Idli anyone?

Yesterday was another day of gastronomic exploration for me.

My friends took me to a place called Simply Idlicious in Aundh. This is another small but tasty place, where you get good authentic ethnic food for cheap. Idlis, dosas, set dosas, curd-rice were the more mainstream south Indian dishes that you can get there. Scratch beneath the surface and there is a good range. Even the coffee tasted like authentic south Indian ‘kaapi’. Though I did not like the idli (but my friends swear by it, calling even Vaishali’s idlis useless in comparison), the rest of the dishes were yummy. Do give it a try if you are in the neighbourhood.

It is located behind the Cafe Coffee Day in Aundh, the one opposite Shivsagar.

Bong food next

After the homesick Biharis, it’s the turn of Bengalis.

Just behind the Sweet Chariot off Ferguson College Road is a small quaint eatery called Bay of Bengal. It is not an airconditioned fancy place, but it serves amazing Bengali food, right from veg shukto to Ilish maachh preparations. And it is not too expensive either — I had actually thought I could order the entire menu and still not overshoot my daily budget!

And the ambience is quite like a small Calcutta joint.

Litti chokha!

Are you a Bihari in Pune who is feeling homesick? Or are you a non-Bihari who wonders what delicacies Biharis have to flaunt? If either is the case the place to go is Anandnagar on Paud Road, Kothrud.

Over here in a shop called Litti Chokha you get awesome litti chokha. I just finished a plate and a half myself!

Here’s a picture to show you what it looks like:

8 days to go!

The biggest ever Commonwealth Youth Games is coming to Pune, in another 8 days.

Have you booked tickets yet?

And have you checked out the merchandise?

Oh, and don't forget to say hi to and become a fan of Jigrr on facebook.

You could also see Elephant's page about the games' design.

Questions - Got Any Answers?

Number one in my question list right now is

Why do rickshaw-wallahs in Pune always not find any customer on the way back from where you want them to take you? Why do they always want a 10rupee or 20rupee or half-return extra on the meter? Why do they always begin with a flat rate instead of turning the meter on? Why don't the authorities increase the meter rate if the current rate is not feasible for the survival of the poor rickshaw-wallahs?

I'm sure the other things happen in almost all cities in India, but do all rickshaw-wallahs in all cities of India ask for a half-return or a markup on the meter on the pretext of "I won't get a passenger on the way back" at 11 in the morning?