Bhimashankar Temple

I visited Bhimashankar Temple yesterday. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga in India.

Timings and route: I left my home in my car at 8:30 AM and took the route shown here. Earlier I had thought of taking a left turn at Rajguru Nagar but the people guided me to take a longer route from Manchar. We reached the place at around 11:30 AM. There was one Dimbhe Dam along the way. The mountains were not lush green otherwise the view would have been mesmerizing.

Fees: There are two tolls along the way that charged INR 38 each. The entry to Bhimashankar requires you to shell out INR 20. 

Food: There were a lot of eateries along the way but we first had a dose of 'chikoos' and 'roasted corns' near the temple. While coming back, we took our lunch at 'Atithi' family garden restaurant which is around 15-20 KMs from Manchar towards Bhimashankar. They didn't have chinese and south indian but they had very delicious punjabi dishes which were served hot and we all were pretty hungry so we enjoyed the food very well. The total bill for four adults came to around INR 450 only which was a bargain compared to the place we were at.

Activities: Except for the temple, there isn't anything else to visit. During monsoon, you may enjoy the lush green mountains along the way.

All in all, it was worth one day visit.

Polka Dots Aundh

I visited Polka Dots restaurant in Aundh yesterday.

Timings and Route: I reached the restaurant at around 8:15 PM. The restaurant is next to ICICI Bank ATM on road towards Kaka Halwai from Parihar Chowk.

Food: The menu for Aundh restaurant is not available but for Kalyani Nagar branch, it is available here. The prices in the menu at this point of time is not in sync with reality. The actual rates are 1.5 times that mentioned in the menu (e.g. Tomato and Basil broth is for 85 bucks in menu but actually it is 125 in the restaurant).

We started with Tomato and Basil broth which my wife and I liked but my daughter was in no mood to touch. We then ordered vegetable Au Gratin and Risotto for the main course. I liked both of them but my wife felt there was some non vegetarian smell in the dishes. My daughter mostly took au gratin but not to the extent she normally does. We then took parcel of the rest of the items and came home. When I am writing this the next day, both the dishes are over and half the portion was eaten by my wife!!!

Fees: The total bill came to around INR 670 which I consider a bit on the higher side. The quantity of the items were also a bit less compared to that of other restaurants. The ambience also was not that good and the manager was eagerly waiting for us to vacate the table since there was a queue of people waiting. But I will still recommend the restaurant for a try.