Eating out with baby | Pukka

As you may know we’re huge fans of Indian cuisine and having grown up on South Asian cuisines I’m always hankering for good home cooked Indian meals. Since its launch six months ago I have heard rave reviews about Pukka and so when we were invited to dine there we were totally ready to get our Poppadoms on! With Baby Boy and Little Monkey along, the hubs and I popped over for dinner on a Wednesday evening. We’re at that stage where I THOUGHT I could count on Baby Boy sleeping through our dinner but of course, just when you think you’ve figured it all out, they go and change on you!

With both kids awake we passed along our stroller which was stowed away with the umbrellas on that slightly gloomy evening and settled into a cozy corner across another family with kids along. I loved the little decor elements that incorporated the co-owners’ vision for the place. Inspirational quotes, bright colours along side reclaimed wood and white bricks makes this a trendy spot. No matter when you visit, there’s a good probability that you’ll be greeted by one of the two co-owners who are happy to assist you with anything you may need. We decided to start the evening off with a Mango lassi for the Little Monkey, a Chat Town for myself and a Bourbon Sour for the hubs. As you can tell the Little Monkey loved her Mango Lassi and the glass was the perfect size for her. They also have a fabulous wine list (love this since most Indian spots we frequent have mediocre wines, at best!). High chairs are available here and she seems to want to sit in them despite being able to sit on a regular seat – I’m not complaining since it limits her movement around the restaurants! We also have quite a few guests who accompany our outings these days, the popular one being Princess Elsa!

With so many wonderful sounding choices we were torn on what to order but eventually decided to start with Poppadoms (which we KNEW the Little Monkey would devour), Chicken 65 and Lamb Kebabs. The Poppadoms had a mango dip that accompanied it and I loved it! It was so good and the perfect level of sweet and tart. The Chicken 65 reminded me of the “chicken lollipops” I grew up on and most definitely is one of my many favorites here. I love that Pukka has stepped up the Indian restaurant scene by adding some new flavours to traditional dishes. I personally loved the sprinkling of pomegranate seeds on a couple of my dishes. Fusion done right!

In true South Asian style, most of Pukka’s dishes work best in a sharing environment. Also means you get to sample a wider variety! The hubs and I decided to share the Steak Vindaloo and we were pleasantly surprised when our lovely server brought over a grilled New York strip. Definitely didn’t expect a prime cut of meat there but boy does it make a difference! I couldn’t help ordering a side of Okra fries and Fiddle Head Paneer. Both very well done. One thing I will say though is that things aren’t spicy here, which is the norm for most Indian restaurants. The hubs and I are huge hot sauce lovers but we didn’t miss the heat one bit. Mainly because most of our dishes were very flavorful and had a lot of natural spices in them. You definitely can taste the quality ingredients that are used here. I was informed that they try their best to locally source as many of the ingredients as possible.

For dessert we tried out the Eton Mess and I can tell you that this is what dreams are made of. I’d drive an hour JUST to have this awesome fluffy rosewater, meringue, yogurt combo! DIVINE!!! I’ve been told that the Chocolate Mousse is equally delicious. We plan to go back and I hope take my mom to Pukka soon because I know she’ll love the variety of veggie dishes on offer. They’re extremely family friendly and encourage families dining out together and celebrating over good food and drink.

We had a lovely evening despite a few shrills from Baby Boy (when I took him out for  some air) and the Little Monkey even asked to go to the potty. More wins on top of the enjoyable meal!