The Sirona Hotel

Stroll down Main Street

by ismailb

Well MG rd really has been the center of activity in town for the best part of the last 50 years . Start from royal bakery way up on the south side and stroll along . ( btw his butter biscuits are just to amazing , only available 10am - 2 pm ) . You will then come down to a junction . Try the fresh flavoured cheese at ABC farms . Head on to the next junction, on the left you come across a small joint , head in and try the lassi ( sweet buttermilk ) wihich is actually served in beer bottles ! Across the road in priya try the scrumptuos Sabu dana vade with yogurt , or his medu vade soaked in sambar ( ~ 2$ ) . Head on the opp side you find city bakery . Hes got his own versions of butter biscuit , coconut makrooms ( really good ) . Also try his brazil nut biscuits !!! now head further down on the left side until you reach Bikaner Sev Bandar . This guy has the most amazing bengali sweets around !! Try the cham chams , ras gulas and ras malais . Walk into one of the adjoining lanes ( dont forget to come back the way you went in as it gets pretty confusing ! ) for an open market . Youll get all sorts of herbal medicne , hardware etc . Try the persian bakery ( ask some one ) cause he has nice cheese biscuits , kaju biscuits and fresh breads . On reaching the inner lane try the fresh Pomogranate juice from one of the road side vendors. If you head any further you will reach Shivaji Market ( and thats a completely different ball game although very inetersting) . Moving along ont he right side just before a very small junction is a foriegn food seller (selling every thing from oreos to pasta ) . He should be visible from the right amongst a bunch of leather goods shops . On the right side you find Atlantic general stores , the largest supermarket around . Head over to the other side ( for women sp. ) a nice place to buy authentic indian clothes at a reasonable price !! .

End of Part 1

Pune

by ismailb

"From Oxford o East to F1"

pune a small town some 20-30 years ago is becoming more like its sister - mumbai every day . I remember going to pune every year for summer holiday s while in school , going cycling up to kondwa and back and yet is turns into a Metropolis as I write .

"Stroll down Main Street"

Well MG rd really has been the center of activity in town for the best part of the last 50 years . Start from royal bakery way up on the south side and stroll along . ( btw his butter biscuits are just to amazing , only available 10am - 2 pm ) . You will then come down to a junction . Try the fresh flavoured cheese at ABC farms . Head on to the next junction, on the left you come across a small joint( Kohinoor Restaurant ) , head in and try the lassi ( sweet buttermilk ) which is actually served in beer bottles ! Across the road in priya try the scrumptuos Sabu dana vade with yogurt , or his medu vade soaked in sambar ( ~ 2$ ) . Head on the opp side you find city bakery( In the picture ) . Hes got his own versions of butter biscuit , coconut makrooms ( really good ) . Also try his brazil nut biscuits !!! now head further down on the left side until you reach Bikaner Sev Bandar . This guy has the most amazing bengali sweets around !! Try the cham chams , ras gulas and ras malais . Walk into one of the adjoining lanes ( dont forget to come back the way you went in as it gets pretty confusing ! ) for an open market . Youll get all sorts of herbal medicne , hardware etc . Try the persian bakery ( ask some one ) cause he has nice cheese biscuits , kaju biscuits and fresh breads . On reaching the inner lane try the fresh Pomogranate juice from one of the road side vendors. If you head any further you will reach Shivaji Market ( and thats a completely different ball game although very inetersting) . Moving along ont he right side just before a very small junction is a foriegn food seller (selling every thing from oreos to pasta ) . He should be visible from the right amongst a bunch of leather goods shops . On the right side you find Atlantic general stores , the largest supermarket around . Head over to the other side- in Aanchal ( for women ) a nice place to buy authentic indian clothes at a reasonable price !! .

End of Part 1

"Stroll Down Main Street 2"

(contd from part1 )
Moving ahead from there you will come across my uncles hardware shop ( visible in the pic ) - Nafees Hardware ( next to pizza hut ) . Ask them for any thing specific or general directions. Also a great cheap place to buy hardware , accessories , etc . Move right along and you come acroos a junction . turn left and head down on the left side , until you come across a foot wear shop (Real foot wear). This place is great to buy Osho chapals , ie Comfortable indian footwear . Bargain for price of not more than 2 $ a pair ( ofcourse you get them much cheaper near the osho ashram ~ 50c cheaper !! maybe even more ) . If you go straight from here you will land up on the outskirts of Shivaji Market . Anyways we continue strolling down main str. , and this is where you will come across a lot of designer wear clothes , shoes . Bargain for the best prices ! This is also a nice place to buy road stuff like charms , rings , etc . Continue walking until a small junction , ie WonderLand . This is yet another shopping paradise . Walk across the road and you will find a small lane . In the evening there is one guy who stands here selling 'Dabeli' . Its like a sweet and spicy potato chutney with pomogranate sandwiched in a typical indian 'pav' or fresh bread roll. Ask him to make it mild 'tikha' unless you want your tongue burnt !! Move along the same side and you will come to the Bombay Store. This is one of the oldest store chain around in western India . They sell authentic handmade goods . But their prices much higher than those selling stuff outside . A really amazing thing to check out is the collection of Indian and other spices . Cross over once again to find your self at Mazorine. Its a great place to eat snacks ( also one of the oldest in poona ) . Next to Mazorine is a relatively new indian fast food joint , try his 'sev batata puri' which is excellent . Move ahead about 10 meters and on the right there is an entrance to building ( a flight of stairs ) . Get to the first shop on the left . Here you will get the best deals on Indian and Hollywood movies , Cds , Vcds , DVDs . Also music cassettes etc .

Continue along the opposite side of the footpath and you come across budhani . An excellent place to stock up on dry fruits and snacks. Walk ahead and ull come across Dough main , a new addition to MG rds food parlors !! serving mainly western fast food . Try his chicken s/w 's . Walk ahead and you come to a junction . Go left and walk ahead for around 50 meters to the second junction . at that junction to the right you should see a food stall on the road ( usually between 10am - 6 pm ) . His vada pavs are supposed to be the best in pune . Walk ahead from here to come to the next main junction (on main rd ) turn right and you are at dorabjees . Punes premier supermarket . pause and sample some of the finest choco truffle outside !!! . Walking ahead you come to West End theatre . Before that is the 'The Place' . It doesnt quite live up to its reputation anymore so I wudnt advise ( see my rest tips for alt's ) . Opp is Ramakrishna , an excellent place to have nice vegi indian food for less than 10$ (/family) . West end theatre shows more hindi blockbusters now than before . The circle leading to mg rd is right ahead and walking past it you should come across barista ( which replaced the Naaz rest , although his counterpart still exists on the edge of that footpath - try for scrumptous samosas , sp chai ) . Turn right from the petrol pump ahead and you should come up to east st. Its rather quiet here compared to main st. Walk ahead for around 120 meters and you come to Kayani bakery. One of the best in pune . Try his cream rolls , choco walnut cakes , etc . His best item is undoubtedly the shewsbery ( similar to scottish butter cookies ) .

End