Hola Picantos ! - Review

Hola Amigos !!! 

In case if you Wondering why I am all Mexican today .... scroll down and find out ... 

pic credits Ashay Kully

Passing by the busy Kalyani Nagar you can easily spot this small joint thanks to its bustling colours. You are tempted to stop and check out the place as it intrigues you with its vibrant décor and pulsating vibe.

We did just that, checked out this place on invitation from the owners Shivgauri Rajan and Himanshu Shah and it sure is super cute.

So here we are at Picantos - A Mexican Grill -  a small Tex Mex fast casual dining restaurant which serves food at affordable prices.

They have major plans of expansion and some really creative concepts in pipeline. Think of a Picantos community or village spread throughout the country. Sounds interesting doesn't it. For now lets suffice with the outlet at Kalyani Nagar which is dressed up like a Picantos Jail.

Totally loving the  vibes ...

Picantos means spicy way of making food in Spanish. 

They pride on making all the sauces and their recipes from scratch and I must say they do succeed with flying colours. 

The heat over here is lowered to suit everyone's palette, however you can ask them to raise the chilli quotient as high as you want and believe me you won't regret it as Mexican food means hot, spicy and full of flavour. No wonder I love Mexican food. 

Picantos serves all the Mexican favourites and more, take your pick from their range of Burrito bowls, Enchiladas, Nachos, Tacos, Quesadillas, and more.... couple them with some refreshing drinks or lap it up with some hot chocolate or coffee. Don't forget to Indulge in some sinful dessert and you will be sorted. 

Easy food on the go, great option to order in for a relaxed weekend or just grab a quick bite with friends - it's perfect.

The best thing is you can customise your food according to your preference, spices, dips, ingredients and there lies the magic.

Have a look at what we ate and I am sure you will be left craving for more. 

We started with some refreshers to beat the heat and the list was long.

Iced Tea

Ginger Lemonade

Green Apple Ice Tea

Mixed Fruit Spritzer

Bloody Guava Cooler

Cold Coffee

Crunchy Chocolate Shake

My Picks - Ice Tea, Cold coffee , Crunchy chocolate shake and Ginger Lemonade.

Whilst we enjoyed our drinks the sides started popping up and were we glad cause the bloggers are always a hungry pack ;p

Quesadillas

Spinach and Mushroom

Spicy Chicken.

Now this one was not spicy at all quite not like its name, they said they cater to the masses which prefer to like the food less spicy and serve it instead with a spicy dip but if you are like me a spice lover, then request them to make it spicy and they certainly would oblige.

Honestly it was a bit bland for my taste, add spices and it would really be a cheesy spicy killer.

Quesadilla - a tortilla (a flat bread ) filled with cheese and often a savory mixture (as of meat and vegetables), folded, and usually fried.

Tacos we tried the hard shell as well as soft shell but the former will always be my favourite, there is magic about the crunchy hard shell filled to brim with cheese, beans, meat and spices.

Tacos -

a Mexican dish consisting of a folded or rolled tortilla filled with various mixtures, such as seasoned mince, chicken, or beans.

Must try especially the hard shell ones.  

Nachos - My Love -

Be it veg or non veg .. I love them and how.

Picantos sure delivered both ways.

Crispy nachos loaded with cheese, beans, chicken and served with different sauces/dips -

Spicy Salsa, Creamy Guacamole and cheesy dip. They all went so well with the Nachos and were mind blowing.

Nachos - a dish of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and often also with other savoury toppings:

These babies just took the experience to the next level.

Chipotle

Baja

Mustard Honey

Mango chilli

all of them were so so good I cant even tell you.

The Mains arrived ,,,,,,

The Chicken Burrito bowl.

This one was a giant bursting with flavours, consisted of Rice, veggies, gravy, spices, sauces, cream cheese, sour cream, honey mustard, and chicken.

Must try - make it according to your specifications. suffices two.

Enchilada

Another Favourite and must have.

Look at the cheese.

Tortilla Filled with meat, veggies covered chilli sauce and melted cheese, this sure gives your taste buds a spin. So filling.

The desserts sure made a grand entrance.

Chocolate Panacotta with Strawberry coolie 

It failed to match the magic it created on its grand entrance. I would give it a pass. You can try if you are a Panacotta fan.

Churros with chocolate.

These babies were the star of the night.

Must Have. 

These hot churros served with chocolate sauce came as a good surprise... I hardly expected them to be so good and they were really very good ... crispy, perfect sweet and soft from the inside... one of the best I have had in a long time... couldn't help munching on tad too much ... now punishing myself with some extra exercise (thinking of ) 🙈 but totally worth it... Must Have 👍👍

Check out my Instagram for more feeds. 

And as the night unfolded and everyone took their time finishing this heavy Mexican fare, I indulges myself with a hot creamy Mexican hot chocolate spiced to perfection with the right notes. 

I completely enjoyed this one. 

Must try. 

On that note we were a tad too much satisfied bunch. 

Had an amazing time at Picantos over their yummy food and refreshing drinks. The quantity is huge and it is a complete VFM place. 

Definitely give it a try ... let me know how you like my favorite dishes there and let me know if you discover any other gems apart from these. 

A big shout out to Picantos and the owner for hosting us. 

Let me take you behind the scenes what say...😋

This is how bloggers dine ... in action Fat Foodie and Go Pune. 

With the ever charming food fanatic Jerlyn behind the counter prepping our burrito bowl.

Full house 

Saquib , Ashay, Ajay, Ashish

Pros of having awesome photographers around you. 

All in a day's work ..........  

Until we meet again..

Stay Happy!

xoxo
Bhakti

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Mexican Fiesta @ 212 All Day Cafe Bar

First and foremost I am really sorry for not writing to you since a long time. I have been so occupied with invitations for the blog, work presentations, being down with monsoon flu and family that I really was struggling. 

However enough of that. 

I am here now and all yours.

Doing what I love the most, chatting with you guys. 

On another love of mine - Food. 

I love Mexican food however there are hardly any Mexican restaurants in Pune. So when 212 All Day Cafe Bar invited me for their Mexican fiesta going on for the whole month at their place I just couldn't resist. 

I was too excited to go and try the food. 

So without waiting further let's just dig in. 

212 is located in Phoenix market city Pune. 

The restaurant has a lovely simple yet colourful vibe to it. The interiors are classy and cheerful. They have an outdoor section as well which is very pleasant. 

We were seated inside this time around. 

Let's do the Mexican way - Hola !! 

Mexicans love their Margaritas and 212 has specially crafted 5 for this fiesta having base of tequila another classic Mexican favourite. 

Zapatista - Watermelon Juice, jalapeños 

And 

Cancun Sunrise - Pear juice and Vanilla. 

Bloody Maria - It looks killer, doesn't it now ;) Tomato Juice, Sriracha and lime.. 

My favourite for the evening - Cucumberita - Cucumber and mint. 

Was refreshing. 

Azteka - Aloe ver and honey. This was another favorite on the table. 

Mexican Nachos all the way, no American  touch to it, no cheese. 

Just pure Mexican loaded with beans jalapeños, olives , salsa and generous sour cream - Perfecto 

Chimichangas - chicken as well as veg ( beans) 

I was instantly attracted towards the chicken even though the veg were at par. 

Crispy shell with moist juicy spicy chicken on the inside and a hint of sour cream. They were delicious. 

Down below are another 

Set of favourites for the evening. 

Chicken / pepper / cottage cheese in Habanero sauce. 

Habanero sauce is spicy and these were a treat. Habanero chillies are the third spiciest ones in the world. They really mellow down the spice level. However you can request them to adjust it if you are fiery eater like me. 

Told them to make it in the original spicy way without mellowing down and it was a bomb. 

All three dishes were crispy and yet tender and juicy. The marination in the spicy habanero sauce was ooh la la. 

Must must must have. 👍🏻👍🏻⭐️

Guajillo Lamb Taquitos 

For the lamb lovers. 

Veg Taquitos

Another star of the evening. 

Beer battered fish Taquitos

Crispy tortilla shells loaded with fish tempura. The fish was so fresh soft and fried to perfection. It was melting in the mouth. The salsa, guacomole and chipotle mayo were taking the taste to another level all together. 

Amazing dish. 

Must order 👍🏻⭐️

Chipotle chicken skewers

Tender and juicy 

Often the simplest things are the best and this simple veg Mexican Bruschetta was wonderful. 

What a sinful way to end this delightful meal. 

A plate of indulgence. 

Loved the Choco mud pie- goeey, soft, not overly sweet - sinful chocolate. Best one for me❤️⭐️👍🏻

The brownie was nice.

The mango ice cream was so refreshing, light in flavour and really good. 

The lemon cheese cake was light, cheesy and lovely. 

And as if this was not enough, there was a live band serenading us to lovely tunes. The night was beautiful, yummy and young. 

I loved the entire experience and enjoyed my Mexican fiesta.

The Mexican festival is on for this month of June 2016 at 212 All Day Cafe Bar. 

They also have a flat 50% off on all drinks from 4pm to 9pm. 

They have a live band every Thursday playing amazing music from 9pm. 

So,, I am going there soon ,, definitely very soon 😍 yet again. 

Thanks a lot to Carpe Diem Team for inviting us and Karthik for hosting us, Chef Vijay for the amazing food.
For the record the place I feel is complete value for money for the portions, taste, service, ambience and amazing offers.

Hope you enjoyed it. 

Do watch the video to see our evening yourself and subscribe, like, comment. 

I love to hear from you. 

Until next time.

Stay cheerful and happy!! 

Lot of love❤️❤️

xoxo

Bhakti