CASA LOLO - Kamal Nehru park

Street food has always been popular, no matter what part of the world the cuisine is from. The taste of these quick-moving items is unbeatable and cannot be recreated in lavish kitchens. In Pune too, street food from across the world is available in different parts of the city. This week I decided to take a look at Casa Lolo, which specialises in Lebanese street food. As Haka noodles are to Chinese cuisine, shawarma is to Lebanese. I have always loved this vertical barbecue, for the way the spit whirls the meat around non-stop. The grilling apparatus itself is a nice display; it’s fresh and gives the feeling of (relatively nutritious) fast food and the flavours that waft through the air with the smoke, immediately ignite hunger. There’s not too much to choose from the menu. Your options are basically the Shawarma Roll, Falafel, Grilled Arabic Chicken (similar to the tandoori chicken but marinated with different ingredients) and Hummus Plate. Casa Lolo also serves pizzas which are made made home-style, but it has a thick, toasted base. Maybe the reason behind this is the double cooking that the base undergoes in a makeshift electric tandoor. Anyway, the place is best visited for its shawarma, hummus and pita breads. The taste of the meat here is mild, with the flavour of onion and tomatoes. It also tends to cool pretty fast, making it a bit chewy. The day I visited, the machine was not revolving properly, which resulted in the same meat being cooked at different temperatures. This also holds for the pita breads, as they are held in front of the fire merely for few seconds and tend to become hard soon after they are placed on the table. The base of lettuce or cucumbers or cabbage (the way other joints make the shwarma) was missing. This is substituted with pickled beetroot and carrots. If there’s any vegetable you’re used to in your shawarma that this place doesn’t serve, don’t worry — the hummus and garlic mayo fills up all gaps. Falafel here is well flavoured with coriander and garlic along with raw chickpeas which are deep fried. And the hummus (which is made from chickpeas blended well along with tahini paste), I felt was lacking olive oil and tinge of lemon. Casa Lolo is a good place to grab a wholesome middle-eastern experience at any time of the day. Not at all heavy on the pocket (average price is Rs 60 for a meal for one) it is definitely a fulfilling experience. The best part of this street food is that you don’t have to rub shoulders with the crowd while eating — you can sit back and savour it!

CASA LOLO

Off Bhandarkar Road

Opp Kamala Nehru Park

Also at Aundh DP Road and

off NIBM Road

BY THE WAY - FC road

Fergusson College Road is one of my favourite streets in the city. The fact that several new places keep opening here, just adds to the attraction. By The Way, which has recently opened up, manages to steal a few glances. This could be because of its bright white exterior, or then perhaps it’s the name. It looks like it’s an old British establishment, what with waiters that accessorise with suspenders and a typical flat cap. The morning menu goes very well with this theme. They serve omlettes, waffles and pancakes, but after noontime, they have a desi twist going for them. The attire of the waiters remains the same but not the menu. The lunch and dinner menu has a little bit of everything including Thai, continental, Oriental food, pastas and Indian cuisine. I visited in the evening and decided to try their continental menu. The Veg Ceasar Salad (Rs 130) and Italian Bruschetta (Rs 90) were the first on my list. Surprisingly, what I received didn’t quite fit the description mentioned in the menu. That was followed by an exhaustive series of events that included checking, re-checking, apologising and replacing the dish. Out of all the choices I had, I decided only to inform the manager about the absence of romaine lettuce from the Ceasar salad and that the bread of bruschetta had not been grilled (as was promised in the menu). But it was the Indian food that brought back my joy of dining here. The Cheese Murg Tikka (Rs 140) stuck to its description, while the Paneer Makhani (Rs 150) and the naan were delectable. The naan is unbelievably soft right until the last bite and the makhani gravy was doused with heavy cream, khoya and butter. By The Way also serves an Arabi Chicken Biryani (Rs 170), which is according to them is supposed to be the original biryani. The description read layered biryani but at the moment of truth I found it to be a mixed pulao variation of the biryani. However, the taste did hold up—with a sweetish tinge and generous sprinkling of slivered almonds. For dessert it was the Chocolate Bomb (Rs 150) that I decided to try. Melted chocolate inside a spongy cup cake, I wondered about the taste of chocolate sauce for a bit, but then found that it did go very well with ice cream.

11991A, F.C. Road,

Pune-4. 020-25531511

BIGHDEY NAWAB - DP road

When Quick Service Restaurants or QSRs started making their presence felt in India around the end of the last millennium, no one could have imagined how rapidly the phenomenon would spread. Western cuisine is always associated with QSRs and in the last decade, most international brands have established themselves in this field. So whether it is coffee, burgers, pizzas or sizzlers the average Indian has ample options and destinations to choose from. Bighdey Nawab on the other hand is probably an unusual entrant into this category, as an intrinsically Indian option that serves rich, creamy, nawabi cuisine in a highly stylish manner. This place I refer to in the category of QSRs, since it is evident from their interiors, menu card and exterior visibility. It has a takeaway option, delivery services as well as a dining area. There are combo meals which are very reasonably priced available here too. Shorbas, starters, saalan (referred to as a main course), biryanis, kathi rolls and dessert occupy the rest of the menu. I was quite surprised to see a huge variety being dished out from the small, yet well-planned kitchen, visible through a glass window. The menu is as good as a fine dining restaurant, while the kebabs, be it Kakori Kebab, Dahi ke Kebab or Nizami Fish Tikka, had an awesome taste and preparation. The Tomato Shorba, Paneer Kundan Qaliya and Murgh Kurchan were other equally good options. Another thing that definitely deserves a mention is the presence of khoya in the gravies they prepare. One may find the gravies served here similar to any other place, but the difference lies in the quality and the quantity of khoya being used. Khoya was used extensively in Lucknowi cuisine to augment its richness and is in recent times best used to thicken the gravy. The gravies you may savour here have no excessive masala in them, nor do you feel the presence of too much khoya. The ingredients are used aptly and cooked delicately too. The perfectly balanced gravies accompanied by a moist Subz Biryani make an excellent combination. Their Shahi Tukda and Phirni is greattoo! The prices are reasonable (the abovementioned preparations suffice for 4 people for Rs 1200). Apart from the dining, there are small combos for 'chotey nawabs' too. Daawat-e-lunch is a set meal for the executive clientele. So while this Nawab may not really be ‘Bighdey’, he sure does serve up some glorious cuisine from the past!

10, Dhole Patil Road,

Shop no. 7, Near Nalini

Co-operative Hou. Soc.

Opposite Kapila,

020-26058655/ 56, 9673273448

SIIIP- Prabhat Road

Pronounced ‘Seeeeep’ with 3 I’s, this is a hatke bar among many in the city. The coffee fever seems to mellow down as, this season demands fruits first. Firstly, the concept of juice started years ago, with senior citizens stopped to sip on unheard of ‘health juices outside parks early in the morning. Now, juices have become a ‘healthy’ trend and have found a place in small eateries with vibrant decor. Juice bars are slowly making their presence felt in the city, almost par with the many cafés. Allergic to hot beverages, Siiip is not only a juice bar, but a salad bar too. This makes it a new concept. However, it doesn’t have an option of helping oneself to a salad mix one would like, as done in bigger hotels, where we can make our own salads. Maybe, it’s in a testing phase as it wants to judge the mindset of the customers and how the themeis welcomed. That’s why included in the menu is this unique saviour, which safe bet to give them definite business — the grilled sandwiches! Then there are freshly squeezed juices with no addition of sugar, power boosters, shakes and freshly p u l p e d smoothies. Everything here is fresh. No pre-pulped bottles or squashes. You can see this as the kitchen is across the counter and almost fully visible. There are interesting combinations such as carrot and orange salad, walnut and fruit pasta salad, banana and jam sandwich, hot apple and cinnamon sandwich and mixed fruit grilled sandwich. The seating is low, compact but comfortable. The infusion of vibrant lighting and dark black upholstery gives the place a classy look. Finally, the critic’s verdict — the salads are the best. Among them, the crunchy sprouts and Caesar Salad is filling. Apart from the moist croutons (on top of the Caesar Salad) nothing was wrong. There is a good variety in the types of sandwiches, but as this is a salad bar, expect lettuce in every sandwich. Again, the desserts have fresh fruits accompanied bycream or ice-creams.Average prices for the health boosters which include aloe vera, tulsi, bitter/bottle gourd, is Rs 30, while the opther items are priced between Rs 60 and Rs 110. So, next time you think of having some salad, juice or fruits, try taking a siiip of this!

SIIIP

Ghodke Plaza

Near Prabhat Police Chowki

Off Prabhat road