Kande Pohe, Masala Dosa and Maharashtrian Thali at MTDC's Neem, Shirdi

Wander around in the little town of Shirdi and you will come across a lot of eating options aimed at catering to the growing crowds coming from all over the country. Our driver pointed out to a very recently opened fast food joint called Mukta Foods which I saw, stretched itself for 3 stories towards the sky. But for hygiene and freshness – we preferred the safer option of Neem (where we have eaten many times before) for our meals.

Attached to MTDC’s budget hotel, Pilgrim’s Inn - Neem is their in-house restaurant serving all kinds of pure vegetarian dishes at affordable prices

in a laidback peaceful environment.

Though we chose to stay at Airbnb’s Shirdi rental home this time around, I must also add from my personal experience – MTDC’s Pilgrim’s Inn is another very good option if you are looking for a good value-for-money budget hotel close to Sai Baba's Samadhi temple in Shirdi.

Stepping into MTDC’s pure vegetarian restaurant, Neem – a bubble of peace was quick to cocoon my weary bodily jaunt of the day. There is ample parking space available in their courtyard which acts as a wonderful insulator against the mad honking rush outside.

At the eating table, the menu of Neem offers an array of dishes ranging from North to South India at affordable prices; I tried out more of the local Maharashtrian flavors that the restaurant had to offer in addition to the others - let's see how it all fared!

1. POHE:

A widely eaten Maharastrian delicacy - Pohe is a heap of fluffy rice flakes, soaked and drained, spiced up with green chilies, tomatoes and roasted peanuts and tempered with a dash of mustard seeds and a host of other flavorful spices – Pohe is very light on the stomach and hence makes for a great breakfast starter of the day!

As appetizing as Kande Pohe might sound to you, sadly,
in Neem, it wasn’t really interesting.

Though the served portion was generous but the taste was not exactly enjoyable. What’s more - the very essential ingredient onion or ‘kande’ was astonishingly missing from the delicacy as also were the toppings – crunchy Indian crackers sev and freshly chopped coriander.

Verdict: Give it a miss!

2. MASALA DOSA:

After my failed sojourn with the Kande Pohe, I decided to opt for the more ubiquitous Masala Dosa. Typically a dish from South India, I was happy to get my option right this time.

The dosa was fresh and crunchy and tasted nice when dipped in the semi-watery but spicy sambhar curry, palatable potato masala and coconut chutney.

Verdict: Certainly a better option than Kande Pohe; can try.

3.  MAHARASHTRIAN THALI / TADKA DAL / JEERA RICE:

But what I really enjoyed eating at the restaurant was their Maharastrian thali which was a simple solid homely affair. My plate came neatly packed with 2 vegetable currries (neither spicy nor sweet), one lentil dal, one bowl of sweet dish (semolina kheer), wheat flour chapatti, a plate of biryani and a bowl of buttermilk.

Everything tasted good and I finished my plate sooner than I had expected. Wholesome and nutritious, the meal never left me with any feeling of heaviness in the stomach.

The coolly salted buttermilk at the end worked great as an after-meal digestive appetizer.

We helped ourselves with a serving Dal tadka and Jeera rice along with the Maharashtrian thali and enjoyed it as well. The hot and medially spiced Dal tadka was simple yet full of flavors and made for a delectable accompaniment with the cumin flavored rice.

Verdict: EAT!

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Have you been to Shirdi?

Do you have any good eating places to recommend?

If yes, please do leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you!