I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg, Bavdhan, Pune

Restaurant Name: I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg, Bavdhan Restaurant 
Phone: 020 66539757, +91 9767882846 
Address: U10, Navkar Avenue, 1st Floor, Near Axis Bank, NDA Pashan Road, DSK Raanwara Lane, Bavdhan, Pune, Maharashtra, India 
Time: 12 noon – 3 pm, 7:30 pm – 10:45 pm
Meals for two: Rs. 800 
Cuisines: Mangalorean, Goan, Seafood, Konkan 
Facilities: Home Delivery, Serves Halal 

Since its launch, I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg has been grabbing attention for its quirky name and has now become a popular joint for coastal cuisine in Pune. After Bavdhan, they have now started another outlet in Baner as well.

I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg, Bavdhan, Pune: Decor

Recently redecorated, they have used a variety of black and white patterns on the walls and the table tops which gives a nice, interesting look to the Bavdhan outlet. In the compact space available, they have a few tables on the ground and the mezzanine floors and the seating is comfortable.

I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg, Bavdhan, Pune: Food

Owner Ameya Madkaikar and his family are from Goa and it reflects in the menu. In the kitchen, they use traditional recipes and masalas curated by Ameya’s mother. We started with the mutton sukka which was spiced and cooked to perfection. Though this can be enjoyed by itself, we couldn’t resist the thin and soft neer dosa to accompany the mutton. Next we went for a crowd pleaser – Kolambi (prawns) fry. The prawns were cooked well and the rawa (semolina) coating was crunchy. But what made the dish perfect were the spices used in the marinade and the rawa coating. This dish felt as if came from someone’s home in Malvan.

We promptly moved from one Konkan delicacy to another – kombdi wade. This is an interesting name given to a dish from Konkan which consists of a chicken curry (kombdi) served with deep-fried multi-grain pooris (wade). The combination of a chicken curry with wade, seems odd, but is a match made in heaven. This is definitely one of the best dishes on the menu and highly recommended. With a large portion size of the curry, we ended up ordering three extra portions of the wade. We ordered the prawns pulao next and all the prawn-lovers on the table loved it. The rice was subtly spiced with the right spices with a generous amount of prawns. We recommend you try this one without any accompaniments.

No seafood place is complete without signature thalis. We ordered the surmai meal thali. The thali had a large piece of surmai (kingfish) along with prawns curry, a choice of chapatis or neer dosa, rice and solkadhi. The surmai fry was fresh, crispy and delicious. We recommend the neer dosa with the prawn curry. They served basmati rice, which tasted good, but we would have liked Indrayani or a local variety of rice instead.

True to its name, there are no vegetarian options on the menu and it is strictly for non-vegetarians. But we discovered that they have some delicious egg options on the menu. The egg Konkani masala was the home-cooked anda curry which we have all eaten and loved so many times before. Ask for the rice bhakri to go with this.

I’m Lion, Strictly Non-Veg, Bavdhan, Pune: Plus & Minus

The use of traditional recipes and spices is the USP at I’m Lion and it reflects in the delicious food they serve. The services can be a bit slow at times owing to the fact they make each order from scratch. They also cater to a large take-away client base. Over weekends, expect delay in getting a table, but the food is definitely worth the wait.