F C Road

There is no menu card, just the brightly shining thalis with vaatis lined up. And they start as soon as you are seated, clock work precision.
Here is what we got in our thalis, not in any particular they were served :

Sweet Gujrati Kadhi,
Typical Toor dal
Dahi Aloo
Chawli (Rajma/Lobia - similar to kidney beans)
Koshimbir(sweet mixed raita - tomatoes, onions, beetroot etc)
Pitle Bhaji - a spicy dish made of gram flour ,
Baigan Bharta
Chilli Pakora and some Dal vadis
Curd
2 types of chapatties - wheat and bhakri
2 types of rice - plain and pulao
Papad
2 pickles and 2 chutnies

I am sure the main dishes will vary with the day, but more or less, basic items would remain the same.

Decided to bite into chilli pakora and dal vadis first. soft and spicy pakora and crunchy vadis. ok, time to take the plunge. Bhakri with chawli and kadhi. delecious combination of sweet and spicy. Tried Pitale Bhaji next, i have never tasted this before. Spicy. Baigan bharta, spicy. Ok, time out. give it a rest. Try toor dal, pretty ok, Dahi Aloo, ok. chutnies, tangy and spicy. koshimbir- sweet.Alright, time to restart..yes..spicy..but the amazing thing is, I cannot stop myself. It doesn't seem if we are eating at a restaurant. No added colour, no artificial presentation. Just plain simple delecious food. I almost half filled up just while sampling the different combination of served dishes. The kadhi gets over faster than anyother item, since i have to take a spoonful after every bite.

The servers materialize again, for the next round. Take some more bhakris and kadhi, which are way too good to describe. Then, the rice and pulao appear.Pualo and rice, served with spoonful of ghee ( Of course, you can refuse the ghee..!!), are good to taste, but thats about all I can do. Taste, not eat. Stuffed till the throat. Rising up and leaving the table would require help. Lossen the belt a notch or two.

I do not have a typical experience of home cooked maharashtrian food. But, I am sure, it would not be any different than this one. For a simple reason - the simplicity of the food itself which lends it the authenticity. My maharashtrians friends vouch for the same. I would go by their words as well.

The service is fast, ambience well lit, neat, clean and hygeinic. So, for a typical home cooked maharashtrian experience, different than the regular punjabi paneer/mix veg/kofta/kabab/tandoori roti routine, try Shabree. You won't come back disappointed, and definetly not hungry. Better still, skip the breakfast/lunch, if you planning to go for lunch/dinner. You will do more justice to the Thali !!.

Wallet dent : Costs you Rs 100 per Thali. May be less for the non-A/c dining.

Rohit
http://thepunefoodie.blogspot.com/

While hunting for inexpensive bars in Pune, a friend and me stumbled into this place. It is in the basement behind Savera restuarant on FC Road.

Its a standard quarter bar with experienced waiters (we all know what that means). Don't get experimental with the food. Stick to the basic "chakna" and some starter chicken dish and you should be OK.

There is a small TV in the corner, so its a good place to be if there's an Indian cricket match on.

Step Inn is a inexpensive quarter bar on F. C. Road below Apache Pub.

It is air conditioned and mostly frequented by office public.

Apache is probably the only place in India where a chicken sandwich is cheaper than a veg sandwich and for good reason. It is co-owned by Kingfisher and Venky's. Therefore you get beer as well as food quite cheap there.

Their beer cocktail pitchers are unique. They are beer with a whole lot of other hard liqour spirits mixed into them. Else beer and hard liqour by the peg is pretty cheap by Pub rates.

They start playing rock only around 9PM so going there earlier is a really bad idea.

The crowd is usually a very young college crowd.