Life n' times in Pune and Hyderabad

Category: Personal and Misc. Life and Times.

Life and times in Pune and Hyderabad.

Places I have to check out in Pune.

1. Mainland China - Boat Club Rd.
2. Sheesha Cafe - At Koregaon Park (Read about it on a blog)
3. Jazz Garden - At Koregaon Park
4. Flags Restaurant - Near Inox
5. The Place - Near WestEnd
6. Ofcourse - Marz-o-rin, Pasteur, Kayani, and Cafe Naaz at Main Street.
7. 1000 Oaks. (Need company).

Let me write about 'Cafe Naaz ka samosa aur sauce' and maska-pao (bun-maska).

Cafe Naaz is a landmark in Pune. It is situated at the beginning of M.G. Road, opposite Aurora Towers. There were two cafes, one that used to sell veg/ and non-veg. (meat) samosas and the existing cafe that sells veg. samosas. One of the cafes was sold, and made way for Barista. This was, I guess, a couple of years ago.

The specialty of Cafe Naaz is its samosa.

When you tell the waiter chai-samosa, he brings six samosas, alongwith a bottle of sauce. You can't call it ketchup, it is sauce, a very sweet thin liquid. You eat what you want and pay for that. There are six samosas and if you eat only three, the waiter will take the other three back and you pay Rs. 15/- only @Rs. 5/- per samosa. Tea costs Rs. 5/- and Maska-pau (Bun-Maska, bun and butter) is available for Rs. 9/- (There is a family room on the first floor).

The tea costs Rs. 5/- (which is costly), and is nowhere near Hyderabad's Irani chai (wah). Read my post on Irani Chai.

Pune's cafes offer maska-pau (Bun-maska, bun and butter), which Hyderabad's cafes don't. Hyderabad's cafes have 'mirchi' (big green chillies), it is a 'bhajiya' (what do you call a Bhajiya in English?) and 'Osmania' biscuits, and ofcourse the chhota samosa and the alu samosa. Once you taste Irani chai, nothing can compare to it. For all those who've never been to Hyderabad, if you ever get a chance, don't miss sipping a cup of Irani Chai at one of the cafes. There are a lot of cafes in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Each area, almost every street has a cafe. I remember going to a cafe at Rd. No. 12, Banjara Hills, on my way to Nampally station, at 4 in the morning. I miss the Irani chai of Cafe Diamond Point at Bowenpally, Secunderabad. It serves one of the best tea made in Hyderabad. And talking about Hyderabad, go to Paradise for Biryani. Jahangir and Venu preferred the biryani of Bawarchi. They say it is the best in Hyderabad. I haven't been there, and also to Angethi on Banjara Hills, and Utsav at Secunderabad.

A visit to Hyderabad is incomplete without a cup of Irani chai, a plate of steaming Biryani, shopping for Chudiyaa (Bangles) and Moti (Pearls) near Charminar, eating ice-cream at Mozamjahi market, having sandwich at the 24 hours joint at the petrol pump near HPS, buying Karachi biscuits, gifting Bisticks from Almond House at Banjara Hills, shopping at Sultan Bazaar, visiting Golconda fort, dinner at Hotel Banjara Darbar near the Punjagutta signal - those giant tandoori rotis for Rs. 3/- only, and how can I forget zooming at 90 kmph on the KBR park road (LV Prasad road) :-).

Jannat: The advertising hoarding of Katrina Kaif on the Begumpet flyover and my favourite one opp. Chutney's, the one in pink top and jeans, wow, she looked gorgeous (I used to call that pic. Jannat, Paradise). A respite to look up at that heavenly beauty, after the traffic on Begumpet anytime after 6 until 9 in the evening. Jannat jaisa poster, Katrina Kaif ka.

Anwar had sent me a mail, the Begumpet flyover isn't the same. They've removed Katrina's poster.
I sometimes used to drop Anwar till Panjagutta, on my way back home from work. I used to tell him, Hyderabad mai traffic jam ho to koi badi baat nahin hai, agar traffic jam na ho, especially on Begumpet to koi problem hai. Hyderabad ke kya kisse sunaaye... :-)

I'd love to work in Hyderabad once again.
It is one of India's cleanest cities. Pune has a lot to learn from Hyderabad, especially in infrastructural development.

If 15% of Hyderabad's infrastructural development takes place in Pune, it has the possibility of a 50% increase in business, as Pune has the advantage of being near Bombay, a pleasant weather throughout the year, a student city feel, and a cosmopolitan outlook.

Pune needs better roads, streetlights that work, greenery on the roads (check the Cyberabad-Madhapur road - beautiful landscaping going towards Gachibowli), lighting during Diwali (check Tank Bund on Diwali, amazing), wider roads, roads without potholes, more traffic signals; and a Traffic Sense, which unfortunately will never prevail.

I like to write about cities.