9 reasons Mumbaikars should move to Pune

In geo-political terms, Pune has always struggled a little with its underdog status to Mumbai.

Once referred to as the Oxford of the East because of its large student population and quality academic and research institutes, this hilly city, cut through by the Mula and Mutha rivers, has been steadily attracting a new cohort of young, professional expats and returning diaspora.

It can hardly be said to be struggling with its identity anymore.

Pune has a more lackadaisical pace of life than Mumbai (including the almost official siesta hour) and many people genuinely feel Pune represents a more relaxed, healthier, better way of life.

This definitive Pune directory is written by a Puneite who lives and works in Mumbai, and goes back on weekends. It covers the old, the new and the coming up in between.

From old bakeries to new microbreweries, to a mainstay of music fests, solid hospitality, design-forward residential projects, retail experiments and of course, Osho's ashram, Pune's got it all going on, and just a smooth two-and-a-half-hour car drive over the Expressway from Mumbai.

1. Best bakeries: Biscuit capital of India

Freshly-baked nan khatai at Kayani Bakery, an egg-less light and crispy biscuit that's perfect with tea or coffee.

A box of biscuits is probably the most common gift in the hands of anyone who's just come back from Pune.

The city's long standing reputation as the “bakery capital of India” comes from its military roots and post-Independence cosmopolitan set-up.

The Parsis, Muslims and left-over Brits added their bit to develop the craft of bakery, and its cousin confectionary.

Sheriar Irani, the eccentric manager and owner of Pune's legendary Royal Bakery, sometimes smiles and sometimes swears, but this never deters loyalists from polishing his famed cakes off the counter by 4 p.m. every day. The whiff of fresh macaroons here is equally arresting.

Persian Bakery, a few streets away, is an authority on jam tarts, the kind you licked as a kid.

East Street’s landmark continues to be the half-century-old Kayani Bakery where it's possible to get mobbed at 7 a.m..

Kayani's Shrewsbury biscuits have a cult following all over the country, but it's worth giving the walnut cake and wine biscuits a try as well.

None of these are chic patisseries or fancy boulangeries -- but good old oven-to-counter bakeries passed on from one generation to another, and recipes are their prized heirlooms.

Lack of saccharine sweet customer service is often misunderstood for arrogance at these family-owned outfits, but the freshly-baked, warm butter biscuits melt everyone in the end.

Royal Bakery, 200 M.G, Road, Pune, Tel: +91 20 26345251.

Persian Bakery, Kolsa Gully, off M.G. Road, Pune, Tel: +91 20 3291 8630

Kayani Bakery, 6 Dr Koyaji Road East St., Pune, Tel: +91 20 26360517; Facebook group

2. Beer exploration: Brew House by Doolally

The Brew House serves handcrafted beers such as ales and lagers in the draught format. The 10 hectoliter brewery has a capacity to produce 200,000 liters of beer a year in 2,000 varieties.

This next Pune credential scores high -- one of the first few microbreweries in India is here.

Brew House by Doolally is parked in the backyard of the expansive Corinthian Club, but be warned it's a winding, 30-minute drive from downtown.

The House brews small batches of handcrafted beer, and a crash course on beer-making later, apple cider and German wheat are my winners.

Fresh and freely flowing beer, a limited grub menu and live music jams see corporate kinds, musicians, models and runaway Mumbaikars mixing at the Brew House on Friday nights.

Brew House by Doolally, Corinthians Boutique Hotel, NIBM Road, Kondhwa, Pune, Tel: +91 20 2695 2226; www.doolally.in