Published at Rediff.com/getahead on 18 October 2007:
Pune City can well be considered a foodies’ paradise. Gastronomic offerings range from top-of-the-line cuisine to street fare and everything in between, both desi and videsi, vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
A visit to Pune simply must include a typical Maharashtrian meal. Food is always served in a ‘thali’ — restaurants have a preset menu that is changed every week. A thali usually includes two vegetables, a dal, salad, rotis, rice, papad and vadas. Some offer more preparations of each type along with a range of steamed or fried farsans. Food is usually eaten by hand (unless you insist on a spoon) and most eateries have special menus on festivals or special occasions, which are advertised in local newspapers.
My tip — make sure to skip breakfast to do full justice at a Maharashtrian restaurant, even if your dietician advises against it! On the positive side, lunch is available from 11:30 am onwards, so your stomach fire need not burn too long!
I decided to shut my kitchen for the day and check out what some of the popular vegetarian eateries have to offer.
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