Restaurant Review - Social Clinic - Koregaon Park, Pune

Ambiance - **1/2

Menu - ***

Taste - **

Service/Price - ***

Overall - **1/2

Visited Social Clinic at Madness for a food tasting event along with fellow foodies. It is part of 3 sections of "Madness". The theme is that of an operation theatre. Wheelchairs instead of normal chairs, operation theatre lights on the outside, stewards and stewardesses dressed as doctors and nurses. But that's where it stops. There are tables outside & inside that have nothing to do with the theme. The cutlery and other accessories are also run of the mill and the menu only has the page titles which are more "doctory" but actual dish names or serving bowls etc. are all normal. Drinks are served in different types of glasses and things out of a chemistry lab rather than a hospital. They did mention that they wanted to tone down the theme as not everyone may like it - but then it defeats the whole purpose of having a theme. Oh and there is valet parking so you don't have to worry about that. However, do ensure that they know how to turn off the lights of your car - mine were left on for 4 hours while I was there.

There's a second "Donkey's arse" which is a bar/comedy club that is pretty nicely decorated with funky furniture and lighting. But we didn't get a chance to listen to the comedy standup. Also there's a kid's section themed around super heroes where there are various games and food items for the kids. Parents can leave their kids in that section while they have dinner downstairs or go out shopping at KP. That was closed due to some regulatory issues which they are trying to resolve.

So back to chef's table. There was a set menu for us which the chef believed were the best dishes from their kitchen. A look at their regular menu showed that it is … multi-cuisine. Mexican to American to Middle eastern to North Indian to Goan to Vietnamese to Chinese and more. I personally prefer more themed menu but then it's the restaurant's prerogative. The bar menu has the usual cocktails and mocktails plus some special ones that were served to us. So here's what we tried -

Drinks

1. Pepper Mary - Bloody mary served in capsicum. Extra salt. Tasted good
2. Last war - Ok
3. Beyond expectations - Alright. Not too sweet
4. Lambi Nashili Chai - Long island iced tea with orange juice and lemon juice instead of coke. Served in a HUGE tube with tubes for everyone to drink from. Was ok. Though I love oranges, the orange flavour didn't go too well with the liquor in it
5. Ginger based mocktail - Good. Spicy
6. Green apple mocktail - Alright
7. Strawberry mocktail - VERY sweet
8. Full charge - Was ok
9. Bellini - Sparkling wine based. Good

Appetizers

1. Mushroom Galauti - based on the feedback from other foodies (I allergic to mushrooms), it was too spicy for their taste
2. Mix veg coriander - Not good at all. Bland. However the spring onion sauce and the tomato garlic sauce server with it was amazing
3. Chilly garlic potatoes - was just about alright. Needed more salt and garlic though
4. Chipotle prawns - Slightly sweeter than it should be but was good nevertheless
5. Tandoori pomfret - Very bland. And dry. Probably because it was served on a sizzler plate
6. Murg malai tikka - Soft and juicy but there was some weird taste to it that I couldn't put a finger on. Couldn't eat more than a bite
7. Chilly five spice chicken - Not good. The five spices need some rearrangement in it. Not a good combo

Main course

1. Mad farmer pizza - Veg pizza. Dunno what was mad about it. Was very bland and again that weird taste from the murg malai tikka in it. Even the cheese didn't taste good
2. Cottage cheese betook - Best dish of the evening. Sauce was amazing. Paneer was nicely cooked.
3. Wild mushroom stuff chicken - Based on the feedback, it was too dry and needed more spices. Mashed potatoes were good. Quite good
4. Garlic prawns - Not cooked properly. Struggled to eat
5. Mad chef creation - Veg burger. Tasted ok. Not my thing. Might tickle some tastebuds
6. Mutton rogan josh - Cooked well was too mild. Needed more spices
7. Tandoori chicken momos - We were served the same momos as before and told these are tandoori chicken momos, even when we mentioned that this is the same as before

Desserts

1. Gulab Jamun Brulee - Of course sweet. Could have been good, but the brulee was not done properly. Sugar crystals were still clearly visible and not caramelized well
2. Spanish Churos - Good. Chocolate sauce is always good
3. Brownie with ice cream - Standard. Made well

No issues with the service. However prices are a bit on the higher side.

Overall, I believe the idea is good but they need to go full on with that theme. Even then, diners will come once for the novelty. After that, it's the food that will stick in their mind. That needs a lot of improvement.