Walking down back alleys sometimes bring you some surprises, and Toscana, located next to Soho’s is one of those pleasant ones. Toscana, if you can’t tell the name of it, offers a wide selection of Italian foods. Although like most Italian restaurants in India, they also bizarrely offer tex-mex cuisine despite the countries being continents apart.

I really enjoyed the dining atmosphere. It’s all alfresco dining with a small number of tables under shades provided by stretch cloth. Given that it doesn’t rain that often, you’ve a pretty good chance that you’ll be okay. They string many hanging lanterns around the entire place, adding to the light mood with just enough ambient lighting. Tables are grouped in different areas, providing plenty of privacy – even for large groups. The rest of the open area is split up by plenty of greenery and taking away from the dusty surroundings that remind you that you’re in Pune.

They only offer small bottles of beer, and I think they had a decent selection of wine though it tends to cost a lot in India. Our calamari starter with some aioli tasted very fresh – light and crispy without being overly cooked. The pizza – what a pizza it was – big enough to almost feed two people or one very ravenous person that barely stayed on the plate. Condiments at the table included balsamic vinegar, olive oil, chilli flakes (that are actually spicy!) and oregano leaves. The pizza had a nice and crisp base and this restaurant offered plenty of options including ham and bacon that is sometimes difficult to find. Several of us split a dessert, the strangely delicious sizzling brownie with ice cream. Imagine a hot sizzling plate with a large brownie, a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and then a hot chocolate sauce poured on it all when it reaches the table. It actually seems to work as well.

I’d definitely come back here although I think I’d stick to the pizzas rather than the pasta’s since they didn’t look as appealing. Toscana offers a great atmosphere that easily catered for our party of 18.

Details: Toscana
Found at: Tucked behind Bishop’s School in Kalyani Nagar (on its right) and situated right next to Soho’s.
Highlights: Huge pizzas, great alfresco dining room.
Room for improvement: Like most places they tend to push for foreign wines (and appropriately charge a fortune0
Cost: I I think this averaged about INR700 each with starter, main, dessert and beer.
The Kua Rating: 8 out of 10