Eating out in Pune : The good, the bad, the ugly...: Up South @ Phoenix Market City, Nagar Road.

South Indian fast food is one our great Indian, more healthful fast foods.

Also, one of the the few types of cuisine that is served in Pune city restaurants at anytime during working hours, even after the kitchen is closed at 15:00 pm (that is if the restaurant serves south Indian fast food).

I recently went shopping at Phoenix Market City (near Inorbit mall on Nagar road) and on the UG level there are a few fast food joints (while most of the other fast food joints are on the 3rd floor at the food court).

Here is quick report on the south Indian fast-food joint called Up South.

[Ambience / Experience]
It's a fast food joint, so you can't expect much; it is well done though. Bright oranges, greens and yellows fill your vision. There are bar stools and wall counters on both sides across the length of the joint and also chairs and tables. It is self-service with the cash counters and delivery counter at the far end of the place. A separate coffee counter for serving coffee adds a nice touch.

[The Munchies]

Ghee idli Sambar :- Just over a dozen mini-idlis served with sambar and white coconut chutney,
Not bad over all. The idlis are nice, nothing to rave about. If you generally do not like coconut chutney's, this one pretty good and worth the risk of trying. I generally don't like chutney's that are not home made, even if it is at a place like Vaishali or Madhuban.
The sambar is one of the most authentice south Indian sambars that I have ever eaten in Pune city, tamarind paste et al. If you love authentic south sambar, you will love this. I have had the authenticity validated by a south Indian and she said "it is like how my mom makes it". You can't beat that.
This dish just left me asking one question, where exactly was the ghee?

Medhu Vada Sambar :- The Medhu vada sambar is served with Sambar(the same awesome sambar of course!, white coconut chutney, green mint chutney and a tomato-onion chutney. The tomato-onion is totally OUT OF THIS WORLD. You have got to, I repeat, got to have this chutney. I could not get enough of it. I loved this chutney more than anything else. The Medhu vada was not bad, however, a little crispier would have been nice. Also, two Medhu vadas would have improved the value-for-money quotient. I highly recommend this dish, just so you can have the tomato-onion chutney!

Filter Coffee -: By far one of the best filter coffees ever, served south Indian style in a small steel cup within another steel container, also known as a davara & tumbler, (where the davra is the cup).
The guy who serves the coffee also performs the proper procedure to make it nice a frothy (basically
pouring coffee from the tumbler to the davra, lifting his hand as high as possible, called something like Aa-tar-de in Tamil. Go for the coffee if nothing else.

Pricing :-

Ghee Idlis : Rs. 60
Medhu Vada Sambar : -Rs. 30
Filter Coffee :- Rs. 30 (pricey!)
All Prices inclusive of taxes.
Not cheap for a south Indian joint, if you compare it to Vaishali, Madhuban or Kalyani Veg, but otherwise quite affordable & well worth the money.

Upsouth

Upsouth Viman Nagar @ Phoenix Market City
Address :- G-17, Upsouth, Phoenix Marketcity Mall, Nagar Road,
                  Viman Nagar,
                  Pune.
Speak to them at :- +91-20-66890595,
                               +91-20-3095059.

Review at Zomato.com

Disclaimer. Like my blog? Read this to know how you can help sustain it.