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This is an archive article published on June 17, 2018
Families in Food: Our Daily Misal
For over 100 years, neither the furniture nor the taste has changed at this misal pav restaurant in Pune. While Vaidya Uphar Gruha may not be Pune’s first misal restaurant, it definitely stands out for its recipe.
4 min read
The 108-year-old restaurant, Vaidya Uphar Gruha, in Pune.
If one isn’t looking hard, it’s easy to miss the 108-year-old restaurant, Vaidya Uphar Gruha, in Pune. Located just metres from the Phadke Haud Road Chowk, it is a rundown place that does not believe in first impressions. Deepak Joshi, the fourth-generation owner, admits as much. “The building is nearly 200 years old and the owner wants us to vacate. I pay Rs 1,500 every month as rent. Since litigation is on, I cannot make any changes though I hope to change the signboard so that people can at least see us,” he says.
As we sit down to a meal of misal pav and batata bhaji, the speciality of the restaurant, Joshi says that the furniture is also 100 years old. From the counter at the entrance to the cast-iron tables purchased by his great-great-grandfather, Raghunath Ramchandra Vaidya, who set up the eatery in 1912, to the chairs, the elevated chulhas in the kitchen and even the Belgian glass mirrors on the wall, nothing has changed. Throw in the 100-year-old print of a painting from Raja Ravi Varma’s press and you are in a time warp.
From a Konkani farming family, Vaidya set up the restaurant in a rented place in Raviwar Peth, which was once the biggest hub for jewellery shopping. Since its inception, misal has been the star of the limited menu. “In the early morning, tongawallahs would eat here and in the afternoon, their clients would come in. From freedom fighters to common labourers, our clientele has been diverse. Even today, all kinds of people come and that’s why our prices are cheap. Our most expensive item isn’t more than Rs 60. We are not running this for profit but for the 14 staff members, whose families have been with us for generations,” says Joshi, 52.
Until the 1930s, misal would be served with puri here. A new bakery run by Maharashtrian Hindus changed that. “Our clients were religious Marathi people, who were fussy about where they ate, and who did never ate bread because all the bakeries were run by Muslims or Iranis. Then, a Marathi family opened a bakery and suggested that we serve their pav. It took off and that’s how misal pav became a thing,” says Joshi.
While Vaidya Uphar Gruha may not be Pune’s first misal restaurant, it definitely stands out for its recipe. Unlike all other misal restaurants, where the curry is red in colour, here it is made using fresh green chillies and turmeric, and is probably the only “green” misal in town. Consisting of cooked pohe (flattened rice), shev, matki usal and the bhaji (stuffing) of a batata wada, the special recipe, which has been retained since generations, is a healthier alternative. “Eating red chilli regularly can be harmful but green chilli with ginger and garlic doesn’t harm you,” says Joshi, who doubles as a software consultant.
He is not sure of what the future holds for the joint, but there are some things he can still depend on. “Many of my customers are regulars, some eat here every day. I don’t even have to set my clock. When they come in, I know what time it is.”
Feast from the past: When it comes to this business, Deepak Joshi swears by tradition
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