An old connection

An old connection

Varanasi, which is a holy city, is also known for its traditional and delectable cuisine. Many of the food items follow age-old recipes that have been passed down through generations. Now, Punekars can try authentic Varanasi dishes in their own city. Lost Recipes, a cosy cafe at Kaspate Wasti, Wakad, Pune, offers some of the popular dishes from the ancient city up North. The cafe owner, Ashu Singh, who himself is from Varanasi, says that most of the dishes are his personal favourites like Fara (fried) Rice Base, Kashi Kachori Curry, Golgappa, Chooda Matar, Laung Lata, Kshir Sagar, Goras, and thalis. And do not miss out on their chai served in kulhad.
 
It’s been a few months since Singh launched the cafe. “I launched it sometime back but because of road construction work in the vicinity, business was slightly down. Also, the team I hired wasn’t able to provide the taste and flavours that I wanted. So, I had to get a new team and train them,” he says. 

But the cafe is gradually picking up pace. On a Monday night, when we visited the place, most of the tables were occupied. “People are liking our food. On weekends, we have to turn away guests because we can’t offer our services to so many people. Our space and kitchen are small but we are working towards finding a solution,” says Singh. 

A foodie himself, Singh says that he is also working towards making the food even more tastier and authentic. “We get a lot of regular customers. Initially, we had to convince the local people who visited us to try out the dishes because they were not used to the taste. But once they did, they loved it,” he says, adding, “One thing I have realised is that if you offer people who are away from home, home-like food, they will appreciate it. We also use healthy ingredients to make the dishes.” 

Singh personally looks into the running of the cafe. He takes care of the kitchen, supervises the raw materials and interacts with every guest, and recommends and explains them the dishes. “Restaurant business is such that you have to be thoroughly involved,” he says.
 
A textile engineer, Singh’s personal journey is equally interesting. After completing Textile Engineering (BTech), he lived in Assam and Rajasthan for a few years. “I have also worked in private and government sectors, started my own garment business but always wanted to get into the food industry. My uncle lived in Pune so I decided to start the cafe here,” he says while chatting with us. “You should always get into something which you enjoy, only then you will be able to focus on it completely.” 
 
Singh has travelled to various places and tasted the regional flavours, which he wants to bring to Pune. “In the next few months, I want to introduce delicious flavours from different states,” he says.  
We tried their Kashi Kachori Curry which was served with green chillies chutney. The dal kachori was hot and tasty and the aloo-paneer-mutter subzi was lip-smacking but not  very spicy. The Fara (fried) Rice base, which we tried for the first time, is a delicacy of Varanasi. Dal stuffed in rice casing, the Fara was cut into small pieces and served with chutney and sauce. The combination of flavours was interesting. 
 
The Veg Thali had rice, roti with oodles of ghee, aloo chokha, paneer subzi, dal, matar ka nimona, gobi aloo fry, aloo papad, gulab jamun and green chutney. Every item was prepared exactly the way we make it at home with less oil and spices and it tasted so yummy. “Every dish we prepare is time consuming, which enhances the taste. We prepare the items after the guest places the order and that’s the reason we take time to cook the dish,” says Singh. If you want a taste of Varanasi, do visit Lost Recipes.  

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