Aundh

Since, I am very sceptical at ordering Chinese at new places, but was also bored eating the same Schezwan-Manchurian, decided to try something new.
The menu certainly did offer a lot of varities and option, Starters, Soups, Veg, Chicken, Lamb. ( I even saw Squid mentioned somewhere !) Many varities of Rice and Noodles. And not the regular Schezwan-Manchurian-Singapore-HongKong types. Did not feel like experiementing too much so ordered Orange Chicken with Broccoli (Rs. 150) and Thai Chicken Friend Rice(Rs. 120)and a couple of cold drinks.

The food arrived pretty much in time. The Orange chicken was plateful of glazed chicken pieces in orange sauce, and thankfully, more chicken than brocolli. It was a different dish than usual and I liked it. As expected, it was sweet and tangy to taste and you could see orange pulp in the gravy. Thai Fried Rice, on the other hand, was a bit disappointing. It was more like Fried Rice I have tasted everywhere, but less spicy. But, went well with Orange Chicken, once you added a bit of Schezwan Sauce and Chilli Vinegar.

In all, it was good experience, though I found some shredded lime peel in the chicken dish,which added to the aroma but tasted bitter. Hope, it was a part of the dish, but I dont know if we were suppose to eat it.!!

In all, a filling experience. The above was sufficient for 2 people. Next time, which I would visit definetly, I would like to try Nasi Goreng. The service was prompt. Of course, nothing would beat Mainland China, its way too ahead, but Imperial China, this is a reasonably good option, at a reasonable price, at a reasonable location, if you want to try something different than you usual chinese stuff.

Rohit
http://thepunefoodie.blogspot.com/

Parihar Chowk has bars on two of its corners. Chandrama is one of them. It has seating outside - which I think is better if the weather is fine; and an AC section upstairs. The AC section has good subdued lighting - but the effect is somewhat spoiled by the noisy waiters.
The joint is a bit expensive though - Rs. 100 for a beer (KF).

Make no mistake though - this is a seedy bar. (A dog loitered into the AC section and calmly went to sleep under the sofa where I was sitting. When I told this to a waiter, he said "Kuch nahi karega - kaanta nahi hai bilkul". Apparently, the dog is a regular.)

LAMINGTON AT SPICER
By
VIKRAM KARVE

In the evening I often go for a walk on Aundh Road from Bremen Chowk towards the railway line at Khadki. It’s one of the best places to walk in Pune, wide roads with plenty of greenery and foliage on both sides. And on my way back I treat myself to a Lamington at the Spicer College Bakery Shop. I delicately place the soft delicacy between my lips, press and squeeze a piece of the wonderful stuff on my tongue. I close my eyes in order to enhance the experience of supreme bliss as the Lamington melts in my mouth and the chocolate-coconut flavour and luscious syrupy sweetness permeates into me.

A Lamington is a delicious cube of sponge cake, dipped in melted chocolate and sugar and coated in desiccated coconut. They originated in Australia around 1898 in what later became the state of Queensland. Whilst the origin of the name for the Lamington cannot be accurately established, there are several theories.

Lamingtons are most likely named after Charles Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. However, the precise reasoning behind this is not known, and stories vary. According to one account, the dessert resembled the homburg hats favoured by Lord Lamington. Another tells of a banquet in Cloncurry during which the governor accidentally dropped a block of sponge cake into a dish of gravy, and then threw it over his shoulder, causing it to land in a bowl of desiccated coconut or peanut butter. A diner thought of replacing the gravy with chocolate and thus created the lamington as we know it today. Ironically, Lord Lamington was known to have hated the dessert that had been named in his honour, once referring to them as "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits". Another theory is that they were named after Lady Lamington, the wife of the Governor.

The Spicer College Bakery Lamington is my favourite – and can you imagine it costs just Eight Rupees [that’s six Lamingtons for a Dollar, for those who think in Dollars!]. The chocolate icing keeps the cake moist. The desiccated coconut protects it from drying out in the hot climate. And it’s quite a juicy generous lip-smacking treat!

The Spicer College Bakery serves a variety of healthy goodies like carrot cake, nut cake, doughnuts, samosas, soya patties, soya milk; but, for me, it’s always the yummy succulent Lamington!

VIKRAM KARVE
vikramkarve@sify.com

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

“Heritage Cuisine” - sounds good isn’t it?

You may presume that this pompous term refers to pretentious traditional high-brow cuisine which adorns the tables of the classes!

In my vocabulary “heritage cuisine” is high-falutin gobbledygook for simple staple down-to-earth local street-food relished by the masses. Like Vada Pav (Mumbai’s “Heritage Burger”), or Puneri Misal, or Kulcha Chole, Katchi Dabeli, Bhel, Kathi Kababs, Baida Roti, Malpua - the list is endless.

There is a delicious sweetmeat called “Lavang Lata” which I tasted for the first time and relished piping hot at Pehelwan’s at the end of Lanka near BHU in Varanasi in the seventies. A cool Lassi (in winter) or warm milk (in summer), both with dollops of rabdi added, topped up the gastronomic experience.

Later, in the eighties, I came across slightly different versions of Lavang Lata at various eateries, most notably Nathu at Bengali market in New Delhi. But these versions were nowhere close to Pehelwan’s Banarasi Lavang Lata.

Just imagine my surprise, when, during my walk last evening, I chanced upon a delectable Lavang Lata in an out-of-the-way unpretentious sweet shop called ‘Babumosai Bengali Sweets’ tucked away almost in obscurity, way off the beaten track, on Aundh Road on the way to Khadki in Pune.

Actually I was in search of Rasgullas. (Roshogollas, if you want it spelt that way). Having relocated from a ‘happening’ place like Churchgate in the heart of Mumbai to an obscure “back of the beyond” desolate place somewhere in the jungles on the banks of Mula river between Aundh and Sangvi, craving and wandering desperately in my search for ‘heritage food’, I hit the Aundh road past Spicer College towards Khadki, enjoying a refreshing walk between the expanse of the verdant Botanical Gardens and the foliage of Pune University, when in the first building I encountered on my left, I saw a nondescript signboard “Babumosai Bengali Sweets” (maybe the spelling ought to be ‘Babumoshai’) atop a deserted lackluster sweetshop.

There was no one in the shop and the lifeless atmosphere and uninspiring display almost put me off. But having come so far, I decided to give it a try and looked at the sweets on display in trays behind a glass counter - Rasgullas, Sandesh, Rajbhog, Gulab Jamuns, Malai Sandwiches - the ubiquitous ‘Bengali Sweets’; and suddenly a man came out carrying a tray of piping hot Lavang Latas, the very sight of which made my mouth water so much that I ordered one immediately.

I walked outside the shop, stood in the cool evening air, took a small bite of the Lavang Lata, rolled the syrupy hot piece on my eager salivated tongue and closed my eyes in order to enhance my gustatory experience.

I pressed the Lavang Lata upwards with my tongue against the palate, the roof of my mouth, and slowly it disintegrated releasing its heavenly flavour of nutmeg and cardamom. That’s the way you should enjoy Bengali sweetmeats - never bite, swallow and devour in a hurry. Don’t use your teeth; slowly, very slowly, just roll on your tongue and lightly press on the roof of your mouth till the delicacy melts releasing its luxurious flavour and divine fragrance into your gustatory and olfactory systems. And remember, keep your eyes closed, shut yourself to the outside world, focus on your tongue, internalize the experience and transcend to a state of delightful ecstasy, till you feel you are in seventh heaven. That’s the art of eating.

The Lavang Lata is perfect. Not sickly sweet, but tantalizingly tasty, with the subtle essence of its ingredients and seasoning coming through. The rabri and khoya, the raisins and dry fruits, the crispy sweet crust, the spices and most importantly, the exotic fortifying and stimulating taste of clove. It’s sheer bliss. The invigorating taste lingers on my tongue for a long long time , as if for eternity.

Just writing this is making my mouth water. And I am rushing to “Babumosai” once more - this time to sample the Rasgullas, maybe the Sandesh - and I’ll tell you all about it right here.

Dear fellow Foodie - do let me know places where I can relish Lavang Lata.

VIKRAM KARVE
Pune

vikramkarve@sify.com

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

Dabba Gosht! If you’ve tasted it you know it’s unmatched, unparalleled – the ultimate amongst mutton dishes in Indian Cuisine.

Dabba means ‘tin’ and Gosht means ‘meat’ – does this imply that Dabba Gosht is mutton cooked in a tin? I don’t know. Wait a minute. Dabba, pronounced differently, also means ‘press’. I’ve heard a theory, maybe apocryphal, that the dish is called Dabba Gosht because the boneless meat pieces are pressed against a special stone to enable the marinade and masalas to permeate thoroughly and make the boneless mutton pieces truly delicious, succulent and melt-in-the-mouth.

I love Dabba Gosht. It’s a rare dish and only very few select eateries feature it on their menu. I’ve savored it in Mumbai, at Delhi Darbar and Bagdadi (it’s a special dish available only once a week, on Sundays, I think), and I’ve heard it’s available at Noorani and George and maybe a couple of select places in Mumbai.

But I never imagined I would be able to relish a fantastic Dabba Gosht (the best I’ve tasted) in Pune, of all places, and that too not at the most likely suspects like Good Luck at Deccan, and the expected eateries in Camp, but at Sadanand (no, not the vegetarian eatery near Crawford Market), Sadanand Resorts, to be precise, located opposite Balewadi, at the junction of Baner Road and Katraj Bypass, and was pleasantly surprised to find Dabba Gosht listed on the Menu.

I ordered this rare dish with a bit of trepidation, but let me tell you the Dabba Gosht was superb – generous boneless mutton pieces, soft, juicy, succulent, releasing scrumptious flavor as they melted in my mouth and the yummy, delectable luxuriously thick white gravy made rich, wholesome and nutritious by the sumptuous combination of ingredients like cashew (kaju) paste, fresh cream and eggs. With hot roomali roti it was a rare and magnificent eating experience which makes my mouth water even as I write this now. Dabba Gosht and Roomali Roti – a supreme feast fit for the king of kings!

Wherever you are, search for Dabba Gosht, and then relish it to your heart’s content. And don’t forget to tell me about it!

VIKRAM KARVE
Pune

vikramkarve@sify.com

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com