Sizzling delights

The Pune winter seems to be a short one this year, so before the heat sets in we recommend you make full use of your jackets. And the outdoor poolside Turque at Sayaji is just the place for this.

Turque has an ongoing winter Hot Plate festival till January 31 and it's perfectly timed till the chill lasts.u00a0They chose not to call it a sizzler fest as they do not serve sizzlers the usual way -- sizzling away on a hot, blackened sizzler dish. Instead they bring the same food (and more) on a sizzler plate to your table but serve it to you on your regular glassware. A lovely idea to dismiss all those smoke house gases stinging your eyes and singeing your greedy lips.

What's on the menu? Six sizzling hot vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters, options of sizzling mains rounded off by options of sizzling desserts. The starters, we must say, were rather well-planned. Two satays, two teppanyaki options and two barbecue offerings in vegetarian and meat in unlimited quantities.u00a0

The teppanyaki paneer, though done completely with an Indian spice marinade, was chunky and juicy. We also enjoyed the Asian Veggies with Peppery Bean Curd.u00a0

Among the barbecue options, we enjoyed the Oriental Barbecue with Lemon Peppers. Among the non-veg options, though the Chicken Satay had a nice bite, the fish satays seemed a tad lost. Also, we didn't care much for the dips that seemed to have been sitting out in the chill for too long.

By the time the mains arrived, we were too stuffed. Still, we opted for a Fried Rice with Wok Tossed Chicken in Hot Basil Sauce. While the fried rice arrived just fine, there seemed to be no inkling of the hot basil sauce.u00a0Finally, it was time for their sizzling dessert. They have options ranging from Pan-Fried Fruit and the predictable Sizzling Brownie and we opted for the latter. While the chocolate sauce did its magic, the brownie itself was a bit of a let-down.

Turque is the place to come to for a date to impress your girl, do it in style and keep it inexpensive. The Hot Plate festival costs Rs 599 per person, inclusive of all taxes.