We decided to do a walking tour of Iftaar at Kausar Baug, yesterday. The private tour was conducted by Husein Upletwala, a Bombay boy who now does exciting events in Pune with food and alcohol with his boutique company, Grub Art. Plus, Husein is a superb cook with a flair for cocktails and delicious soups, when he’s not selling homemade falafel and Bohri cuisine on order. We are always well-fed by him.

When Husein announced his food walks during the Holy month of Ramzan, we signed up to show our friend Dani another side of India. Dani grew up in Cairo and has distant memories of the azaan and the feasting. She was most curious to explore Kausar Baug, Pune’s version of Bombay’s legendary Mohammed Ali Road. It really is another facet of India, and it’s quite something to explore and experience a night food walk during Ramzan anywhere in the world.

Armed with cameras and dressed as comfortably as possible (the belly needs place to expand) we make our way there by 7:30 pm to avoid the extreme crowds who gather to feast after the evening’s prayers.

The whole street is colourful, brightly lit and elegantly decorated. Each stall vies for our attention with innovative decor and a lot of hustling to get us to visit them. Stall after stall has halwais and cooks manning giant kadhais full of bubbling oil. Sweetmeats are deep-fried before being dunked in vats of sugar syrup. Stewards, in their smartest best, beckon us to try their food as tables filled with ready to fry snacks groan under their weight. The vast array of snacks includes kababs, cutlets, rolls, sticks and croquets, with many intriguing names and flavours like shahi kabab, cream tikka, chicken on a stick, halwa puri, caramelised coils of mawa jalebis. Coals smoulder, lending smoky earthiness to the kababs being grilled on the sigdi ( barbeque).

It’s a cholesterol party, but a delicious one! I can only advise you to pace yourself so that you can complete the circuit of two lanes bursting with the most enticing food and drink.

We spend three hours winding our way through the many yummies on offer.

We love the smoky B*** sheek and fried paratha at the cheery neon green Bombay Sheek. It is truly scrumptious, and comes with thinly sliced fresh onions and even some fresh lime to squeeze on the juicy kababs.

We move on the the large stand set up by Sharif Caterers, obviously a big and famous name in food. Tables are laden with a wide array of snacks to select for frying and deghchis of gravy emit a hearty aroma and tantalizing us further. Sharif has a large seating area inside, with tables, but we prefer to nibble on our chicken sticks of two different flavours, outside. We enjoy the feel of standing up and nibbling, watching other people order food.

We continue to meander, tasting halwa puri as we marvel at the man who rolls out and fries the biggest puri I have seen!

Huge vats of deep red coloured fried chicken lend mouthwatering smells to the already exciting atmosphere. Even the food is vibrantly coloured.

Fried whole quail, chicken crackers, naan kababs, shawerma, haleem, thin, flat and delicate lacy cutlets, chunky pattice and many, many more meaty delights make the mouth water and wonder how much the belly can hold. Honestly, I didn’t find any veggies!

Mominpura Hyderabadi cold drinks, fresh juices, fruit-based faloodas and jelly vie for our thirsty throats. The Hyderabadi influence is huge, as are the Middle Eastern and Afghani items that add exoticism to the menus.

We are entranced by a halwai who weaves chains of chunky jalebis into bubbling oil and deftly turns them over, before lifting them all in one smooth motion with his tongs, to dunk them in sugar syrup. There is rabdi, malpua, phirni and kala jamuns to be had for a sugar rush. Local fruit icecreams and kulfis compete furiously with the halwas.

Everything is joyous, and festive. The colours of the stalls, the lights and the food are bold, loud and vibrant. Neon seems to be the theme this year and everything, including the cloth flowers are brightly hued. The street side service is prompt and efficient and everyone greets you with a smile and in proficient english. They are excited we are bloggers taking photos and pose happily for us.

We eat haleem, a slow cooked mutton and legume stew, from a huge degchi: it is sublime. It has been slow cooked over coal for hours and hours and the unctuousness is sinful. Topped with deep-fried onions and a dash of lemon, it is a treat for the gods. It is not as heavy as I dreaded, and we lick the bowl clean.

Our next stop is the attar-wala, or perfumer, smooth and charming. Dani sniffs her way through many dainty glass bottles, finally settling on two scents she declares she must have. There are many exotic mehendis/ hennas and soorma or kajal for eyelines.

Meanwhile the evening prayers have just finished and the streets are suddenly packed with roaring motorcycles as the young men zoom home.

A stall we are searching for is missing, perhaps it is not the right day. Intrigued but not keen, I am secretly glad we miss out on the tava fry of brains, kidneys and offal.

We stop for faloodas, mastanis and fig basundi (everything fruit, milk and sugar). We give one of our mastanis to a little urchin and feel awful when she bursts into this big grin and proudly carries it across to her whole family and shares it with them. I want to buy them all ice cream, but rest assured that community traditions will give alms and food to those who need them.

We spend a good while admiring the Turkish ice cream man with his deft handling of cones, scoops and his long metal skewer. A little girl nearly bursts into tears as he nimbly teases her ice cream cone just out of her reach every time. We are all laughing and taking videos! We have seen videos of Turkish ice cream men on Instagram but this is quite a surprise, right here in Kausar Baug.

Above us the minaret of the Kausar Baug mosque gleams silver, serene in the waxing moonlight.

We return home in an auto (madness to take a car) as we chew on pieces of delicious baklava, warm and not too sweet. We are too full to walk, or eat another bite. Husein has been a fabulous host and guide. He really knows his food and he is full of surprises, as we taste each new delicacy. I learn so much about local food and culture, right here in my backyard. That night my dreams are of happy people feasting and neon lights twinkling above.

The street food market is only there during Ramzan and will end by April 20th.

Do go, with a huge appetite and allow your nose to guide you. Better still, do a food walk with Husein. I promise you your belly will thank you for it!

A HUGE thank you to Dani and Alekhya for sharing their photos here.