Toronto Chocolaterie Tour
Places To Visit In Paris
Tokyo Sweets Tour
Strange But Treasured Experience
For my farewell snack, KK organized a trip to a nearby snack joint, Manmeet Chaat. Since it was not within walking distance, I had the good fortune to once again ride on a motorcycle hours before leaving Pune. I originally thought that I would have plenty of time but my driver insisted on leaving Pune at 19:00 due to the unpredictable Friday evening traffice from Pune to Bombay. Plus, I was caught in a meeting with JB and couldn't make my escape. Anyway, the point is, our group of ten was driving at breakneck speed to beat the clock.
Needless to say, the chaat was one of my best eating experience in this trip. We ordered a selection of different things to share. There was a basket chaat (basket made of fried noodles filled with dahi, fried potato cubes, pomegranate seeds, and lots of other things that I couldn't identify), aloo tiki with dahi (potato croquette drenched in yogurt), puri with dahi, lumps of lentil dumpling with chickpea topping (my memory on this was fuzzy), and of course a very milky foamy cup of coffee. That's not all. Just before we got back on the bikes, SB bought a few tickets for some more puri. This was a lot of fun. The vendor gave me a little bowl made with leaves. KK told me to hold out the bowl and the vendor put a puri (a deep-fried hallowed pastry, a little like choux puff theoretically) filled with spicy sauce and a very watery sour sauce. I sloshed out some of the sauce before eating the whole thing in one bite as per KK's advice. The minute that I bite into the puri, my mouth was filled with the refreshinly cold sauce. It was unlike anything I tasted before. Gosh, I wish I came here sooner!
Looking at my watch, I had only 10 minutes before the driver would come to pick me up at the hotel. KK assured me that I would make it back okay, he said that we would have a brief stop before returning to the hotel. What?! A stop?! I was absolutely worry at this point but he wouldn't hear a word of it. Turned out the surprise was Fabindia. As a souvenir of my visit to the Pune, the guys wanted to get me a kurta. 
So there I was, aware of the ticking time, shopping for clothes with the help of a big group of guys. Let me tell you, this was one of my most surreal experience ever but yet, it was such a sweet gesture. After much discussion, I picked a mustard yellow long sleeve kurta. I think it will be very comfortable to wear on humid summer days.
The ride back to the hotel was fast, thanks to KK's driving skills. Everyone at the office showed such generosity in including me as part of the team. I'm really glad to make some friends in the last five weeks.
I bought a bag of 
Of course no trip is complete without trying out food that I haven't try before. For my Sunday lunch, I had a masala dosa and medu wada from Hotel Milan in Ellora. I've been meaning to have a masala dosa ever since I saw it being served as a huge standing cone at Coffee House in Camp. The paper-thin pancake was filled with a spicy mix of potato & herbs and was served with sambar and coconut chutney. The medu wada was a savory donut that was deep-fried to oblivion. Although tasty, I much prefer the crispness of the dosa. 
I suppose every place has their own interpretation of sambar. At this restaurant, the sambar is has a rich tomato taste and chunks of pumpkins and root vegetable that tasted like turnips. I really like it but when it becomes too spicy, the mildness of the cold coconut chutney was just the thing to balance out the flavour.
I tried out the new restaurant 3rd On 7th today. It has only been open for 2 days but I adore their immaculate open kitchen and the friendliness of the staff. However, most importantly, does the food taste good? I think so. The lentil stew has a good kick of heat that lingered long after the deceivingly mild mouthfuls of lentils are swallowed. I felt so...healthy too. The medley of beans and lentils made for a hearty stew perfect for less than balmy evenings. The naan was okay although I would prefer it to be more fluffy. However, while I was waiting for my order, I was absolutely mesmerized by the deft skill the cook who made naans with a oil-drum-cum-tandoor. The best part of the meal though, was the sweet samosa served with a dip of honey butter. The samosa was bursting with chunky apple filling. Remember those good ol' days when MacDonalds used to serve deep fried apple pies? Yeah, that's what this samosa tasted like. Awesome! I'm thinking of ordering a batch to deliver to the office on my last day here next week.
I dropped by Pune Central in the afternoon today to get a backpack and gifts for my friends. Since I was already there, of course I made a stop in Food Bazaar to pick up some snacks. I got a small box of mithai (milk cakes and american masty) for my team at the office from Poonam Sweets. The store clerk remembered me! He asked me if my friends like the pictures I took. This sweets counter looked very well-organized so I got a small box of three rasgullas from the refrigerated section. The rasgullas tasted like balls of baked dough soaked through and through with syrup. I wasn't particularly impress but at least now I know that it tastes like. I see these in almost every sweets store I visited.
I wasn't planning on getting any fruits but as I set foot in the produce section, I was immediately enveloped by an intoxicating floral smell. I knew that smell but for a minute, I just couldn't remember which fruit it belongs to. I looked left and right, hoping in vain to find the source of this sweet fragrance to no avail. Just as I was about to turn away, I remember! Of course, this is guava! I love guava nectar but this smell was so much more potent than those emitting from the pink sugary liquid. But I couldn't see any guavas...those green fist-size fruit with pink or white flesh. I asked one after another store clerks but none of them understood what I was trying to say. After what seemed like an eternity, finally someone knew what I was talking about! He helpfully picked out two great-looking guavas for me and I walked away a happy customer. I can't wait to taste them!
aloo paneer kathi roll: I wanted to pick up a quick dinner while I was waiting for a server to recover. So today, I went to the kathi roll vendor whose stall is tucked inside a little hole between Hotel BelAir and a construction site on Lane No 6. I ordered an aloo paneer kathi roll to go. It is basically a roti covered with eggs and grilled. The filling is a mixture of potato and paneer with slivers of raw sweet onions and a green chutney. For a grand total of Rs 25, this was one tasty and filling meal. Too bad it was so greasy. Otherwise, I would probably love to eat this more often. 
mithai galore: I sampled more mithai from what my coworkers brought. I had a gulab jamun, a burfi, a homemade almond ladoo, and a little fish-shaped mithai made of pressed lentil flours. I came to the conclusion that I like well-made mithai. Most of the ones I had in India are not cloyingly sweet, have complex flavour from spices & nuts & rosewater, and look quite attractive. I know I will miss these when I'm back home.
I didn't know what took over me today but I checked out the little carts selling street food after work today. It was only eight o'clock and I didn't have any presentation scheduled for tomorrow until 15:30. I decided that today's a good day to give the street food a try. I've been gravely warned that I risk getting stomache upset if I eat street food but I figure even if I get sick, I have two weeks to get well before going to Paris anyway.
I bought a little grilled sandwich filled with vegetable spreads, peanuts, crunchy noodles. It was hot (temperature-wise) and mildly spicy. It tasted good. I figured bread and no dairy and no meat ought to be relatively safe. Hmm, it's been well over five hours since I ate and I'm still feeling well.
At Pasteurs, the shop was crowed with families and couples enjoying ice-cream cones and snacks. Where there's a local crowd, there must be (reasonably) good food. From their extensive menu, I ordered a pista falooda. I knew that pista is pistachio and falooda is a type of drink. Unfortunately, they ran out of pista so I changed my order to rose falooda instead. The falooda was a milky concoction of rose syrup, some yellowish vermicelli-like stuff, and a swirl of soft-serve ice-cream for a grand total of Rs25. It tasted just like it looked...sugary.
Next stop was Karachi Sweet Mart for some mithai (i.e. sweets, check out my ever-expanding vocabulary). Their shop was totally devoid of labels so I kept on firing questions at the store clerk and he held his own by reciting off name after name of merchandise. The selection was noticeably smaller than Poonam Sweets at Pune Central so I only bought a small box of mango barfi and sonpapri, both of which I tried before and liked. But hey, being so conservative is not my style so I also bought a few savory snacks too. From their selection of deep-fried crunchy stuff, I got a mini samosa (the filling's dry), a mini pinwheel, a cluster of fried leaves, and a round disc of flaky pastry. I was a little tired of questioning the store clerk so I used the good ol' finger-pointing. They were all very delicious but sorry, I have no clue what I ate.
In between all these eating, I actually walked up and down M.G. Road a couple of times. Like I said, it was siesta time so not many stores were open. However, the walk was quite enjoyable. The scenery on M.G. Road is a testament of how the old and the new mesh together in India. 
In between the old houses and storefronts, there would be an occasional modern building in all its reflective glass glory. Among the cars and autorickshaws and motorcycles, there would be the odd cows roaming freely on the street or people riding on camels. Just around the corner from the gleaming Nike and Addidas boutiques, I could shop and haggle at the narrow lanes of Fashion Street (don't go if you're claustrophobic). Everything looked so haphazard yet they strangely fit together.
Of course I wasn't done with eating just yet. I was walking on Moledina Road when I spotted Coffee House. One look at the decor and it immediately reminded me of the "tea restaurants" of Hong Kong built around the mid-60s. Perhaps it was the British colonial influence? Doesn't really matter to me because it was busy with locals so I had to try. From the extensive menu, I ordered the Coffee House Falooda (Rs 75). I think I was infatuated with faloodas today. At three times the price of the one I had earlier, I found out soon enough why. That was one fancy drink! There were red gelee, some vermicelli-stuff, some tapioca-like stuff, cubes of apple, pineapple, papaya, dried fruits, nuts, ice-cream, and wafers. Wow!
It'll only be two more weeks before I leave India for Paris and now I have a dilemma. It would feel like such a waste not to do more sightseeing in the upcoming days but I'm just not in the mood to do so. Work is stressful as usual but the recent events happening back home have me worry. In addition, I've been feeling under the weather so all I want to do on weekends is rest. Everyone's been telling me about all these awesome places that I should visit before I leave plus stories of such-and-such coworkers who visited these places while they were working in the Pune office. It almost feels like I'm obligate to do some sightseeing too. I am so tired.
On a brighter note, I tried a few more sweets in the last few days and I've grown to like masala chai. Masala chai is very sweet and milky but the good ones are balanced by strongly-brewed tea and a healthy dose of spices to give it a nice kick. I know that I'll miss these when I'm back in Toronto.
The sweets in the picture were brought in by my coworker RS. He didn't know the names either because he chose these sweets after an extensive tasting session at the store! The yellow piece at the top was soaked with rose-flavoured syrup. it wasn't really my cup of tea but the subtly of the rosewater was nice. I like the fact that a lot of Indian sweets make use of rosewater, pistachio, cashew, and cardamom. Those are some of my favourite flavour profiles in the dessert world.
At long last, we began our climb to Dhaak. From the village of Jambholi, we started hiking up a dirt road that led us to the mountains. The trail was well-marked though covered with loose stones. It was a gentle slope but our group of 16 quickly split into two. It was easy to keep up with the group in front and I was happy to finally take in some fresh air and much needed exercises. Before long, I really wished I was wearing hiking boots instead because my recent ankle injury was bothering me. Without the ankle support of boots, I could feel slight pain in my right ankle with every step I took in my indoor running shoes.
As we hiked a little further, we came to a bend with a good view of a small temple ahead. I could hear faint noise of a ringing bell in the distance. We walked up to the temple, it was indeed very small and it was guarded by a stone statue at the entrance. I took off my shoes and stepped inside. In the main hall, here was a bell that hung from the ceiling. So that's where the noise came from! 
Our journey continued. Slowly but steadily, the trail became steeper and less well-marked. Every now and then, we would reach a plateau offering an endless view of the mountains. It was exhilarating to stand at the edge and take in the natural beauty in front of me. KK pointed out the mountain in the distance and described in excruciating detail how the climb would be dangerous. I didn't need any persuasion...the mountain looked like a large piece of rock with nothing to hold! Doing as the locals do, of course we would make our way up without ropes and such. This was shaping up to be quite an adventure.
We hiked past trees and cactus and fields and rocks. I was mesmerized by all the unique vegetation around me. Living in the bustle and hustle of the cities in India is nice but it felt so refreshing to finally be in a place where I didn't need to worry about dodging motorcycles and autorickshaws. As we hiked higher and higher up the mountain, I was stopped by a whiff of mint in the air. I looked around and found many wild mint growing about. That was such a pleasant surprise!
After approximate an hour and a half of hiking, we found ourselves in the shade of trees in a forest which was a welcome change because heat of the midday sun was becoming uncomfortable. To continue on the trails, I had to hold on to the tree roots and rocks on the side. More often than not, the loose rocks and gravel on the trail made it slippery and I was careful to ensure that I didn't lose my footing. Some members of our group started to get tired and I could hear the occasional heavy breathing of my coworkers trying to keep up with the group. At this time, something happened which sent a tremour of discomfort through our entire group. We heard a loud bang echoed throughout the forest that sounded awfully like a gunshot. We didn't pay much attention to it at first but when we heard it again a few minutes later, I was getting antsy. I didn't think the (assumed) gunshot was aimed at anybody but stray bullets could hit anyone and anything in this dense forest. Putting my worry aside, I continued the hike up to the top. 
When we finally reached the top of the landing out of the forest, we were met by a group of locals on their way back. They were igniting firecrackers as each of their member reappeared from a climb up the rocky mountain. So that's what the "gunshots" all about (not that I was relieved...I jumped every time they fired one of those). I thought at this point, that's where our group would split up with the novices waiting for the advance trekkers to climb to the summit. Our leader DT had other plans in mind. He told us that we could climbed down the narrow rocky crevice and we could wait at one of the caves just beyond the bottom of the climb. I stared down at the 35-40 feet descend and had a sinking feeling in my stomache...at least now I could put my rusty indoor rockclimbing skills to use. 
After some delay in getting everybody together in the morning (c'mon, getting 16 people to meet at 7am on a Saturday morning is difficult), our pack of 9 bikes began our journey to Kamshet on the old Mumbai-Pune Highway. Although I was only a passenger, it was aboslutely exhilarating to travel on a motorcycle especially when traveling together in such a large group. While we were still in the city, our bikes had to skillfully weave in and out of the traffic. At times, we were so close to the cars and trucks beside us that I wasn't sure we could squeeze between them. Once we were out of the city, there were noticeably less pollution but we now had the potholes to worry about. At times, we got squeezed off to the side of the road by bigger cars and had to drive off road until we found a small ramp to take the bikes back on the paved road.
I wasn't keeping track of time but we arrived at Kamshet after about an hour drive. We stopped for snacks and stocked up on water. Before long, our bikes made a turn to a winding country road. The scenery was lovely. Farmhouses and fields were passing by us on both sides of the road. Instead of cars, we now had to dodge cows! At one point, a herd of cows were just slowly walking toward us taking up the entire width of the road. Weaving between the cows on a motorcycle...centainly not a typical experience for a city girl like me!
After over an hour of driving, we finally arrived at the village Jambholi. From this point on, we had to start hiking to reach the top of the mountain. DT arranged with the store so we could park our bikes and store our helmets. The storeowner brought us plates of goa (looked like yellowish rice gruel to me) and tea. When everyone's filled up on food, we were ready to trek.
After a very leisurely morning (sleeping certainly counts as leisure), I took an autorickshaw to Pune Central, one of the largest department store in Pune. The minute I set my foot on the steps leading to the entrance, I was surrounded by the familiar smell of a department store. I kid you not, department stores have a distinctive smell of cosmetics and people that is quite universal. All the usual suspects at the cosmetic departments were there in addition to a very large fragrance selection. However, that's mostly where the international brand names representation ends (okay, except for the denim, sporting goods, and luggage department). The fashion department is set up as little boutiques each selling a selection of one brand. By North American standard, clothes are really inexpensive. 
I got myself a nice outfit in preparation for the trekking trip tomorrow. For comparison purposes, here's a breakdown on the price:
The top floor of Pune Central is the supermarket Food Bazaar. Oh, how I miss supermarkets! Compared to the mom-and-pop corner stores that sell EVERYTHING around our office, I was happy as a clam the moment I reached Food Bazaar. Browsing at a supermarket is one of my favourite activities during travel. First thing first, I was attracted to the sweets department. The store clerk gave me sample after sample of Indian sweets but the truth was, I didn't need the sample to be convinced of making my purchases. 
Although my coworkers bring in sweets all the time, I would like to try a large variety so I already had my heart set on getting a box of assorted sweets.
After the movie, our group decided to have a late dinner at Touche The Sizzler on MG Road. Sizzler is a very common dish found in Pune. It is basically a hot cast-iron plate loaded with fries, noodles with gravy, assorted vegetables, and choice of protein (paneer, chicken, beef, seafood) cooked with different spices. I ordered a paneer cafreal. It's a lot of (junk) food but sometimes it just feel nice to indulge a bit.
Our office has a top-floor terrace that we use as our cafeteria. Every day at 13:00 and 18:00, we are served lunch and snack by a local "catering company" (I use that term loosely). On a long table, we first pick up a stainless steel compartmentalized plate...think frozen dinner aluminum tray but not disposable. There is usually rice, flatbread, something with lots of sauce, dhaal (lentils), raita (yogurt with diced vegetables), salad, and a dessert. It's a nice opportunity to socialize but at the same time, it's hard not to associate in my mind a different settng where everyone's lining up for food with tray in hand...
As for snack, it striked me as amusing first time I heard it (I had a image of second breakfast from Lord of the Rings in my head) but it actually makes sense. Most of my coworkers in the Pune office work late to accomodate for the timezone difference with the Toronto office. Of course we don't want everyone distracted by hunger, don't we? There's more variety with the snacks. A couple of days ago, we had steamed rice cakes served with a lentil sauce. I like the texture of the rice cake and according to my coworkers, they were excellent too. However, we don't always have such good luck. There would be times when practically every one at the office would take one look at the food and turn away. Yesterday, for example, we were served rice flakes. The terrace was almost empty because nobody really wanted to eat it! Other times, the snack would be some kind of deepfried items. Those I avoid.
In addition to the catered meals, my coworkers also bring sweets to the office all the time. It's perfect chance for me to sample many varieties of traditional indian sweets. 
I had these orange laddoo today. Laddoo is a generic term for a little ball. These laddoo are made with couscous held together with lots of syrup. I also had malai. They are cakes made with grated chickpeas pressed with cream and lots of cardomom. I like it better than the laddoo.
YP came back from vacation today after visiting his home town in Kerala and he brought in sweets to treat us at the office. The brown morsels in the paper bag are called sharakara upperi and is a specialty of Kerala. They tasted crunchy, nutty, and full of cardamom flavour. I first didn't like it too much but after a couple of pieces, it really grew on me. The yellow chips in the middle were banana chips. The pink pieces at the front are coconut candies. The coconut candies were quite tasty.
On the bright side, I had two good meals today. For a late breakfast/early lunch, I went to Sweet Chariot Cafe. I ordered a banana chocolate smoothie, mushroom croissant, and mushroom quiche. To my surprise, the croissant was flaky and buttery. Not bad at all. Well, the quiche was a little soggy and I much prefer quiche with cheese lining the crust to keep the crust flaky. That being said, I still enjoyed the quiche very much. The smoothie, on the other hand, was not to pleasant. If it wasn't for the Malarone (taken with dairy), I wouldn't have order it at all. I also ordered a vegetarian pizza roll/bun for takeout. It was nicely spicy and the bread was deliciously soft.
There are autorickshaws everywhere in Pune. They are the equivalent of taxis and for the most part, a very convenient form of transportation. I had my first rickshaw ride yesterday and it was quite a memorable experience. Each rickshaw takes up to three passengers. Instead of a car, I would describe it as a motocycle with three wheels, backseat, and a lid. Like most taxi drivers around the world, rickshaw drivers are probably the most aggressive breed of drivers on the road. When it comes to overcharging foreigners, they have quite a few tricks up their sleeves.
To prepare me for the ride, LM asked if I have my own handkerchief. At first I had no idea but then she explained that the pollution is so bad on the road it is best to cover my nose and mouth with a handkerchief during the trip. Makes perfect sense. We went to the street corner by their apartment and LM negotiated with the driver. Apparently, the driver asked for a flat rate which was obviously overpriced and LM asked him to charge by the meter instead. When he refused, we walked away and attempted to flag another rickshaw instead. Only then did the driver agreed to use the meter.
One of my favourite places for light lunch and dinner is Naughty Angel Cafe. The owners are super nice and the place is comfortably casual. I love their sandwiches, freshly-squeezed juice, omelets, and cookies. I had their masala vegetable omelet (served with toasts, roasted potatos, and the ubiquitous ketchup) and litchi bubbly freshner for lunch today. I have already been there three times since I arrived in Pune. Their vegetable club sandwich is also excellent.
I walked into 
I was glad to find dishes made with lots of visible large pieces of vegetables. I keep to a vegetarian diet while I'm in Pune but I often find the food leaning towards more carbs than vegetables. The Crunchy Vegetable Stirfry with Black Bean and Sambal Sauce was alright and the roti was tasty. I wouldn't mind coming back for my vegetable fix. The mocktail in the picture above is called Knight In White Satin (coconut milk, pineapple juice, and a scoop of ice-cream). I ordered it for the soul purpose of having some dairy to digest my Malarone.
My coworkers love to bring in Indian sweets to work and I had the opportunity to sample some. The types of Indian sweets I find in Toronto are often cloyingly sweet so I was pleasantly surprised to try some delicious ones at the office. My first day in the office was the first day of work after Diwali. JK treated me to some homemade almond cookies shaped into a ball named Laddoo. The cookie was tender and full of toasty almond flavour. Today, SK brought in sweets for his birthday. I tried a piece of rustic looking pistachio pastry. It was very flaky and fragrant with rosewater. I liked it very much. Only problem is, it's difficult for me to track down the names of all these sweets!
For a quick bite at lunch, I picked up a variety of pastries (Rs32) from a n