ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: +91 7887676791
Address: 1199/A/1 Ferguson college road, Next to Falahar, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411005 India
Time: 6:00 AM – 10:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 500
Cuisines: Turkish, Beverages
Facilities: Breakfast, Indoor Seating
Pide is a cafe located at Tukaram Paduka Chowk on Fergusson College Road and serves Turkish, Middle-Eastern and Irani cuisine. The name comes from one of the most popular and traditional Turkish dishes – Pide (pronounced Pi-Day).
Pide Turkish Cafe, FC Road, Pune: Decor
Pide is spread over a sprawling 3000 sq. ft area with an open kitchen. The Mediterranean theme runs throughout the cafe with turquoise, blue and white decor elements creating a soothing ambience. Striking elements like the colorful flooring tiles, traditionally Turkish light fixtures and a large Hamsa hand at the entrance add to the vibe. The open kitchen is where you can see the pides and lahmacuns being prepared and baked in a traditional oven which has been brought in from Istanbul.
Pide Turkish Cafe, FC Road, Pune: Food
There are only a select few restaurants in the city that offer Mediterranean cuisine. And among those, Turkish cuisine is a rarity. The menu at Pide has been meticulously curated to highlight the food heritage of Turkey.
The moment we sat down, we saw a mezze platter being served to an adjoining table and called for one pronto. The platter had five dips – hummus, tzaziki (yoghurt, cucumber, and dill), baba ganoush (baked aubergine, cumin and tahini), batatas oliveh (baby potatoes, gherkins, walnuts, and mayo) and nazkhatoon (chargrilled aubergine, roasted walnuts, onions and pomegranate molasses) and pita bread. All the dips were excellent and distinct in flavor and taste, but the baba ganoush was probably the best. The accompanying pita breads were incredibly soft and fluffy. We kept the pitas coming till all the dip bowls were wiped clean. From the hot mezze, we tried the chicken shawarma which was a tad disappointing. The flavors and taste associated with shawarmas was totally missing.
The menu highlights two very popular Turkish dishes – Pide (a boat-shaped Turkish pizza with toppings) and lahmacun (pronounced Lah-Ma-Chan, a thin crust flatbread with toppings). The vegetarian marmara Pide was filled with aubergine, zucchini, onions, tomato and topped with paprika, cheese and pickled chillies and the gaziantep Pide was filled with chicken and garlic kofte, walnuts, salsa and topped with feta. Both the pides were delicious. The joy of watching the pides being prepared and baked is matchless. The bitlis lahmacun, topped with spicy chicken, chilies and cheese, tasted like any other pizza. I would have personally liked it with less cheese and a crispier crust.
The chicken adana kebabs were next on the menu. Served with a garlic naan and salad, the adana kebab were beautifully spiced and grilled to perfection. The garlic naan were the perfect accompaniment. Berry pulao, the Irani favorite dish is on the menu and is interestingly named chicken berry britannia. It is inspired by a famous Irani restaurant in Mumbai that popularized the berry pulao in India. The berry pulao was a perfect balance of sweet and spicy. The rice was fragrant and the chicken was well cooked. The sweet and sour berries, roasted almost and fried onions elevated the taste and flavor of the pulao.
In desserts, our top pick was definitely the om ali over the obvious baklava. The om ali was freshly baked and the combination of cream soaked pastry, nuts and raisins made this a warm and hearty pudding.
Plus & Minus:
Pide serves a great mix of Turkish, Middle Eastern and Irani food. Almost everything we tried tasted extremely good. Considering the quality of the ingredients, what impressed us the most, was the pricing. This is definitely one of the most value-for-money places in the area. Located right at the crowded Tukaram Paduka junction, finding a parking is difficult.
