One beautiful Monsoon morning we decided to take a trip to Bhaja Caves, to enjoy the view of the beautiful green countryside there. We took the local train to Malavli, a small hamlet near Lonavala.
A pleasant walk from Malavli station, across the bridge over the Pune Mumbai Expressway ( it's a amazing experience to see the cars zipping at high speed in either direction below the bridge) brought us to the tiny Bhaja village where the ancient Bhaja caves are located, and also a water fall which only comes alive in rains, and is a big favorite with the picnickers.
It was near the waterfall where we found this hidden gem - Hotel Shiv Krupa, where we had the most delicious Kolhapuri Misal. This was the best Misal I had ever tasted!
A pleasant walk from Malavli station, across the bridge over the Pune Mumbai Expressway ( it's a amazing experience to see the cars zipping at high speed in either direction below the bridge) brought us to the tiny Bhaja village where the ancient Bhaja caves are located, and also a water fall which only comes alive in rains, and is a big favorite with the picnickers.
It was near the waterfall where we found this hidden gem - Hotel Shiv Krupa, where we had the most delicious Kolhapuri Misal. This was the best Misal I had ever tasted!
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| Hot and spicy Kolhapuri Misal can literally put your palate on fire ! |
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| We reached the small waterfall, which becomes quite a torrent during heavy rains. Its a hot favorite with college students and families alike. |
They have seating outside and inside.
Its a family run place, and they cook only vegetarian food here. You will get typical Maharashtrian village food here. But the hot favorites are Misal, Kanda Bhajia (onion pakodas), Poha and ginger tea.
The owner, he is also the cook, a friendly guy. His mantra of making finger licking food - " Always use good quality ingredients and your food will surely turn out delicious", I totally agreed with him there.
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| Finally it was on our table, freshly made Kolhapuri Misal, with soft paav. I just cant tell u how difficult it was to sit there and wait... smelling the delicious aroma of spices while the Misal rasa (gravy - this spicy hot gravy is the heart of the Misal) was being cooked in the the kitchen, as our stomachs growled in anticipation of receiving the tasty treat |
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| The Misal looked really good...but it tasted much better. We didn't stop eating till we were full! We finished off this delicious meal with a cup of hot ginger tea, which again like the Misal was just perfect ! After this delicious lunch, we went to the near by Bhaja Caves, and spent a lazy afternoon there enjoying the super green surroundings and clicking pictures. |
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