The Flour Works, Pune

Weekends. A new place to visit, a new dish to try, a new experience, a new mood, a new story. This Saturday was no different.

Albeit a little late (people and foul mood to be blamed for the procrastination) I headed over to The Flour Works for work. Situated at a quiet corner in Kalyani Nagar, The Flour Works is a café hidden away from the hustle bustle of the city life.  Though the ambiance was quite a disappointment.  I follow them on Facebook, and from the updates that I have been seeing, I had high expectations.  To keep it short and simple- I have seen prettier places. The seating arrangement outdoors is well spaced out, but they could definitely improve the presentation. Honestly, it looks like a glorified parking lot. The indoors is much better, but there’s a particular smell that didn’t quite suit my liking. I decided to sit outside, even though it’s cozier indoors.  A place one could come on a date with- white curtains, lights, seats by the windows, wine, a table for two, and all that jazz. The couples did seem lost in their own world <Valentine’s season….*super sigh*>

I chose a table outdoors, and settled down with my diary and laptop. It was 15 minutes later that I was offered a menu card- service is a little slow here, as I found out during the course of my visit. The waiters are friendly and quick, but I wish I didn’t have to keep prompting them.

The menu has an interesting choice of dishes. Starters, Main course (pastas, etc), Sandwiches, Burgers, Pizzas, Desserts, and the beverages.  I decided to order myself a Chicken Sandwich- safe choice, and easy to eat.I also ordered a Ginger Jolt, something to wash down the sandwiches with.

The sandwiches arrived within 15min, which is a good turnover time I feel.  Though the Ginger Jolt took 45 min (told you, slow service) The sandwiches looked good, and I couldn’t wait to bite into one of them.

I was dreading they’d be bland, with mayo. But BECAUSE they exceeded my expectations, I was more than overjoyed. The bread isn’t hard, the chicken is fresh, the lettuce is fresh and crispy, the onions give the perfect flavor (or else this would be a bland dish too) and the cheese is absolutely perfect. As soon as you bite into the bread, you get a generous amount of chicken in your mouth, and a hint of butter, and CHEESE. There’s just enough cheese to hold the two pieces of bread together, and to give a strong flavor at the end.  As I said earlier - perfect quantity of cheese. The sandwich is served with a small portion of fries, which is EXACTLY how much is needed. By the end of it, it got a little heavy with the butter and cheese and chicken, but on a better day I’m sure I could finish it off.  When you are too confused with the variety of choices being offered here, do consider having this sandwich. It’s a 9/10 from me.

The Ginger Jolt gets a 10/10. As the name suggests, it jolts you out of your mood (in a good way of course) A sugar rush (which is what I live ON I guess :/) a strong flavor of ginger, and a hint of lemon- this is what fixed my mood today. And it’s a strange combination of flavors, which is what’s so refreshing and intriguing about it. This is applicable to all the refreshments being offered here. Absolutely LOVED what they had to offer. I’m definitely coming back for the drinks here.

<Pssst- I heard the women on the other table talking about how brilliant the CCCV is. That’s next on my list>

It was a heavy meal, but thanks to the drink I didn’t get too lazy. By the time I finished working, the sun had already set, and the crowd around me had changed completely. There were couples on dates, young girls gossiping, girlfriends catching up…the vibe of the place had changed. It was definitely better than what it was in the afternoon, but I still feel the space outside can be made much prettier.

And since I cannot resist sweets, I managed to pick up a carrot muffin too. So yes, I’m now going to take your leave. The muffin awaits me. Happy reading folks!

P.S.- Muffin: Minus the walnuts, it would have been good. Walnuts make it bitter. 4/10.