Infinity at Post 91 exceeded my expectations and I had a great time here. The menu was impressive and so was the food. Barring one or two minor issues, we had a great time here.

Although lunch buffets are all the rage in Pune, I am tired of the whole experience. You almost always end up eating too much. Plus the food is not really that great. Not to mention the constant traffic around the table – someone is always either getting up to get a new plate, or coming back to the table. Wanting to celebrate a milestone this month, buffets were unanimously ruled out. Another filter for us is Indian food, and then vegetarian food. There are generally very few places that satisfy these and are also open for lunch. Of course, there is always a criteria for distance to be traveled.

After reserving a table at Copper Chimney, we set out. The Copper Chimney at Mumbai has high points from us, but we had never been to the one in Koregaon Park. On reaching there, it turned out the place was closed. After venting our anger on some prankster using a few choice words, we were still hungry and had no inclination to drive any further. Post 91, being next door was the obvious choice.

Since we wanted A La Carte, we were asked to go to the open air restaurant on the first floor. Not a very pleasant aspect, considering the 90 + degree weather. I was disheartened to see ash trays on every table. These people probably never heard of the smoking ban, or don’t see the smoking warning that comes up on the TV at least 100 times a day ( Actually, our cable provider has taken the safe way out by displaying it ALL the time on the screen). The captain promised that he would not let anyone smoke, a tall promise at best which had no chances of success. As it turned out, we were lucky that no smokers turned up. The table still seemed to have a lingering smell of ash.

Now to the food. The menu was Huge..I mean, really huge with something for almost everyone. For the carnivores, there was almost every kind of real meat, from every possible animal. I ordered the Peach Iced Tea and it came in a big tall glass, garnished with mint. There were lots of ice cubes in it. I was happy to see the generous size of the drink and the cold temperature.

We ordered a big array of snacks starting with nachos, stuffed potatoes, paneer tikka and some kebabs. The Nachos were very small in portion size – maybe 15-20 chips hardly and were covered in melted cheese garnished with some colored peppers. There was a shot glass size portion of salsa and some sour cream with it. The plating was attractive. But the melted cheese turned out to be a sauce that was mostly milk and flour.

The potatoes were described as stuffed with a filling of mushrooms and baby corn. The filling was caramelized and it wasn’t possible to distinguish what it was made of, but the whole thing was pleasant to eat and disappeared in a few minutes. The Paneer Tikka was as usual.

Infinity at Post 91 has an extensive Sizzlers menu. We decided to try that. Spinach sausage appealed to me and I went for it. There were some 7-8 sauces to choose from like barbecue, moody mango, mushroom, asian etc. I chose the mushroom sauce which turned out to be a creamy bechamel with just the right amount of nutmeg. Portions were huge with veggies, herbed rice and potatoes.

We also tried Eggplant Parmesan which was a surprise. It was nothing like the eggplant Parmesan I am familiar with. It was more like a terrine I think, with layered slices of eggplant and a robust tomato sauce. The dish was very tasty and flavorful. The tomato sauce was bursting with flavor. But the whole thing could have done with some more cheese, and certainly more parmesano reggiano. It IS called ‘parmesan’ after all.

The dessert menu was extensive with cheesecakes, brownies, mud pies, apple strudel etc. but we were too stuffed to venture there.

In summation, I liked Post 91 and will definitely want to visit again. I am glad I found a place for a great Sizzler in Pune – I am really tired of Zamu’s and The Place now – and there are lots of other vegetarian menu items that I want to try.

The open air restaurant at Infinity at Post 91 is definitely a great destination for a rainy afternoon or a cool evening.