Tasty, pocket friendly and available at almost every street corner -
misal is one of the most popular (and most loved) street foods of Pune. So no wonder then, that actor
Madhura Deshpande jumped at the chance to join a misal hop around the city. A group of 20 foodies gathered near the Tilak statue at Mandai and led by
Jayesh Paranjape, the curator of the hop (which was part of the Pune Heritage Festival), visited various misal outlets to try unusual varieties of the dish. The actor, known for her roles in Marathi soaps such as Ase He Kanyadan and
Zunjh, tried everything from extra spicy to traditional and even dum cooked versions of the dish. And if you too are a fan of the dish, here are a few recommendations from our hop...
Shrikrishna Bhuvan, Tulsibaug
This quaint eatery is situated in the narrow by lanes of the shopping destination Tulsibaug. Though it's nothing fancy to look at, this place serves some of the tastiest misal in town. "The misal here is as Puneri as it can get," said Jayesh, the curator of the misal trail. "The base is poha and it has typical boiled potato cooked the traditional Puneri style, mixed with the curry (also known as kat or tarri or sample) that has loads of coconut and is garnished with chopped onions and shev," he added, as Madhura polished off her plate.
"Misal is always believed to be a spicy dish. As someone not too fond of chilli, I always steer clear of spicy food. But this one I absolutely loved. It has the perfect balance of sweet sour and spice," she said.
Damodar P30, Bibwewadi
Our next stop was a small eatery in Bibwewadi. And misal being a filling dish, most of the foodies were already full, but one glance at the menu and they simply had to try the three different styles of misal available here. "We have the Damodar misal which is regular, Upwas (fasting) misal and the dum misal," said Alok Thakar, the owner of the place. Here you get a Puneri sweet and sour meets Kolhapuri spice kind of flavour. And the spices used at this eatery are ground the traditional way, on stone. Their speciality - the
dum misal - is infused with a smokey flavour and served in a clay pot. "The smokey flavour of the misal was great and it was served very well too," said a happy Madhura.
Indiano Grill, Sinhagad Road
Also on the itinerary, was a restaurant on Sinhagad Road. Despite being a place that's known for its grills, this restaurant serves a very Puneri version of the dish. "It is spicier than the other two versions," said Jayesh, adding that the curry here is made on a 'chulha', which gives it a distinct flavour. "There are very few places in the city that serve misal made on a chulha and this is one of them," he informed.
I am a big foodie. I need variety in my food, but I tend to eat small quantities. When it comes to Maharashtrian cuisine, I love homemade ukad. I also have a sweet tooth and love desserts.
—
Madhura Deshpande
The places where you get the best local food will seldom show up online. That's why I joined this misal hop. I am from Uttar Pradesh, but wherever I go, I like to explore the culture and cuisine of the place.
— Avinash Mishra, software developer
I've been in Pune for one and half years, but did not know about these places. I really like misal and joining this hop was a wise decision. The SriKrishna misal was my favourite among the versions I tried today.
— Brinda Nandoskar, artist
Despite being born and brought up in Pune, I did not know about many of these places. We usually tend to explore only eateries that are close to where we live. This hop took us around the city to explore the food culture.
— Ameya Deshpande, a government employee
