Senses Restaurant at Oakwood Premier
A good spot for spending a late afternoon after lunch or for that matter, even starting the evening with a few starters in the lounge area beside the pool area. We definitely recommend the pasta.
Sahil Khan
29.07.2009
Restaurants
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A good spot for spending a late afternoon after lunch or for that matter, even starting the evening with a few starters in the lounge area beside the pool area. We definitely recommend the pasta.
Location: Opposite ONE, off North Main Road, Koregaon Park, Pune
Oakwood Business Hotels has a new property in Pune. Opened this May, the premier residential property on North Main Road, Koregaon Park has already been getting rave reviews for its property and the multi-cuisine in-house restaurant.
With a capacity of 148, Senses is open 24×7 and offers its guests an array of cuisines from Indian, Continental, Oriental, Italian, Lebanese and Fusion. The place is headed by the talented Executive Chef Rakesh Kumar.
With many people always wanting to find out good places for genuine Lebanese food, I left it up to Sous Chef Miraj who has worked for a few years in the Gulf, to tickle my taste buds. While he prepared our main course, we quickly ordered a plate of Veg Tempura and Roshan Kebab. The Tempura was well prepared and the perfect golden coating that was achieved was something I had seen after ages. The Roshan Kebab, though its taste didn’t linger for long for me to be reminded of Lucknow, was good enough to make me want more with very quick bites. So I definitely am surprised at this as no other plate of kebab has been able to that to me.
Do not, I repeat, do not drink water with any of the dishes being served here. You don’t want to lose out on the explicit flavour. If you’re not into spirits, a glass of cranberry juice will do. The spirits menu easily had at least 50 cocktails mentioned.
As we wrapped up with our starters, Miraj got us our main course. Penne with white sauce and mushroom and a Lebanese Pita bread roll with Hummus. The pasta was heart warming as soon as it touched the buds. The white sauce tasted different as it was made of fresh cream, which later Miraj disclosed. The pita bread roll was bland as the Arabs prefer it hence making it genuine, but I wish it could’ve been spruced up a bit to match the Indian palette. The hummus that was served along tasted perfect as long as I scooped it up with a spoon, but the moment I dipped my roll or the fries, the flavour wasn’t strong enough to hold out. But definitely a well blended serving.
With a serving of tiramasu and cheesecake, we called it a day. The tiramisu was delectable but I was hoping for a softer cheesecake.
Senses is conceptualized as a Resident’s Lounge giving the expat traveller a casual dining experience after the hectic formal work day schedule. The ambiance is warm and welcoming offering a casual atmosphere in a five star setting.
They have an unlimited buffet at 495 INR, which is very much within the comfort of our pockets especially for a five star hotel. The property shall be having a grand launch in October, along with the opening of an Italian fine dining restaurant.
Sahil Khan
[ratings]
hmm….i like d review….bt may be d ratings shud hv been a lil more…..
Sahil,
You could have been a little less harsh
I think for the prices it is charging, ‘Senses’ is really terrific. Was there this past week – Hope to make another trip shortly.
Amit
@amit i sure could’ve been, and yes for the prices the service and food is superb (like the buffet i mentioned is at just 495inr unlike other 5stars!). but to be frank i went with one thing in mind- to try the lebanese. not satisfied yet. and the hummus could’ve been a tad stronger.
Hey Sahil! Nice review up there!
Just a small suggestion that popped up… How about dividing the star ratings to about 4-5 ones for different sections?
If not for usual stuff like ambience blah, blah… dividing it for the meal maybe like for starters, dessert, etc.? Think it would be really comprehensive then!
Otherwise great stuff overall! Cheers!
thnx ashwin. point duly noted.
[...] we were invited by Oakwood Premier to review their restaurant, [...]
I would like to post Better stars may be 4 or a 4.5
[...] our review of their restaurant, Senses, we had the opportunity to take a walk through their property. Photographers Antariksh Jain and [...]
We organized a team party here for about 30 people including our customers from US who are Indian food lovers and trust me except for the ambiance nothing was good. The order was for a buffet dinner with mocktails and cold drinks. The service was given by some trainees. Simple requests like glasses for water took multiple reminders, they did not even cleared the tables. On top of that the food was below average in taste. Places like Post 91 (until the latest renovation), Nawab offer much better food at far more reasonable price and decent service.