Sula Vineyards-The Tasting Room

After reading my earlier post on Sula Vineyards and Little Italy lunch , my elder sister and her husband,could not keep themselves from visiting us here in Nasik , just to enjoy the Sula Experience!
So here we are , on a yet another visit , entertaining our guests at Sula!

But this visit was exclusively for the Sula Tasting Room experience!!

The Blue Mosaic Blacony Bar!

We had planned for a tasting tour too , but  unfortunately , couldnt ,it being off season , the plant was shut...Guess the wine was into the barrels and maturing already!! Better luck next time...!

So we headed to the Tasting Room ,that had a blue mosaic balcony bar ,overlooking the vineyards and a Panaromic view of Gangapur Dam, far away!!

The vineyards,fields and dam far away!!

You have to be here to experience it...sipping your favourite wine , relaxing on your chair , and watching the green vineyards and the grazing cows in the fiels far away , with the cold breeze passing by you.....I can sit there all day...especially when there's a faint monsoon drizzle and a gloomy weather!!
Though we werent lucky this time with the weather, since it was a too much of sun...but yes, you are assured of the cold breeze though!!

So after getting in there, we decided to do away with all our purchases...So here were my sister and her husband,totally confused on which wine to buy ,amongst the variety....
After much consultation with the staff , they were finally settled and satisfied with their choices!
And what more , they have a wide variety of merchandise too...T shirts, flute glasses , wine chocolates,cork openers..and much more...

Bar in full swing!

Now was the time to enjoy the produce .... the Wine!!
We had ordered a Sula Seco..a sparkling white wine , and Sula Shiraz..a red wine , along with an assorted cheese platter with green olives and crackers!! An Absolute Delight!!

They say ,time passes by when you are in the company of loved ones.....
Conversations over a glass of wine..and we didnt realised how time passed by .....and then was the time to leave....
But we left with lovely memories and ofcourse lots of Wine!!

 

Pancham-Pure Veg.Restaurant....The Best a Veg.can get!!



Appetizing aroma,mild chit chat and a warm yummy meal..what else do you want??

It was the last week of Shravaan , and since I was tired of cooking at home , we decided to set out to explore some good vegeterian options in Nashik....
It being my husbands hometown , I expected him to know every famous food joint in the city...but that was way back when we got married...over the years ,I came to accept the fact that we both would be venturing into the unknown territory...Good Restaurants in Nashik....
My husband came from a background where eating out was just occasional and secondly ,eating out in those days was indeed quiet occassional and the delicious food my mother in law cooks, I cant blame him!!!(I remember ,even our family had just a couple of eat outs when we were young...so you ask me about some good eat outs in mumbai , you shall be in for a disappointment..Though over the years ,I have explored quiet a few,despite staying out of the city)...
So all in all , 2 foodies set out on a hunt for the best veggie delights the city had to offer...
And college road was the best option to hunt....lots of fast food joints and some great restaurants , we had heard of. We had read about Pancham in a newspaper article...and we also knew it was one of the oldest restaurant in Nashik ,known for its vegeterian marathi,punjabi ,chinese menu , and ofcourse the Misal Pav , and a delicacy ,I first ate with my eyes...

It was saturday evening , and like any good restaurant , Pancham too had a waiting...(but I had a good timepass watching trained hands chopping up veggies and whipping up all sorts of menu  through the open kitchen window) and thats when a huge white coloured papad like dish , shaped like a huge kadhai passed by me ....and I couldnt get my eyes off it....I asked the waiter about it ....They call it Roomali Khakara.....
A giant size roomali roti toasted over inverted kadhai till crisp...and seasoned with butter,chaat masala and a typical Nashik maratha touch ...Shengdanyachi chutney( Dry Peanut and red chilly chutney)

Hot and crisp...buttered and spiced..what more??

Pancham is not a typical plush restaurant , with slow music ,a/c and all those fancy things they add in the name of ambience ( and bill you for it as well)..but a place where you are guaranteed delicious hot food and efficient service.
Wooden tables and benches are laid over a semi cemented but levelled flooring,that is clean always.
Asbestos form the roof ,gloomy lamps descend from top....and efficient waiters and managers rushing everywhere ,just to serve you the best , and ensure you are not kept waiting ,be it for food or for an appropriate table in the restaurant.

Lets get on to the food....the Roomali Khakara was the obvious choice in starters ...It was served with schezwan sauce and mint and yougurt chutney....yummy...ten on ten...a must try...(you may get it at your local restaurant but this one was just awesome)
Now , their chinese or should I say Indianised Chinese is equally famous....so we tried Crackling vegetables (their fast moving item) It was chopped veggie mixed with maida,shaped in rectangles and deep fried till crisp...served with foil wrapped toothpicks and topped with a green sauce that tasted like chilly and spinach in chinese flavour and had grated cheese.....wierd...but it tasted fab!! A must have experience...
Main course ....Kashmiri Palak Chaman...a true innovation....grated paneer in palak gravy ,laced with cream , and topped with red coloured  (manchurian like) mixed vegetable balls...but a true delight...yummy is all i can say ...


Kashmiri Chaman...those red veg kofta like balls seem to have a chinese flavour..go well with the gravy though 

Subz Lajawab....a yellow orange gravy with....
 mixed vegetables ..carrots ,capsicum,cauliflower,corn,peasand paneer bits , in a thick gravy of cream , spices and grated paneer....
Absolute delight..the best form to eat mixed vegetables....

Yummy creamy...veggies never tasted sooo goood!

The tandoori rotis were made with whole wheat atta and served got and crisp...
Plain rice and dal tadka were good, just as for any veg.restaurant.
And finally dessert...Mango Mastani....( I had my reservations though since mango season was long gone) but it was divine....Thick Mango milkshake,with chunks of dryfruits..lots of them...and topped with mango icecream...
There was no better way to end a scrumptious meal .....

Me n my toddler had to hold ourselves,just to get this click!

We were only two, hence could only try the best recommended dishes..however, the restaurant has to offer,traditional Maratha cuisine..with Bharli Wangi, Shngolyachi Bhaji, Bharith ,Bhakari ,Misal Pav  and lots more...And I sure want to return for their Chinese...and the Glorious  Misal Pav...

As for the cost aspect , Affordable ...especially with the huge portions and the taste!!
Service was efficient , at its peak on weekends...good number of waiters and managers to give you all the attention , especially when you need the extra helping of rotis or rice!

If you are visiting Nashik , do drop in here and take your tastebuds on a delightful ride!!


Landmark: College road ,Opp.Big Bazaar ,Nashik.

 

Experience the Sula Magic at Little Italy!

A decade ago ,Nashik was known as a pilgrim city, a place where Kumbh Mela happened, a place where Ram,Sita and Laxman stayed on exile,and a stopover ,when visiting Shirdi.

But in recent years,the infracture developments has put Nashik amongst the fastest developing cities in the country. And with the best grapes produced here and 35 wineries Nashik is the Wine capital of the country!

And for the best Wine and Dine experience, there is no better place than Sula Vineyards!!

Here we enter the Sula premises.

Nashik has been my home for past couple of years ,and my husbands hometown as well...And we have been fortunate to witness the growth of this humble pilgrim city , into a world class city- in the making!! But its only in the couple of years that we started frequenting Sula Vineyards.

One of our visits happened on Monday , an Id holiday.....a perfect set up to visit the lush green vineyards, with the swift monsoon drizzle...and the gentle whispering winds, it could'nt have gotten any better!!

With the festivities that the Shravaan month brought , and the traditional food, we needed a change from the regular lunch options. So we decided to go Italian...

Driving away from the city chaos , we were led into a quiet narrow road surrounded by lush green fields,that transformed into grape plantations,once we approached Sula. Though we had a little trouble managing parking,it being a public holiday,we managed it ,with little help from the security.

lush green grape plantations at the entrance ..Sula

Visiting Sula and not purchasing some of the exotic wines it has to offer ,dosent fit in my agenda.

So we headed upstairs ,watching the bottling plant while ascending the stairs,  leading to a Gazebo ,overlooking the lush green vineyards ,and a panaromic view of the Gangapur Dam on the other end. After having enjoyed a glass of Chenin Blanc with a platter of assorted cheeses ,olives and crackers , we made our purchases and headed to Little Italy!

Little Italy , being a chain of Italian ristorante..we had visited one at college road ,Nashik. However,guess the Sula Magic worked over this one!! Unlike the earlier experience of a plush ,ambient restaurant , this one had a very rustic finish. Wooden tables and benches over cemented floorings and the wine bottle lamps ,gave a very warm, and homely feel. And with the wooden fence over the landscaped garden....you get the feeling of  having walked into an Italian village!(I might be exaggerating though,but just to convey ,how good it felt)

Wooden table , crude flooring...Just the experience

beautiful arrangement!But the bottles are empty...;)

The complete picture!! Taken on our next visit!

The wine bottle Lamp..innovative,isnt it?

the wooden fence...

A view like this just by your table...would u feel just by the countryside??
 

You get to see a wood fired stone oven next to the tandoor (of the Soma restaurant),when you enter the restaurant, so a Pizza was the obvious first choice.

We had ordered a garlic bread with cheese ,that came out to be a burger bun filled with morzeralla ,served warm. A bit dissapointed, but was very positive with the pizza.

Ordered a Sicilia, that was a nicely baked crisp crusted pizza ,with some beautiful toppings, I loved those picked onions!!There are various customised,Indianised options like goan, Paneer tikka etc..but I recommend the authentic ones.

The menu also recommends various wines to be paired with specific dishes...but we decided to go with my favourite Chenin Blanc...(120 rupees per glass)

The pasta was a Barberesca-made in creamy sauce with exotic veggies and a hint of garlic and Parmesan! We decided to go with penne,since we had been warned by the service boys , that the new chef was a bit slow. So we decided to keep it simple ,instead of a gnocchi ,or a ravioli(my earlier experience with ravioli was the best..yummy) This one was creamy , but not cheesy , average! Considering the cost 375 rupees..The Pizza , the same cost , was better with respect to cost and portions.



barbaresca with penne,ordinary but creamy

And now to the dessert...we had to wait for good 25 mins for it!! Chocolate bomb with vanilla icecream... but worth the wait...A gooey chocolate lava cake ,with oodles with chocolate oozing out neatly served with Vanilla Ice cream ,drizzled with chocolate sauce...heaven!!

Later we were informed ,that the delay happened,because the chocolate bomb bursted before it was served...Irony....Actually the lava from the cake oozed out before the dessert reached our table.And the restaurant wanted to serve the best and original dessert ,as it should be...Impressive...and with the taste , I dont mind the delay!!!
 

Chocolate bomb!!

Bomb Burst..and the lava oozzing out..yummy

The Sizzling brownie was average...and was served with a not so rich chocolate sauce that arrived late.....maybe I had it better elsewhere.

 

Icecream's melthing...where's the sauce

But remarkably good was the creme'e caramel....firm,moderately sweet ,and a wonderful caramel...and eggless...too...I dont like the ones with eggs!!

Creamy..sweet caramel...absolute delight.

So overall , a wonderful experince, barring some delays, but hey , it can happen on one of day!!

So a thumbs up to Little Italy and To the Sula Experience!!

The sula Sun..the logo..

wandering around in the Sula premises...beautifully maintained...

You can visit Sula homepage for further details,and upcoming events!

http://sulawines.com/Home/