Adhi Potoba

Before pizza became a mainstream food in Pune, there were only a handful of places that made pizza. The place that was most famous for it's pizza in the pre-chain restaurant era was Supreme Pizza opposite Sambhaji Park on J.M. Road. Supreme's pizza was pretty much a slightly thicker version of Masala Papad that could scrape the roof of your mouth raw. The sauce was slightly modified Kissan ketchup and the cheese was Amul. For those of you who might not know, Amul is to cheese what Tofurkey is to Thanksgiving. The pizza was baked by arranging it in a small tawa like utensil and then shoved into this contraption that was pretty much like a Weber Grill, but not quite. But for whatever reason the Supreme pizza was delicious and one couldn't find parking for blocks around the small shack. I think Supreme is still around, but since the arrival of Pizza Hut, Domino's and some other Indian Pizza chains, the small family owned Supreme has lost the 'Supremacy'. Now, they ...

If there's any milkshake that's capable of bringing all your boys to the yard, it's probably the Good Night. Unfortunately, it will also put them to sleep as soon as they arrive at said yard. One of my favourite restaurants in Pune that I must've mentioned a million times here is Darshan. The juice and milkshake menu at Darshan went filled an entire section of the menu. The king of the shakes however was the Good Night. A dieters nightmare, this milkshake was so heavy that it would put you in a food coma within the hour. Hence the name. It was a mixture of whole milk, cream, chickoo, figs, dried fruit and nuts. Served in a tall beer mug and topped with homemade ice-cream and some shopped nuts for good measure. My other favourite part about the Darshan menu was a disclaimer on the first page which I am sure annoyed the waiters a lot. It simple stated "The person serving you is a needy student. Do not lower his morale by offering him a tip. Calling him brother or ...

In the last 20 years, my family has had more weddings at Hotel Shreeyas than I care to remember. Coz' when one thinks of a nice romantic wedding, clearly the first thing that comes to mind is Shreeyas. My first memories of Shreeyas were going to have Thali there. 6 Rupees for a plateful of 12 odd items, 9 of which you'd would never touch. The unenthusiastic waiters would occasionally visit you to replenish your plates with food that could be described as tolerable at best. Still, Shreeyas never kept running out of loyal customers. My father was one of them. He took us there every so often and I would keep praying that they'd have the two things I could push down my gullet. Actually, the two things I did like at Shreeyas were the yellow potato bhaji and one delicious vegetable dish in a coconut sauce. I think it was Goan vegetable curry with a 'brahmini' twist. And I loved it. It made the trip to Shreeyas bearable. Ingredients 4 cups assorted vegetables chopped. (Bro...

After I passed out of Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya in 96 and my visits to Bajirao Rd were limited to the telephone exchange. There are a number of things I miss about my old college neighbourhood. Places like Saras Baug, Hindustan Bakery and most of all Wadeshwar. On Bajirao Road right opposite the telephone exchange there is a small place called that sells the most delicious idlis you'll ever eat. You wouldn't come across it unless you knew of it as the actual place is on the first floor, almost 10 metres above the footpath. 90% of Wadeshwar's business comes from Idli-Sambar. Two hot idlis in a bowl with a generous helping of Sambar that came out of a tap. And back then it was all at a very reasonable price or 2 Rupees making it a highly sought after destination for cheap bastards like yours truly. It was also a great place to sketch as some really interesting, senior gentry from the ‘old city’ frequented the place. Really the sketching wasn't as interesting as watchi...

I grew up on Prabhat Road and our park was Kamla Nehru Park or KNP, as the college kids that order their chai "one by two" called it. My fondest memories bhel are outside the large iron gate of KNP. Bhola bhel was our "bhelwala". No real reason, that's just the guy my mother would take us to. A balding man on the wrong side of fifty with a pushcart and a permanent burnt umber complexion from making bhel under the scorching Indian sun. His pushcart had a hand painted board that advertised Bhola Bhel next to an anatomically questionable picture of Shankar . The glass containers that contained the papri and rice puffs were adorned with fading pictures of Bollywood stars whose star had faded decades ago. He cut onion really fine with a speed that would put the finest Waring chopper to shame. With a thick handle bar mustache and a cheery disposition he never failed to make serious small talk, even with his youngest customers. And for 70 Paise (in 1978) he would ...

My girlfriend once asked me what we were having for dinner that night. "Baked Beans on Toast" I replied. I swear she threw up a little in her mouth. Naturally, she thought I was referring to the British version which, unless you're from there, doesn't sound that tempting. I, however, was referring to the Indian version. Like any other food, we just took it, spiced it up and voila — Baked Beans on toast, Indian style. I had my first Baked Beans on Toast at Darshan on Prabhat Rd which is pretty much a pizza on sliced bread with spicy bean paste instead of marinara sauce and finely chopped toppings. It's delicious! Ingredients 4 slices Sourdough Bread 1 can Black Beans drained 1 cup Green Gorbanzo beans (optional) 1 Capsicum (Green Bell Pepper) finely chopped 1 Onion finely chopped 1 Tomato finely chopped 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded 1/2 cup Cilantro 4 tsp Green Chutney 2 tbsp Olive Oil 1/2 tsp Adobo All Purpose Seasoning Method Heat olive oil in a wok and saute gor...

In Pune, XI Std is pretty much a year of rest after the grueling SSC exams. As a fresh college student who could borrow my brother's M80 (if anyone remembers those) when he didn't need it I would always visit the Pune University fountain. It was a great hangout for guys my age as we could park our vehicles and to watch the St. Joseph's girls. Apparently, that was an extremely popular pastime. The University fountain (for those old enough to remember it) was the place to hangout for some cheap eats and fresh air. It was also a great place for love birds returning from their rendezvous behind the tall grass patches at Pashan Lake to stop for a quick bite. The mist from the 3 story tall fountain kept the area cool and fresh and the many stalls provided the good, cheap eats to good, cheap kids. Sweet corn soup one by two, Dosa, Bhurjee Pao, the mysterious blue van that provided hot vadas and parathas. Sadly, the University fountain was demolished by an over-zealous and most ...