Nov 06, 2009 03:22 PM
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Having spent almost a year in Pune now, we thought it was high time that we make a trip to one of Pune's iconic establishments - Kayani Bakery. Like Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad, this is a must-visit in Pune.
Kayani Bakery, in the heart of Pune, off MG Road, was started by Hormuz and Khodayar Irani in 1955 who emigrated from Iran before 1947. While the Bakery is best known for their Shrewsbury biscuits, equally good are the breads and cakes.
Everything at Kayani, is baked in a huge, brick oven fired by wood from the Babul tree. As a child I remember the box of delicious, melt-in-the-mouth Shrewsbury biscuits my father used to get back whenever he made a trip to Pune. It's been more than 20 years since I ate one and so we decided to make the trip.Anyone and everyone we even mentioned Kayani bakery too were unanimous in the opinions.
A. The biscuits are worth dying for
B. Get there early, be prepared to stand in line and maybe even fight to get the attention of the servers behind the counter.
C. Plan your trip and order with military precision - you maybe have a window of 3 1/2 seconds to place your order and make sure it's right the first time because there are no second chances at Kayani!
So, mindful of all the advice, we got there well before 8.00am fully prepared for some jostling, maybe some snarling and definitely some yum goodies. The experience turned out to be an anti-climax! No baker Nazi waiting. In fact, not even the huge crowds everyone promised. A nice, smiling gentleman asked us what we wanted. He even waited while we debated what else to get besides the famous biscuits, finally suggesting the sponge cake. Apparently, their cakes are even more popular than the Shrewsbury biscuits. 5 minutes later, we were on our way with a box each of Shrewsbury and Ginger biscuits and one warm sponge cake.
Having sampled all of these several times during the course of the day, I can vouch for their scrumptiliciousness! And I have to say - it's time to give Kayani Bakery a break - the service was quick, efficient and very pleasant. A definite Pune must-do.
