Hippie@Heart, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune

Restaurant Name: Hippie@Heart, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
Phone: +918261949384, +917972713958
Address: 870/7, Lane no 10, Bhandarkar Rd, next to HDFC Bank, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune, Maharashtra 411004 India
Time: 08:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,300
Cuisines: Continental, Italian, North Indian, Finger Food, European, Beverages, Desserts
Facilities: Breakfast, Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Desserts and Bakes, Indoor Seating, Outdoor Seating, Smoking Area

Hippie@Heart has been on my list since it has become a go-to hangout place for many of my friends. This week, I finally visited the cool, quirky and hip H@H outlet located on Bhandarkar Road. Apart from Deccan they have an outlet at Balewadi and a newly opened one in Kothrud.

Hippie@Heart, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune: Decor

This branch is housed on the ground floor of Hotel Ranjeet located in a quiet, residential lane off Bhandarkar Road. Right from the entrance, the quirky and fun vibe is evident with repurposed bicycles, wooden panels and boxes, colorful and hand-painted murals on the walls and lots of hanging lights. The sprawling alfresco section is partially covered with a large marquee tent and lined with string lights. The tables are crafted using distressed wood and the seating is an eclectic mix of wooden and metal chairs. This colorful theme continues indoors with yellow walls, pink doors and an exposed brick wall adorned with framed quotes. The relaxed and fun ambience created throughout the space is unmatched.

Hippie@Heart, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune: Food

I was expecting an appetizers focused pub-grub menu, but was pleasantly surprised to see an elaborate, well curated menu. Even the drinks menu is well-put-together. Apart from cocktails and liquors, they have an impressive range of craft beers from across the country. With our craft beers were ordered a range of appetizers which were perfect accompaniments to our beers. We could spot the cheesy nachos on almost all the tables around us. So it was our first and obvious choice. They were topped generously with salsa, melted cheese, jalapenos and a dollop of sour cream. What’s not to like? The stuffed mushrooms came next. These were stuffed with cheese and peppers and crumb fried. The mustard mayo which came alongside elevated the taste further. We wanted something spicy and our server suggested the dry rub BBQ chicken and the ghee roast pepper lamb. The lamb was cut into small pieces and cooked perfectly. It had the intense ghee and pepper flavour signature of a ghee roast. The chicken was grilled with a honey-cola glaze which added a sweetness along with the heat from the spice rub. This was another great starter. At this point, my vegetarian friend started grumbling about not sharing veg dishes with everyone. So we got the veggie exotica pizza exclusively for him and a Margherita for the table. The crust on the pizzas was thin and crunchy. The veggie exotica was loaded with bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, corn and jalapenos. The Margherita pizza simply had the tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and cheese, but was delicious. After appetizers and pizzas, we hardly had any space left for mains. So we decided to try only the chicken claypot biryani. But on our servers’ insistence we also got the daab chingri, a traditional Bengali prawn curry. While the biryani was decent, the daab chingri was excellent. I doubt if the curry was steamed inside a coconut as mentioned in daab chingri recipes. Nonetheless, the intensity of flavour from the mustard paste, fresh coconut and coconut milk was impressive. The prawn curry was served with steamed rice.

Plus & Minus:

In my mind I had categorized Hippie@Heart as a place frequented by collegians and youngsters to hangout over drinks and pub-grub. While it is all those things, it has a lot more to offer. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the range of dishes and drinks, the food taste and the relaxed, hip and contemporary ambience. I look forward to going back to try the breakfast menu and also check out their newly opened Kothrud outlet which is very close to my house. The day we visited there was an event scheduled and the service was slightly slow at the beginning. But as the evening progressed it got better.