Lunch at Incognito, Phoenix Market City, Pune

After a long time I met up with a couple of my friends Akshay and Atul for lunch. I left the venue to them as they were more attuned to what was good in Pune. From my side the only request was that I would love to have steak.

While their first choice was Cafe Mocambo we found out that they would be closing for renovations. As a result of this we went to the alternate choice of Incognito. Had heard fairly decent reviews of this place so felt safe enough to spend time there catching up with friends.

Drinks:

None of us were in a beer state of mind so we went for Long Island Iced Teas and Mojitos. It was a good thing that we did not want the beer cause there were not many choices with only a draught and a Corona to choose from. I believe they need to expand their beer inventory.

Starters:

Anti Pasti

To kick off lunch we ordered two starters. The first was an AntiPasti. We had to choose three our of an assortment of choices and we went with Feta, Garlic Eggplant and Mushroom. This turned out to be an okay dish. The Feta was waaaay salty making it close to inedible. The Eggplant had no taste of garlic and no character. However the mushroom one was really nice. So just pass marks for this one.

Water chestnuts wrapped in Bacon

We went on to another starter which was a complete gamble from our end. Bacon wrapped around water chestnuts with some glaze on top. We were totally unsure on what to expect – and we were blown away. The bacon was sizzling and perfectly ready to melt in the mouth and its savoury taste and texture was oh-so nicely balanced by just the right amount of crunch of the water chestnuts. Fantastic stuff. The sauce and the rocket were just cherries on top of the the cream. Each of us were in our very own gourmet heavens when we were eating, nay, savouring this dish. Beautiful, top marks.

Main Dish:

We then moved on to the main dish with each of us choosing a different one.

Akshay tried out a German pork dish. It was ok but the pork felt a bit overcooked and maybe not that fresh. The potatoes were creamy and tasty though.

Pork Dish

Atul had Chicken Cacciatore and he liked it.

Chicken Cacciatore [photo credit: Atul Karmarkar]

I had a very lucky day with my choice – Fillet Mignon. This is what reached my table.

Fillet Mignon

Beautifully textured buoyant juicy piece of tenderloin on a bed of mash it looked heavenly. All three of us were suitably impressed. I would like to take a moment to commend the great plating done. All dishes looked great in their presentation and this one was no different. It promised much, this dish, and it was with a bit of trepidation that I sliced it open. However my worries were for naught, for this was a fantastic piece of meat right there. Much better than the one I had at Marriott my words would not do justice to this particular piece of meat. So I will shut my trap and let the photos show the eventual fate of this offering.

Fillet Mignon – midway through destruction

And then there was none…

All Done

Dessert:

I was full at this point but Akshay and Atul tried out two of the desserts, Apple Crumble and ChocolateChocolate Crème brûlée, and both passed the muster.

Chocolate Crème brûlée

Apple Crumble

So all in all, except for the total failure of the Feta and the ok nature of the eggplant and pork it was very nice fare. The highlights without doubt were the Water Chestnuts wrapped in Bacon and the Filet Mignon (the latter was truly value for money)

The restaurant itself was quite cool with nice decor and beautiful photos on its walls. The atmosphere was relaxed and we had a very good conversation. The waiters did not rush us and all in all we had a wonderful afternoon there. I would certainly be visiting Incognito again and inspite of some gaffes it gets very high marks from me.

Review: A final course in Grammar and Composition

A final course in Grammar and Composition by P. C. Wren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is very difficult to be judgmental about this book. Generations of Indians learnt their grammar from this book (take what you will from that statement:) ) There were two versions of this particular book and I remember I used to have the green cover one. Plus I think there was a middle course in Red. For a lot of us who studied in the late 80s and 90s this was the go-to book for grammar. Since one could get full marks in grammar and since getting marks was the most important part of our study process we really lapped up this book from end to end.

I had a quick look at the book and find it still relevant especially the parts defining the structure of the language. I guess the fundamentals of grammar will never change.

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Review: Modern Digital Electronics

Modern Digital Electronics by R. P. Jain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As textbooks go it gets the work done.

Logic circuits basics as well as some advanced material around Logic Design is represented in a succinct manner. I found it a very dry book for what I think is a very interesting subject. However it does put in all the required information one would need to understand this subject (and more importantly, pass the exam )

Not sure if it is dated now, but I am sure that better reference books and material are accessible now which was not the case when I went through this course around 15 years ago.

My only advice to the students who would be reading this book today, in case this book feels too dry do check other books or study material online. Logic circuits is an interesting as well as a fundamental subject of computer engineering and it is best not to judge the subject based on just one book.

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Review: Cours de Langue et de Civilisation Françaises I

Cours de Langue et de Civilisation Françaises I by G.Mauger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my textbook for my French course in High School. A very well written book it is deceptively thin for the amount of material in it. It starts off at a gentle curve but within no time its difficulty increases exponentially. However due to a conversational style of teaching the language, at times as dialogues between people in a certain context and at times as essays about various places or events, it is a engaging read.

However this book alone will not be useful for a non French speaking student. This book will have to be complemented with a good French-English dictionary, as well as a competent instructor (without an instructor the book can feel daunting after 1/3 of the way through). The instructor is particularly important if the student wants to learn how to speak the language too.

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Review: Elementary Engineering Drawing [Plane and Solid Geometry]

Elementary Engineering Drawing [Plane and Solid Geometry] by N. D. Bhatt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the prescribed text book for our Engineering course (Mumbai University) A no frills, straight to the core book, on a cursory glance it looks like a very dry text book. However this is a one of the better test books I have personally read. It takes a bit of effort at first, especially when learning projection of points and lines. However if the student keeps on it, it very soon becomes your bible. Without this book I would never have loved Engineering Drawing the way I do.

My favourite section is drawing as well as in the book has to do with Isometric Projections. I heartily recommend the exercise in this chapter, espectially exercise number 28 on page 403 of this particular edition. Great fun.

Caveat:
This review was relevant for when I did Engineering (late 90′s) and as a general reference book. I am not sure if it is still prescribed for the current curriculum

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