Pune..

brings to me a flood of fond food memories, first. But I have to mention (atleast in passing ;) ) that the friends & tons of activities we managed to indulge with a generous sprinkling of travel, are cherished too. Of course, with me doing the talking..rather..writing, how can food not take a priority. Here are my top picks from Pune through my years there. Each time I go back, I manage to cover at least two on my favorite list.

• Arthur's Theme, Malaka Spice and German Bakery
  
• Marz-o-Rin - Their Zoom Sauce & Mayo are simply to die for with an unmatchable taste.
• Zamu's were good at some point, I don't know now
• Vaishali - even the water here is special for me :), and Vadeshwar in more recent times
  
• Manmeet - their chaats are tops, hygiene...who cares
• Dabeli wala outside Fergusson main gate
• IMDR canteen (in the Fergusson College campus) - Double Special chai and street style Chinese food
• Batata Vada wala near the rear gates of the college campus
  
• More Batata Vada walas in various parts of town
• La Pizzeria - I guess they are now owner of a Little Italy franchise, but it was a favorite haunt for the family about...a decade back(wow ! time does fly)
• Then there is/was a little hole in the wall shop near an old old house on Fergusson College road that sold the most awesome samosas & patties. I need to find out if they still are around !
  
• The rolls at Olympia - largely non-vegetarian but the vegetarian is fine, pretty nice
• Sujata Mastanis - they serve superb milkshakes with every possible combination of fruits & dry fruit. You need to go on an empty stomach, have loads of love for all things fruity.
• The multiple teashops - Amrutatulyas near Laxmi Road and another one memorable for me was opposite college
• Garden Court atop a little hill in Chandni Chowk for the food and scenery on a rainy day
• Fried ice cream - that we tried the first time ever in Panchshil
  
• More recently I found East Street Cafe, Flags to be nice
• Sigree, Bombay Brasserie on Dhole Patil Road
• Thai & other asian food in Magnolia in Aundh, my backyard
  
• Thousand Oaks, Sarjaa, Smokin' Joes from long ago
• Nandu's parathas
• Ramakrishna next to our school
  
• Kayani's biscuits & cake are a must buy every visit
• Shreyas, Shabri(unsure about how they spell it) and Mayur for their thaalis
• Dorabjees for their assortment of delicious goodies
• For sabudana khichdi it was Appa's near Deccan Gymkhana (I owe my pals for taking me here). For more on Appa, check out http://www.punelifestyle.com/appa_canteen.htm
• Shiv Sagar, Kamat, 4 Seasons on the Aurora Towers top floor, Mirchi Kola at some point though briefly, were other haunts.
• I remember all the little bakeries - Copper Chocs for their rum balls, Monginis for their savories, Baker's Basket for their cake
• Budhani wafers (exclusively for their potato chips)
  
• Then the numerous fancier places that we started frequenting later with great food but with no significant firsts or any memories attached.
  

I know I could go on & on with this list endlessly.

Pune for me goes beyond this list. Its about the culture, the architecture, its fantastic people and so much more. To me Pune epitomizes a lifelong celebration of life and a city of simple delights that anyone can cherish.

I so badly want a bite of Pune...NOW!