confirm this hypothesis rather indulgently.
Then, carry forward the freshness of the meal with what may be the world's mildest dessert, the sesame laden fried Thai balls. In an unusual and rather ingenious pairing, down this with a couple of Sake servings which - thanks to the Japanese rationing system - come in cups the sizes of bottle caps. The restaurant stocks rare varieties like Hakatsuru Josen Tarvzake Sake, which is chilled and blends in with Thai curries beautifully, and the warmer Hakutsuru Sake Junmai Dai Ginjo, which chimes along with soy-soaked tempuras and teriyakis.
Recommended: Thai green curry Raw papaya salad
Meal for two (alcohol extra) Rs 2,000
(020) 41411234
You lift the lid, and a starchy herb-infused cloud of steam that emanates from within moistens and readies the palate for what lies ahead. Next comes a cocktail of salad, with slippery white cloud-ears, shitake mushrooms, crunchy sweet peanuts and peppered gherkins, and you don't feel uncivilised as your chopstick hunts this down to the last living bean. The carnivores, meanwhile, slurp out the coconut milk-infused green chicken curry, which condenses a balanced sense of jaggery, Thai-basil and kafir lime leaves. In the red curry, you can spot several chunks of garlic, honeyed waterchestnut, artichokes, pok choy, asparagus and every veggie that inhabits Chinese kitchens. If local foodies are to be believed, chef Anthony Huang's team can wrap a neat dim sum around anything, from prawn to spinach and even sour cream and onion. Call for an assorted platter and you'll confirm this hypothesis rather indulgently.
Then, carry forward the freshness of the meal with what may be the world's mildest dessert, the sesame laden fried Thai balls. In an unusual and rather ingenious pairing, down this with a couple of Sake servings which - thanks to the Japanese rationing system - come in cups the sizes of bottle caps. The restaurant stocks rare varieties like Hakatsuru Josen Tarvzake Sake, which is chilled and blends in with Thai curries beautifully, and the warmer Hakutsuru Sake Junmai Dai Ginjo, which chimes along with soy-soaked tempuras and teriyakis.
Recommended: Thai green curry Raw papaya salad
Meal for two (alcohol extra) Rs 2,000
(020) 41411234
