Monk’s & Blue’s, Baner, Pune European Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Monk’s & Blue’s, Baner, Pune Restaurant
Phone: 020 71967598
Address: 107, 1st Floor, Deron Heights, Next To Ranka Jewellers, Varsha Park Society, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Time: 7:30 AM – 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,200
Cuisines: European, Italian
Facilities: Breakfast, Desserts and Bakes, Outdoor Seating, Pet Friendly, Indoor Seating

Located in Baner, Monk’s & Blue’s offers a globally inspired menu which boasts of some rare and difficult to source ingredients. The restaurant is steadily getting popular for their signature Steak on Stone concept where meat, fish and vegetables are cooked on a slab of Himalayan rock-salt procured specially from the Himalayas.

Monk’s & Blue’s, Baner, Pune: Decor

Monk’s & Blue’s is housed on the first floor of a commercial building in Baner along with a numerous other restaurants and bars. It is a cozy and intimate space which uses rustic decor elements. You are welcomed by a gold painted antique scooter which adds a quirky touch to the space. There are mirrors and interesting murals throughout the walls and the ceiling is decorated with a metal honeycomb structure with filament lights suspended from ropes. There is one light fixture which has filament bulbs paired with moving circular gear trains straight out of an industrial machine. The wooden chairs and tables in the indoor section and the contemporary seating in the outdoor sections is comfortable. While the indoor section is perfect as a bistro or even a comfortable working space, the sprawling terrace is right to enjoy breezy evenings with friends and family.

Monk’s & Blue’s, Baner, Pune: Food

The globally inspired menu at the restaurant is curated by the team who, among them, have years of experience of serving at several world class establishments across the globe.

From the small plates, we first tried the fire grilled chipotle BBQ wings. The crunchy yet sticky wings were doused with a generous serving of flaming Jack Danie’s. The glowing flames added the right amount of drama for an Instagram story. Next, we tried the Spanish tapas favorite prawns ajilo where prawns are cooked with garlic, lemon, paprika and cilantro. The garlic prawns were served beautifully on individual spoons submerged in a flavorful lemon and coriander broth. Two thumbs up for taste and presentation. After a great start to our meal, we were a tad disappointed with the herb mushroom and roasted bell pepper crostini. The mushroom topping was delicious, but the roasted bell peppers topping was overcooked. The crostini lacked the olive oil drizzle and the bread was soft, which needed to be crusty.

From the pastas and risotto section we chose the wild mushroom risotto with artichokes and truffle oil. The risotto was cooked perfectly with the right amount of cheese. The porcini mushrooms and the truffle oil elevated the taste, even though the artichokes were missing. This is definitely one of the best dishes on the menu. Next we ordered the Goan rechad spiced grilled red snapper which was served on a bed of spiced masoor (red lentils) with a ginger and carrot puree. The fish was spiced and cooked beautifully and the red lentils and the carrot puree paired perfectly with the fish. This one is highly recommended. The eatery also serves a steak on stone where meat, fish and vegetables are cooked on a slab of Himalayan rock-salt sourced from the Himalayas. On the servers recommendation, we ordered the salmon steak. The fish was cooked on the table on the slab of rock-salt and it turned out to be flaky and moist. The fish was served with Mediterranean and dill infused creme fraiche which were the perfect accompaniments. Salmon is an expensive fish to source, but at ₹1,200, this dish was quite expensive. As tradition dictates, we ended our meal with the smooth and wobbly vanilla panna cotta served with an orange and pink peppercorn gastrique and the rich and sinful hazelnut ganache tart.

Monk’s & Blue’s, Baner, Pune: Plus & Minus

Monk’s & Blue’s impresses with their globally inspired menu which includes exotic and rare ingredients sourced from across the globe. The staff is very friendly and courteous and it was great when our server promptly clicked our photo on a Polaroid camera and instantly put it up on the wall. On the flip side, the waiting time for our food was long and quite a few of the dishes on the menu were not available.