Chinar, Baner, Pune Kashmiri Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Chinar, Baner, Pune
Phone: +918999084384
Address: Shop No 5, Capital Building, Baner – Pashan Link Rd, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045 India
Time: 10:30am – 3pm, 6:30pm – 11pm
Meals for two: Rs. 800
Cuisines: Kashmiri
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Indoor Seating

Till last year, there were a few restaurants that served Kashmiri food. But due to the pandemic, most of them sadly closed down. Chinar is probably the only restaurant in the city that serves Kashmiri cuisine exclusively.

Chinar, Baner, Pune: Decor

Chinar is located on the busy Boner-Pashan Link Road and is surrounded by many other eateries and cafes. In the compact space, there is traditional floor seating of two tables in the indoor section and a few tables in the outdoor section. A wall in the indoor section is dedicated to photos from Kashmir and a corner where traditional cookware and utensils are displayed on a shelf. The outdoor section is comfortable, but the continuation of the decor is missing.

Chinar, Baner, Pune: Food

I have tasted Kashmiri cuisine only a few times in the past and my vocabulary of Kashmiri dishes is restricted to Rogan Josh and Yakhni. So going through the well put together menu at Chinar and then googling each dish was an insightful and interesting experience. The menu is the brainchild of Chef Zahoor Meer who also single-handedly manages the kitchen at Chinar. We started with the immensely enjoyable nadru monje or lotus stem fritters. The Lotus stem strands were cut vertically, lightly coated with batter and deep-fried to make them crispy. The aroma and intense taste of fried onions was the main flavour of the chicken kanti. Boneless chunks of chicken were sauteed with lots of onions and tomatoes, and the result was a tasty appetizer. The paneer variant had the same masala base, but the paneer pieces were dry and overcooked. On the chef’s recommendation, we tried the mutton seekh kebab next and they were delicious. The mince was flavoured beautifully and cooked to perfection. It did not need any accompaniments. For the mains, we decided to order a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The ruwangan chaaman or paneer cooked in tomato gravy was flavourful. Unfortunately, the issue with the overcooked paneer continued here too. Next was the most popular dish on the menu – mutton yakhni. The mutton was cooked well and the yoghurt-based gravy was mild and flavourful. The other non-vegetarian dish we tried was the chicken rogan josh. The spice level and the colour from the use of Kashmiri red chillies and the flavour of the curry were spot-on. We paired these curries with soft and fluffy lachha parathas which were served fresh and piping hot. We couldn’t finish the meal without the famed Kashmiri rajma which was intense and delicious and paired perfectly with jeera rice. The rajma chawal combo was perfect for the delightfully cold weather Pune is currently experiencing. For dessert. our server suaaested shufta.

which is not mentioned in the menu. It is a traditional Kashmiri dessert made during special occasions, festivals and weddings. This mixture of soaked dry fruits, raisins, dried coconut chunks and spices tossed in a pan with sugar and topped with saffron made us very happy.

Plus & Minus:

In terms of the food, there were hits and some misses. While everything tasted great, the intensity of flavour, which the cuisine demands, was missing. I would like to go back to Chinar to experience their special Wazwaan Traami which is an assortment of special Kashmiri dishes served together on a traditional copper or brass plate, along with the few other dishes which I missed this time or were unavailable.