Rutuja

Rutuja - Prabhat Rd, Pune

Rutuja is an inconspicuous little (and I mean little) place on Prabhat Road. Its actually the garden of a bunglow which they have converted into a restaurant. I am not sure how long its been there .. I have been eating there since my Fergusson days, and I distinctly remember having ice-cream there in the 80s. The location is pretty good .. since its very close to Karve Rd, Garware college and on the way to Fergusson. I suspect they are only open in the evenings.

Rutuja offers limited seating space (and that too plastic tables and chairs) so you might have to wait in the evenings. This popularity seems to be new as I don't really remember a rush during my college days. I have not seen the staff hurry anyone despite the place being full - so one can enjoy an idyllic evening seated underneath the trees, chatting, eating and having coffee. The service is good. Strangely they had 2 kids around 10 and 15 yrs of age working there when I was in Fergusson (more than 10 yrs back) and they seem to have another pair of the same age currently. But they are competent and aware of the menu.

The food is good .. and I always have two orders of their chicken frankie. Its inexpensive and tasty. They also have a good chicken club s/w if I remember right. I used to like the chicken salami s/w but didn't quite like it as much during my last visit. Veggies have a lot of options too [veg club, veg frankie, etc] .. but I haven't tried any .. though all my friends appear content with it. ;-) Coffee is good too.

Overall a good place to hangout, have coffee and chat aaram-se with friends. Only thing I wish would change is their closing time .. as far as I remember - they close around 9:30.

Food: **** Price: $
Last visited: mid-2007