Growing up in NDA Khadakwasla, Pune, the world around Deccan Gymkhana felt like an extended neighborhood. The nearby stores, the familiar restaurants, the thelas, and even the old movie theater were all part of a daily rhythm—especially for those of us who hopped on and off the PMT buses that stopped at the Gymkhana bus stand.
On practical-lab days, my friends and I would leave home before sunrise, catching the early 7:00–7:30 a.m. bus from NDA to Ferguson College. By the time we returned around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m., we were exhausted and running on the remnants of the single lunchbox we carried with us. Those were the moments when the real dilemma struck:
Should we run to catch the 6 p.m. bus home… or let it go and give in to the temptation of Purab Restaurant?
More often than not, Purab tugged harder at our tired hearts (and empty stomachs). Its legendary onion uttapam—thin, large, generously loaded with onions and green peas, topped with just the right amount of green chilies—was unmatched. So good, in fact, that I never bothered looking at anything else on their menu. Paired with their chikoo milkshake, it was pure comfort, a small luxury for tired students who didn’t mind missing a bus for it.
After I left Pune, I don’t think I ever truly tried uttapam again. Nothing ever came close to Purab’s version. Maybe I didn’t want to risk breaking the memory.
But today, at Mylapore, I decided to be brave. I was nervous—What if it disappoints? What if it ruins my favorite memory?
When two small uttapams arrived with coconut chutney, tomato chutney, and sambar, I could almost feel my subconscious apologizing to Purab for daring to compare. I took the first bite. It was good—really good—but it wasn’t that uttapam. It couldn’t be.
Some flavors belong not just to a kitchen, but to a time, a place, and a version of ourselves long gone.
I don’t know if Purab Restaurant still stands, but I hope it does. I hope it’s still serving that iconic onion uttapam to students rushing between buses and practicals, creating new memories just like it did for us.
In loving memory of Purab Restaurant—and the onion uttapam that will forever taste like my Pune days.
~ Dawn
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