Siddha’s – A newbie on the block

A Saturday afternoon had me walking in to check a new kid on the block. Siddha’s, owned by Vaneet Bhalla, a cafe which is barely a fortnight old. Situated in one of the quiet by-lanes of Salunke Vihar, at first look this cafe comes across as a bright, airy and as the name suggests, serene place. The interiors are quirky yet well done up with a tiny book section and an art section. They have board games like Chess, Ludo and Scrabble to keep adults and kids engaged while they wait for their meal. They also have a guitar that customers can strum on when in a musical mood. 

The menu at Siddha’s is vegetarian. They serve an eclectic mix of dishes; milk shakes, pastas, ice cream sundaes, soups, sandwiches, snacks and some South Indian and Chinese dishes. They also plan to have an off-the-menu weekly special for their customers.

They served us four drinks; Oreo Shake, Jeera Soda, Kala Khatta and a hot Ginger Lemon Tea. All drinks were balanced in flavour but the Ginger Lemon Tea stole my heart. The added honey took the tea to a different level. Refreshing and delicious are the perfect words to describe it. 

For soup and starters our host served us Manchow soup, Cheese Balls, Veg-Mayo-Slaw Sandwich, Cheese Burst Bombs, Mushroom Chilli Fry and Medhu Wada Sambhar. I tried a bit of everything and it was all very well made. The soup was hot and satisfying; though I would have preferred some more crisp noodles with it. The Cheese Balls had ample molten cheese within because of which this Bawi had a Cheshire cat smile on her face. The Mushroom Chilli Fry was spicy and it was one of the best things we had that afternoon. The Medhu wada was crisp; just the way I like it. The only thing I did not touch was the Veg-Mayo-Slaw Sandwich. Those who know me know why. Hint: *salad/raw food stuff* - enough said! :D

For the mains we ate, Veg Biryani, Veg Thali and Pasta in Pink Sauce. The pasta was cooked to perfect al dente level and had adequate sauce to go with it. The Thali comprised of Kali Dal, Mushroom Masala and Paneer Makhani. The accompaniments were steamed rice and a couple of soft chapattis. Dessert for the thali was a melt-in-the-mouth Gulab Jamun. All gravies in the thali were delicious, as was that Gulam Jamun. 

We ended the meal with a Chocolate Fudge Sundae, a Fruit Sundae and a Banana Split. I tried them all but because of the inclusion of fresh fruits I steered away from the Fruits Sundae after one spoonful. I’m not someone who likes fruits (exceptions being, mangoes and bananas), hence could not comment on the quality of the dessert. The fruit lovers at the table, however, loved it! As for the Chocolate Fudge Sundae and the Banana Split what’s not to like about such delicious desserts. Specially the Banana Split, it not only tasted wonderful, it was also very well presented and was a treat to the eyes and the palate.

If you crave a quiet, relaxed time with a loved one or if it’s a long fun-filled afternoon/evening with a crazy bunch of friends or if you want some peaceful ‘me’ time then you should surely head to Siddha’s. Team Siddha, thank you for being such wonderful hosts and be rest assured that I shall visit the cafe again, soon. 

Address: Borade Nagar, Wanowrie, Off Salunke Vihar Road, Pune
Tel: 020 30163489