O Bhaiya – The Chit Chaat! — Reviewed!

O Bhaiya – The title we mostly relate to the pani-puri guy! But here, O Bhaiya is a fantastic concept of serving authentic Delhi-styled chaats all at one place. There are two outlets – FC Road and Kothrud. We happened to visit the Kothrud one, which is located in the Karishma Chowk near Krustys. Parking is across the road. O Bhaiya has a decent seating capacity of 30-35 people. It is a self-service place. Staff is kind and proactive.





The vegetarian-only place serves some amazing cold chaats, hot chaats, paranthas, chillas, munchies and street style desserts. A couple of popular dishes are Raj Kachori, Dahi Bhalle, Pani Puri, Chole Bhature, and Gulabjamun.

We tried the following.....

• Raj Kachori Chaat (4.5/5)
• Karari Aloo Chaat (3.5/5)
• Sev Puri (4.5/5)
• Jodhpuri Pyaz Kachori (2.5/5)
• Gini Chilla (4/5)
• Bhaiyaji Special Parantha (4/5)
• Jalebi (4/5)
• Chikkoo Ice-cream (4/5)
• Kesar Pista Ice-cream (3.5/5)

Started our lunch meal with the scrumptious and popular tangy, zingy Raj Kachori Chaat. Crispy hollow kachori is filled with luscious, tender Dahi bhalla, sprouts, chutney, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and loaded with sev. Priced at Rs.100; this is worth trying. Everything was well balanced. Highly Recommended!



Next was the Bhaiya's Special Karari Aloo Chaat (Rs.110). The search for good karari Aloo Chaat continues. I wish the tikki was crispier, warm and had the "special" taste to it. The toppings, chutney, and sev were good though.

Was tempted to try the simple and delicious Mumbai street food – Sev Puri. Tiny flattened puris were generously topped with an assortment of chutneys, tomatoes, onions and sev. It is simply irresistible. I just loved it. Can be finished in one go! Must try!

I was too excited to see Jodhpuri Pyaz Kachori (Rs.70) on the menu. Visualizing it the way it is served in Jodhpur, was awaiting my serving. Got flabbergasted by the presentation as the kachori was in bits and pieces and was served the same way as other chaats i.e topped with onions, tomatoes and sev! Also, the kachori didn't have the taste of onion at all. Bit disappointed with the flavours.

Gini Chilla (Rs.160) in Pune was new to me. Healthy, delicious, cheesy chilla cooked in butter is filled with masala (onion and tomatoes in this case) and generously garnished with cheese. Loved the taste. Would have admired if the filling was experimented with. Overall, a treat!



From the food we also tried the Bhaiyaji's Special Parantha (Rs.150) which had a medley of paneer, aloo, gobhi, mutter and cheese. Served with curd and pickle, the portion is good enough for a person with medium appetite. Sad part, the one served to us had salt on the higher side but happens some times; no complaints. Loved it. Must try!

Ended on a sweet note with crispy, warm jalebis and Chikoo Kulfi. O Bhaiya serves some amazing range of kulfis priced at Rs.50. 

Overall, we had a really good experience. Wish to visit them soon.

Sante Spa – Bigger and Better! — Reviewed!

Our favourite Sante Spa, the health food cafe, has moved to a bigger place but in the same lane no.1, Koregaon Park. Apart from the aesthetic, elegant, classy decor, sophisticated seating, private cabana, the helpful staff and some scrumptious additions to the menu make it a must-visit place in Pune. A big beautiful Gautam Buddha painting on the wall is tranquil. The upscale environment very well compliments the unique healthy dishes.

Though, I have tried a few dishes from the menu but was excited to try the new additions. Some of the dishes I tried were...

• Vegan Turmeric Coco Latte (5/5)
• Pineapple Spinach and Black Salt (5/5)
• Assorted Bread Basket and hand-churned butter (5/5)
• The Moroccan Black and White Hommus (4.5/5)
• Beetroot and Spinach Hommus (5/5)
• Galouti of Black Beans (4.5/5)
• Crunchy Mushroom Dimsums (4.5/5)
• Crunchy Chlorophyll Dimsums on Red Curry (5/5)
• Quinoa Sushi Rolls (4.5/5)
• Pizza Verde (4.5/5)
• Sourdough Pizza A La Groque (4/5)
• Cherry Berry Burst Smoothie Bowl (4.5/5)
• Crunchy Fig and Date Smoothie Bowl (4.5/5)
• Valrhona Tart (5/5)
• Organic Ajmer Gulkand Cheesecake Slab (4.5/5)
• Almond Muesli Ice-cream (4.5/5)

Started our meal with the super delicious, healthy and vegan turmeric coco latte. Coconut milk-based drink had a perfect blend of coco and turmeric. Must try! Refreshing mint, healthy spinach and pineapple drink was equally good.

For the munching, one can order the signature dish Beetroot and Spinach Hommus with delicious, crunchy multigrain chips. Another variation in hummus is the activated charcoal and chilli spiked Black Hommus with loads of olives, peppers, smashed corn, and sundried tomatoes. Scoop it and devour until the next dish arrives. Loved this.

Ghee-rich, Gluten-free black lentils kebabs beautifully placed over bite-sized khakhra served with broccoli chutney, spiced tomato pulp and a fibre-rich side salad. Crisp khakras and soft, medium spiced, protein-rich kebabs are a great appetizer.



Asian-food lovers must try the coconut curry based Crunchy Chlorophyll Dim sums on Red Curry. Gluten-free green dim sums over subtle-spiced red coconut curry was a treat to the taste buds. Highly Recommended! So colorful and extremely scrumptious.



Perfect on a rainy day, the warm Crunchy Mushroom Dim sums are soul-satisfying. Translucent cover with tasty mushroom filling tastes best by dunking in chilli oil. Must try!

Sushi rolls are anyways healthy but the "Sante" twist to the roll was the quinoa-based sushi. Fresh, crunchy, packed with veggies and superfood quinoa makes this sushi rolls a delight.



Healthy Pizzas are not a myth anymore! At Sante Spa, it is very much possible. We started with Pizza Verde – Stone grilled ragi base topped with zucchini, spinach, broccoli, pesto and arugula leaves. All greens. Pretty, healthy and delish. Another one we tried was Sourdough Pizza A La Groque. A bit on the sweeter side, it also had ragi and whole wheat base topped with sundried tomatoes, peppers, cheese and caramelised onions. My personal favourite had to be green! :)

Smoothie Bowls are worth trying. If you love fruit-based healthy bowl then go for the Cherry Berry Burst Smoothie and if you like fiber-rich dish, then Dates and Fig Smoothie is a good choice. I loved both of them. Dry-fruits add to the crunch. Please note, it is not a meal-replacement dish.

Luscious Valrhona chocolate in the tart was sinful. Chocolate lovers should try it. Fresh, light, unique guilt-free dessert to die for was the Gulkand Cheesecake Slab. If you like Indian dessert with a twist, this cheesecake is recommended. You can also try variants of ice-cream amongst which Almond Muesli one is superb if you like nutty flavour.

I am sure, you would need a vegan cappuccino after the filling and satisfying meal. 

Enjoy some of the few pictures....