Unfulring the Flags!. Review on Flags Restaurant, Bund Garden Road, Pune

I must admit I am a connoisseur of food and always on the lookout for places that dish out delicacies that pamper my taste buds. I love experimenting and Flags turned out to be the best experiment in recent times that gave such amazing results that I conclusively admit that this is a great boon to all gourmets in Pune.

I along with two of my friends wanted to eat good continental food. Since we were in Koregaon Park then so we thought we might go to Arthur's Theme(they have very a good continental menu), but then we wanted a change. That's when we got this rare brainwave and decided to go to Flags.

We drove to Flags(which, to the ignorant, is located between Inox and Hotel Central Park) and reached there in less than 10 minutes. Since the restaurant is located in a commercial complex there is adequate parking space and you have to do it yourself since valet parking is unavailable. But who cares, since we were on two-wheelers!

The restaurant had some reputed neighbours in the form of SISA(a good indo-asian theme restaurant), Nirvana(a well known short lived pub) but now they have all shut down for whatever reasons. As you walk up to the steps you will find formally dressed gentlemen or sometimes if you are lucky pretty formally dressed lady welcoming you. You need to check here for availability especially if its a weekend. Since we went on a Sunday, we had to wait for 15 minutes for a table for 3.

The restaurant has a smoking and non-smoking zone so make sure you book your table accordingly. Since I was with two smoke chimneys, we booked the smoking zone. True to their word we got a a call within 15 minutes and were ushered in by this another formally dressed Usher.

Once we settled down on the comfortable huge sofas which can seat 3 easily, we took in the ambiance. There was this comfortable chatter all around and people enjoying their food. The center settings are round tables with chairs. We felt like Senators who had come for a fund-raiser and the diplomats sitting all around.

We were attended by this energetic short waiter who gave an impression of perpetual motion. He was always on the move. Sensing correctly that we had the looks of someone, who will definitely drink, he presented the drinks menu. They have a good drinks collection and the menu is a little biased towards the cocktails.

They have a nice bar with bar-stools, but we were not going to drink shots so we settled in the sofa. We asked if they had the Beet Pitcher which comes at 700/- but they were out of Draught Beer. He suggested Corona, but we weren't interested in pints.

Since I am a Vodka guy, I ordered a large Absolut Kurant with Tonic Water(its an awesome combo.you must try this) which was for about 450/- and the friend on my right ordered a J&B Rare Whiskey small(250/-) and the one on my left order a Chivas 12 year old though the waiter did tell him that he had new bottle of Chivas 18 year old.

Then as our guy went to get the drinks order, another waiter floated by and caught our attention. As an afterthought we asked him for the food menu since we wanted to order some appetizers to go with the drinks. After a thorough research(the appetizers menu is 2 pages long from all parts of the globe), we settled on the Hungarian Cold Plate(which is an assortment of meat, cheese and greens).

The Cold plate had some salami, sausage, salad leaves, tomato, bell peppers, eggs and of course cheese, accompanied by an awesome sauce. I guess the sauce had garlic, green chilles and olive oil and the rest we do not know. We were so lost in eating we forgot to ask the waiter what it was.

After taking care of the Cold plate, we moved on to the main course because we were really hungry by now. The guy on my right ordered for me and the guy on my left, which was Chicken Lasagna for me and Chicken Schnitzel for him.

I suggested a lamb dish( I forget the name but I can tell you that this dish is 2 dishes below Rosemary lamb) and has lamb in red wine with mashed potato in it. Its excellent and the best of the 3.

You can't go wrong with Lasagna and it was as expected, very good. Layers of Cheese and chicken bolognese and pasta with meat sauce(not for the calorie conscious). I might avoid the Schnitzel if you are looking at something not too heavy. This is a very British kind of a dish with loads of cheese melted over slabs of grilled chicken with batter coating and bland(hence the British flavour)

The portions are very filling and they justify the prices which are anywhere between 350 to 500. If you are regular'sizzler' junkie then you might be used to such prices and find it fine to indulge once in a while. The beauty of the dishes were that(esp the Lamb) was that the taste of the ingredients were so distinct. We could taste the flavour of the red wine, the succulent lamb and the ever favourite mashed potato.

We were full in just the right way and I had the last sip of my vodka to relish so we skipped desert. The guy who served us the drinks was so prompt in his service and attentive to our needs that we had to thank him personally for making it a wonderful experience. I distinctly remember him to be nowhere nearby the table when my friend to my right pulled out a cigarette. He was trying to find a light with the cigarette in his lips when this guy popped up like a genie and lighted the cigarette for him.

We were satisfied and contented by the end of the affair. After paying a check of 2582/- we were feeling a little lighter too, but it was worth each crispy note that left the close confines of our wallet, including the generous tip.

Flags is an excellent place if you love food. The ambiance is just right to take your family or your friends and fits all occasions and moods. I have been here with my date so I know that this is a great place for your romantic evenings too. Flags is a restaurant par excellence in all respects.