No matter how many glitzy restaurants open up and how many swanky cafes beckon, some places hold their charm for years and you find yourself going back because you know you'll find the best there is.

When we first came to Pune and were asking people for suggestions for eateries to try, we were almost forced to visit and try the Rabdi Jalebi at Kadhai. In time we figured it out ourselves, when craving rabdi-jalebi always trust Kadhai. 

Kadhai has been synonymous in Pune's mind with not only the award winning dessert but also other lip-smacking dishes that not only fill you but brings the authentic North Indian taste. Our earliest memories in Pune has been of the days we hung out with friends until late night and would stop by at the Aundh outlet for our share of the rabdi-jalebi. Later, to our glee, Kadhai opened it's door to Wakad as well, making it easier for us to drop by for eats whenever possible.

Conceptualized in 2004, Kadhai is now moving towards new and ambitious things. As it does so, changes are underway. One big change that has come along is the change of the name itself. Yes, Kadhai is no longer to be known as that. It has now become KAPOOR-CHOLA BHATURA AND JALEBI.

We had noticed the change in the name in the outlets for a while now and were concerned if our favorite store had closed up shop and left. So the other day, we were talking to the owner of Kadhai, Mr. Sanjit Mutha and turns out that Kadhai had never left! As an assurance, we walked into one of the outlets to try out the new menu and also to see if there has been any drastic change.

The most noticeable change apart from the name has been the menu. The menu is compact and to the point. It has the famous rabdi-jalebi of course and it also has the Chole Bhature. Apart from that they have kept the aloo tikki, Chola Kulcha, Gulab Jamun and Lassi.
As Mr.Sanjit says, they are trying to concentrate on what they do best and carter people's favorite dishes in the best way possible.

They have also added a KABULI BIRYANI which we got to try. The Kabuli Biryani was spicy yet light on the palate. The rice was aromatic and taste enhanced with ghee. There were vegetables like carrots and capsicum and the gravy in the biryani tasted amazing. It was served with a garnish of chopped onions. Nothing too fancy, but perfect for the hungry evenings when you just want to tuck into something filling and tasty.

Once we were there we had to try the ALOO TIKKI. It consisted of nicely done, generous portion of fried boiled,mashed and seasoned potato croquette, topped with tangy and hot chutney and garnished with chopped onions and spices. 

Next up was the CHOLA BHATURA, which is another speciality. Mr. Sanjit has spent a lot of time and research to make sure the chola bhatura is as good as, if not better than, the ones you'd find in Northern India, They make sure that they also modify it to make it more palatable to the Puneites and is not only tasty but healthy too.

The Bhatura was fried into a big, rotund mound and it tasted amazing. In fact, it didn't have the stretchy consistency, that comes from using too much maida, that you find in many places. In fact, the bhatura here uses rawa which gives it the soft and delicious taste.

I rather liked the chole too. It wasn't overtly spicy, which tends to overwhelm the palate or feel too heavy on the stomach. It wasn't too oily either as I couldn't spot the tell-tale signs of a film of oil swimming on the surface of the gravy as it so often happens. It was as you would like to eat when at home. Mr. TKD felt that it needed to be drier to be more North Indian but what can you do, I cleaned up the plate before he could say 'Gravy'.

We moved on to the desserts. But not before we downed a glass of chill LASSI. Creamy and thick, it went down rather nicely with the chole bhature.

RABDI JALEBI had to be on the list. You can NOT walk into Kadhai without trying these. Dollar kesar jalebi as they are called, because of their extremely convenient small, bite sizes are made using pure ghee. And the indulgence just shows when you bite into it. Thin, crispy and sweet, they are served piping hot, right out the Kadhai and doused with the creamiest, smooth rabdi. They are a joy to have together. Hot, sweet jalebis with cool, creamy rabdi. 

And we weren't disappointed. Once we had had a bowl of that, everything fell into place. Kadhai is Kapoor, Kapoor is Kadhai.

The mystery was solved and we heaved a sigh of relief. We spread the word to our friend's who have been wondering whatever happened to good ol' Kadhai and now we bring the news to you too.

While we shout out the three cheers for our favorite Jalebi store, here are the three stores that you could visit for the authentic Kadhai specialities: