A fine-dining restaurant located in Baner which serves delicious food and awesome cocktails! My first encounter with Orion hadn’t been a great experience. Reason? I showed up on a Saturday night which is their DJ night where the music is quite loud for the likes of us. So for me and my friends, the experience wasn’t a memorable one. But when I was invited by Team Orion to a food-tasting session, I couldn’t say no because I had already heard raving reviews about their food. So here’s how my perception changed about Orion:
Firstly, Team Orion was extremely concerned about my not-so-okay experience when I reviewed it on social media and made sure I attended the foodies meetup to give them another chance. A restaurant that takes each and every feedback seriously does show a lot of passion in their work.
When they shared their tasting menu with us, I was already excited to try out their dishes because they seemed unique and interesting to me. First came the soups and shorbas. We tried the Indian spiced pumpkin veloute and I am forced to admit that it tasted lovely. Yes, pumpkin! The Three mushroom liquid with Melba crisp was a huge hit on the table and with most vegetarians. I personally preferred the Pumpkin soup because that was comfort food for me. The chicken shorba was a bit spicy for me with thick consistency. The owners claim that the taste of this chicken shorba is authentic to Aurangabad style chicken gravy, so if you like spicy, go for it!
Then came the appetizers! Makhmali roll, which is paneer stuffed with cheese, herbs and spices, covered in beetroot foam and served with beetroot mayo, stole my heart! I am not a paneer fan but this dish deserved to be eaten and savored. The Sikpuri tikki with passionfruit mayo is another star dish for vegetarians. I loved the crunch of the tikki and filling was awesome! They even have garlic bread with red onion jam, which gives a twist to the regular boring garlic bread and adds a little sweetness to it. Great to much on! Country-style maple wings, ah, what can I say! I loved the sauce covering the chicken wings so much that I was literally licking my fingers! Orion special kebab (chicken) was melt-in-the-mouth kinda dish, gorgeous and a must try!
Let me get to the fun part now: Cocktails! Without drinks, parties would seem bland and Orion tweaks their cocktails to delicious drinks! Cinemetic (whiskey sour, cinnamon stick, cinnamon ash) is for cinnamon lovers and is highly recommended! Sharabi Lassi (Baileys, mango crush, saffron syrup) was a star for me as it was a perfect blend of kulfi flavor and alcohol. I am still drooling over it! Fellow foodies tried strawberry margharitas, LITs, Litchi cocktails! If you can’t decide what you want, just ask the hosts and they will be glad to help and suggest as per your palette.
How can I forget the Mezze platter which is served with baba ganush, garlic hummus and beetroot hummus! If you are in a group, this is the easiest dish to order, it will keep you busy while you chit-chat and much on these amazing crunchy tikkis, paneer sticks and chicken!Lip-smacking and totally delicious!
From ravioli to lasagna to pizzas to Indian food, they have it all! Pumpkin ravioli had a sweet aftertaste which worked for me but not for some other foodies on the table. They have thin crust as well as deep dish pizzas, choose as per your own accord. You can even go for a continental, Thai or Indian delicacy. So if you are in a huge group, where people cant usually decide on any one option, Orion sorts it for you.
I have the sweetest tooth of them all which doesn’t let me leave my seat without a dessert. Guilty! Orion served me a glass of chocolate cigars which is vanilla ice-cream, topped with chocolate sauce, sprinkles and small puffed rolls stuffed with chocolate. It is simple yet absolutely divine! They also have Shahi tukda and the presentation is outstanding. But somehow the bread croutons were too crunchy for me. I liked the rabdi though.
Rating: 4.5/5
Verdict: Delicious food, awesome cocktails, quaint ambience and amazing hosts! This place is a must-try for sunday lunches, weekday dinners and saturday nights! From fine-dining to club nights, they have it all. Just choose what’s apt for you and head over to have a great time!
Lastly, a huge shout-out to Team Orion and my fellow foodie Vaibhav (im_bhukkad_boy) for the invitation! 🙂
(Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are strictly my own and in no way influenced.)
The Famished Reader 