Matamaal: Kashmiri Restaurant, Wakad, Pune

Restaurant Name: Matamaal: Kashmiri Restaurant, Wakad, Pune
Phone: +918484966605
Address: 201-A Shankar Kalate Nagar, Wakad, Pune, Maharashtra 411057 India
Time: 12:00 Noon – 10:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,000
Cuisines: Kashmiri, North Indian
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Indoor Seating

Matamaal, which means naani’s (grandmother) house in Kashmiri, is run by Kashmiri couple Surinder and Nalini Sadhu. Located in Wakad, the Pune branch of Matamaal is their second one after Gurgaon.

Matamaal: Kashmiri Restaurant, Wakad, Pune – Decor

Matamaal is located on the second floor of the Pristine Square complex in Wakad. While there is a large name board on the second floor overlooking the main road, clear signage at the entrance of the complex on the ground floor would be quite helpful to locate the place. You are greeted by an actual shikara (named Kashmir ki Kali) placed at the entrance. The decor is simple and comfortable. Seating is mostly wooden chairs and tables and the space is well lit by chinar leaf-shaped hanging lamps. A section at the entrance is dedicated to displaying Kashmiri artefacts, dry fruits and spices which are for sale.

Matamaal: Kashmiri Restaurant, Wakad, Pune – Food

Broadly, Kashmiri cuisine can be split into two distinct types wazwan, the food prepared by the Muslims, and the food prepared by the Hindu pandits. While wazwan dishes make an appearance on Matamaal’s menu, Nalini and Surinder have made sure that the authentic Kashmiri Pandit cuisine is highlighted. It was an eye-opener when they told me that they don’t use onions, garlic, tomatoes or chicken in their dishes. Powdered spices used apart from the famed red chillies are predominantly saunf (fennel) and hing (asafoetida) and mutton and fish are the preferred proteins. Of course, to make it more universal, Matamaal has chicken versions of most of the meat dishes on the menu. We also noticed seasonal, home-style vegetarian dishes on the menu. We started with kabargah, mutton ribs poached in milk and herbs and pan-fried in ghee. With almost no spices, the flavour of the meat is the hero here. Next, we tried the nadur monje or lotus stem fritters, a popular vegetarian snack in Kashmir. The onion-based masala for the mutton kanti and its vegetarian version of paneer kanti was absolutely delicious.

A portion of naan worked as a great pairing with the mutton and paneer kanti. For the mains, we tried their non-vegetarian thali which had a bowl of basmati rice and portions of mutton roganjosh, mutton yakhni, palak nadur, dum aloo, tchok charvan and phirni. Among the dishes on the thali, the yakhni and roganjosh were excellent. While, the tchok charvan, which was mutton livers cooked in a thin and tangy tamarind-based gravy, was interesting, some time is definitely required to acquire a taste and liking for it.

But the vegetarian version tchok wangun with fried batons of aubergine was delicious. One of our vegetarian friends tripped on the Jammu wala rajma chawal bowl. Never knew Rajma without onion, garlic and tomatoes would taste so good. In addition to the phirni in the thali, we got three more portions of it. We couldn’t resist the shufta, a generous and indulgent dessert of caramelized dry fruits, paneer and nuts served with vanilla ice cream.

Plus & Minus:

Just perusing the menu at Matamaal is an education in Kashmiri cuisine. The well-put together menu gives an overview of both the styles of Kashmiri food wazwan and batta. With new ingredients and new styles of cooking, some people may find some dishes to be an acquired taste. Of course, that is no reason, not to be adventurous and try new cuisines. On my next visit, I am going to try more of their wazwan dishes along with the wide range of vegetarian dishes beyond paneer.