THAT TASTY SENSATION NEVER FADES and other Pune, India Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: MARZ - O - RIN

Aah, the more things change... Marz - o - Rin is indelibly linked to my childhood.... escaping away from school in the afternoons to grab a cold coffee, spending endless lazy early evenings savouring every bite of their chicken and chutney sandwiches, furtive dates when you were too young enough to actually be paying more attention to the girl than your food!

This Parsi restaurant is a legend unto itself in Poona. Tucked warmly alongside M.G. Road, with a constant flow of traffic and people gracing its front porch. Home to some of the tastiest fast food in town. Not of the greasy, McDonaldized variety mind you, but stuff that seems as though it was prepared with much love and thought at home.

On returning to Marz - o - Rin this time around, I thanked God that it hadn't lost any of its old world charm and flavour. If anything, the cozy little balcony upstairs only seemed to have added oodles of atmosphere to the 'ol maiden. To visit Poona and not come calling at Marz - o - Rin, would be pure sacrilege.

Favorite Dish: Chutney Sandwiches & Chicken Rolls - soft bread, topped just right with a chili-sweet paste (in the case of the former) and a lovely helping of mayo-laden chicken goodness (with the latter).

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Bang on M.G. Road!

Restaurant Name: THE GERMAN BAKERY

What is it about food and memories, huh? Or is it just me? :) I've got the most lovely flashbacks of this place too... downing masala chai by the bucketloads while discussing urgently existential issues like love, hope... and trips to Goa. Making friends with random travellers just passing through on their way to Hotel Nirvana. Making promises to meet up years hence, and forgetting them in the very next instance of cigarette smoke...

The German Bakery is no more than a cozy battered wooden shack, perched precariously on the side of the road where Koregaon Park begins. But within its wooden benches and open-aired exits, lies enough spirit to keep you enraptured for days on end. With cameo appearances by an unmatched band of characters... hippies carving their trail through forever, filmmakers with aspirations towards Bergman, refugees from the Osho Ashrama nearby, or just the lone traveller who just can't get enough of his/ her masala chai :-)

Favorite Dish: The Masala Chai is so good, it hurts. Strong, sweet and potent. Best accompanied by the gentle patter of rain outside.

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Theme: German/Austrian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Where Koregaon Park begins.

Restaurant Name: DORABJEE'S

Soft, succulent pieces of mutton explode into a veritable bouquét of flavours... a hint of saffron, the slightest presence of cardamom. As the flowing gravy settles itself nice and thick into the soft grains of rice, you're well on the road to culinary Nirvana. Make no mistake about it - the perfect biryani is a work of art unto itself - and Dorabjee's are artisans of the purest, highest calibre.

This tiny, rundown little Iranian restaurant is hallowed ground in Poona's cultural mindset. For well over a century (!), Dorabjee's has been preparing the tastiest helpings of chicken and mutton biryani north of Hyderabad. There's so much character to the place - speckled/ cracked walls, ancient tables and chairs - that you almost expect to be greeted by a waiter doused in sepia. Instead, what you receive is a no-frills service attitude - quick and simple. Almost as though everyone wants to cut to the chase, and get to the biryani asap!

You'll get here after a manic, twisting rickshaw ride through the little by-lanes of Central Street which adjoin MG Road. And such an adventure seems only appropriate, given the treat that lies in store at journey's end :)


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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: MAHA NAAZ CAFÉ

Here's what makes a legend: Character, feistiness, roughness around the edges... and that fierce sense of individuality. In other words, everything you're not likely to find at Mcdonald's. Maha Naaz may have closed down now, after years upon years of doling out stellar culinary service - but in the hearts of thousands of rickshawallahs, students, residents, tourists and down-on-their-luck ruffians who took shelter here amidst sudden pangs of hunger,
it will always hold a special place.

This grubby Iranian joint was home to the most liveliest of discussions, amidst orders shouted across from all directions. Crisp tiny samosas, steaming hot glasses of chai, and other dirt-cheap stuff that was insanely delicious all made their way to you, a second after being ordered. All the while, traffic would be buzzing crazy all around you, the world apparently crashing down upon Main Street's fabled opening turn.

They might have folded up the last chair on this place. But there's no dusting years of memories under the carpet. Khuda Haafiz, Mahanaaz.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter

Restaurant Name: THE COFFEE HOUSE

Spicy, saucy, saffron-tinged food... whipped up in a jiffy. The Coffee House is famed for its authentic take on South Indian food, and that's no mean achievement - seeing as how food from that region varies wildly from the ubiquitous paper masala dosa to perennial favourites like the wada sambar and uthappa. The accent is on a redolent, spice-laden culinary experience that's as much about aroma as it is about taste.

Situated in a happily bustling part of the city, The Coffee House is never found wanting for patrons. The place has enjoyed a facelift or two over the years, but its soul has remained pretty much intact. A happy, unfussy sorta' vibe that extends upto a second level as well, where you can partake of more 'serious' dining of the Chinese and Continental variety. Done with a most delicious meal, don't forget to stop off for some ice-cream at the parlour set up just outside :)

Favorite Dish: Dosas! Crisp on the fringes, and softer towards the center. Accompanied by bowls of hot sambhar, and a heavenly white coconut chutney. Lip-smackingly unforgettable!

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Theme: Indian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Directions: Moledina Road, on the way to Main Street.

Restaurant Name: GEORGE

Yet another Iranian restaurant tip from Siddharth. Hey, go easy on me now. The guy just likes his biryanis, it's simply an Indian thing :) George for years, had a dilapidated, crumbling dememanour to its interiors... accentuated by furniture from around 35 BC, and waiters from around the same time as well ;-) Then they went and spruced it all up, slapping on some paint and prettying it beyond recognition. No guesses for which version I preferred.

While some of that old, evocative character might have disappeared from George, its knack for a deliciously divine biryani, thankfully has not. Opt for the mutton variety, and settle into a long afternoon of chatter, coffee and a good book.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: At the corner of East & Main Street.

Restaurant Name: THE SHISHA CAFÉ

Does that opening claim smack of hyperbole? Well, perhaps. But then consider this, won't you... a cozy, secluded log cabin with secret ambitions towards becoming a treehouse. Surrounded by lush green foliage, which sometimes seeps in charmingly inside the café as well. Welcoming interiors, with quaint tables and chairs scatterd about for those unlucky enough not to nab one of the divans. The divans in question being sprawling, comfy affairs... where you could idly lay back and talk the night away.
The best shisha place in the whole wide world
doesn't seem so tall a title now, does it :)

Run by a kindly old Iranian gentleman/ character by the name of Mr. Mehdi, the Shisha Café gives you that surreal feeling of deja vu, even if you've chanced upon it for the first time. Everything seems calm and just right, right down to the all important shisha itself. Aromatic old devils these are, with the apple and mint flavours taking top honours.

But the atmosphere takes precedence over all else... a lilting, hypnotic feeling.... where you find yourself drifting off in the gentlest haze of shisha smoke.

Favorite Dish: The Iranians know their kebabs, so don't miss the platter!

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Theme: Middle Eastern
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Directions: At ABC Farms, in Koregaon Park.