A bunch of happy kids running around, humpty dumpty dancing under a tree, jugglers playing with swords and firesticks, Cindrellas castle in the back ground, a staircase leading to nowhere, a giant roller coaster with stomach churning loops, loud screams mixed with a million chuckles – that my friends, is a glimpse of a fairy tale land in the middle of nowhere.
Right off the Mumbai Pune highway, near the village of Khopoli, stands this amazing amusement park from the stables of Adlabs, which has done a great job in bringing out our inner child. I have seen grownups scream like little girls, laugh as if there´s no tomorrow and dance as if no one’s watching, all that and more, during my walk around the park.
My mission this time, though, was to explore the dining options available in the park. it is usually observed that in India when it comes to amusement parks, entertainment complexes, the focus on food is terrible. Even the game zones do not follow the Chuck n Cheese example and tend to serve meagre fare to their patrons. Thankfully Imagica seems to be a pioneer in this sense as the food is not only well thought of, but is also a integral part of the complete theme of the park. It is overwhelming to see the executive chef taking active part in the planning of the theme of the park and its food.
Our foodie day started off at the ship shaped tapas bar called the Armada which apart from serving regular tapas style finger foods, has a well-stocked bar and serves a mean Long Island Ice Tea. The hosts had organized a buffet breakfast for us here, which included the typical breakfast fare of poha, medu wadaas etc. as well as some hash browns, cupcakes et al. The spread was decent, nothing over the top. Here on we proceeded to do a few rides like Mr. India, Rajasaurus, Wrath of Gods and Salimgarh. Going into details of each ride would take me a whole different article, therefore I would simple suffice by saying that each ride evoked countless laughter and unforgettable memories.
Our lunch was scheduled in the African themed Ze Ze Bar and grill. The place is done to resemble an African village and serves Indian and African grilled dishes. The grill uses lava stones as their heating element instead of traditional sources. The dishes we ordered included a Chicken hot and spicy wrap, a African chicken sosatie, Peri peri grilled chicken, zulu chicken and Tandoori chicken. All these dishes came with a side of rice with some gravy and rosemary flavoured potato wedges. The chicken in both the peri peri version and the tandoori version was flavoursome and despite its size, cooked perfectly to the bone. The rice and the curry was a complete waste, but the potato wedges were amazing, crisp, soft and airy with a slight rosemary flavor. The Chicken Sosatie was an African take on satay which was grilled pieces with peanut coating, very crunchy and interesting. The lunch in short was filling and largely appetizing. The lunch was paired with red and white wine sangrias which were quite average.
Satiated, we moved onto our post lunch session of rides, rides and some more rides including some stomach churning roller coasters and reached on time to the American diner themed Red Bonnet in time for evening snacks.
Red Bonnet is designed like a classic American diner in red and white patterns and has two beautiful red Cadillacs adorning the entrance. The menu also is classic American with burgers, shakes, malts and hot dogs. Our snacks included an over cooked (Slightly burnt) mutton burger, a well-seasoned chicken burger, lovely soft cupcakes and a vanilla coke float. I also had a chocolate shake which was quite thin and synthetic.
We ended the evening once again atop the ship called armada over a few Long Island Ice Tea and Mojito cocktails, going over a day well spent, over tons of laughter and fair share of some good food.
As stated earlier, I was quite happy at the attention to food at Imagica, the grills at ZeZe bar & Grill are definitely a must visit. The drinks at Armada compete with some of the good bars out here in Mumbai, the snacks at Red Bonnet are fair and certainly better than what I have tried in other amusement parks in the city. Certainly glad to see them heading to the right direction in terms of food and I look forward to many more childish adventures and some more masti ki bearish.
Ratings (Out of 5)
Food: 3.5 |Drinks : 3.5 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 4.0 | Overall: 4.0
Meal for two:Rs.1000| Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes |
Timings: 11.00 am till 9.00 pm
Address: 30/31, Sangdewadi, Khopoli-Pali Road, SH 92, Off Mumbai-Pune Express Way, Tal-Khalapur, Dist-Raigad, Khopoli, Maharashtra 410203, India
Tel: +91 22 4213 0405
