Hotel Sapna — Hotel in Pune

Sapna Thali - Saras Jamvaanu

Just imagine this scenario. You are out shopping on the ever popular Deccan area with your friends in the evening and you are famished AF. You feel as if you can devour an entire horse. Felt that ever, did you?

So what do you do? Hop-in to some restaurant and order a-la-carte? Would that be quick service enough? Would that whet your appetite without breaking your bank??

I’ll tell you what you can do. Head over to Sapna Thali on JM road. One of Pune’s earliest, probably first, Gujarati cuisine thali restaurant, Sapna Thali has been popular for over a decade, serving scrumptious Gujju food in limited and unlimited thali variants. Lightening quick service and delicious food are the hallmarks of the place and they do not disappoint.

Sapna Thali offers the pure vegetarian Gujarati thalis in three variants – Bronze [Rs. 173], Silver [Rs. 242] and Gold [Rs. 315]. The Bronze and Silver thalis are limited, pre-plated thalis with 10 and 15 items respectively while the Gold option is unlimited thali with almost 20 items.

We were served the Gold Thali since it had the maximum items that we could try.

Chutney / Pickles Tamarind Chutney, Mint Chutney and Pickle made their mark on the thali. Typically prepared stuff.

Salad / Raita An interesting salad that’s served in Gujju cuisine is the Sambharo. It is basically a hot and spicy stir-fried warm cabbage salad with a hint of sweet and sour.

The Papad was unfortunately not completely roasted with some portions still looking raw.

Farsan Farsan options for the day included the Sabudana Wada and another Gujju specialty, the Amiri Khaman, a spicy snack made of crumbled khaman dhoklas tempered with garlic and mixed with pomegranate seeds and coconut shavings. A lovely dish with some super flavors.

Subjis Gujaratis always make it a point to include ‘kathol’ in their meals, a combination of various pulses and that day, Sapna Thali served us Rajma. While not exactly the most Gujju of all pulses, it certainly went well with the subjis served. The Aloo Subji was served with a little gravy.

Another unique preparation is the Papad ki Subji. Strips of papad are cooked in mildly spicy gravy and garnished with tadka.

Come winters and you are bound to come across the Surati Undhiyo in Gujarati households and restaurants. The Undhiyo served here at Sapna Thali was near perfect.

Dal Options Dal and Kadhi gave good company to the subjis however the Kadhi wasn’t the sweetish version that Gujjus are known for.

Indian Breads Hot, steaming Chapati and Bajra Roti gave such joy in eating, I believe we ended up eating a lot more than we intended to.

Rice Options Steamed Rice with Ghee and Rajgira Khichadi completed the golden quadrilateral of a meal – dal, subjis, roti and rice. The Rajgira Khichadi was something new for us, unfortunately didn’t quite work that well for me.

Sweet The Dudhi Halwa was the sole entrant in the Desserts category however packed a good punch. Lovely flavors with a hint of cardamom, it tasted heavenly when served hot.

Accompaniments Buttermilk and Bottled Water were the liquid refreshments for the evening. Loved the buttermilk with the perfect proportion of masala and just the right temperature, I batted long and hard on this.

Overall, a perfect place to satiate your extreme hunger pangs with...

The hotel is located on the left hand side on Jangli Maharaj Road just after a park. Vehicle parking can be a problem if you have a car. Their basement parking has only one entrance and exit so it can be tricky.

The receptionist attended to me as soon as stood there, even though there was quite a bit of rush. The entire registration procedure was over within a minute. One from their team escorted me to my room, explained everything, how to order food, reception contact numbers etc.

I had opted for a single non ac room, yet I was given a double bedroom (they switch off AC mains downstairs since I chose non ac). The room had wooden floor paneling, comfortable bed, cupboard to store luggage, a safe locker, two sofas, tea/coffee maker, LCD tv. Everything was clean, including the bathroom.

The free wifi was not working due to server problems but they enthusiastically helped me with their reception computer so I could book my Bangalore flight tickets and a print out of the boarding pass.

No in house restaurant but they have room service from nearby restaurants at no extra cost.

Buffet breakfast was included in the tariff and the upma, paratha were yummy.

Surrounding, you can find lot of restaurants, pubs, fast food joints, shopping.

For Rs.1400, the room was splendid, I had a comfortable stay and am definitely returning here whenever I am in Pune. The owner later emailed me for my feedback and promptly responded to my suggestions. Definitely...

When you are so stressed out and need a time out from life’s trouble, how do you solve that? Most people are busy and a perfect opportunity to relax is to stay in a hotel. Most of the time, you don’t need to go out just to have your lunch or dinner. The hotel where you’re staying offers variety of food and cuisines. There’s also complimentary breakfast as well as room service. If you’re looking to fine dining option, Sapna Hotel offers that too... Within the heart of city and happygo area is situated Hotel Sapna... U can visit nearby places like Shri Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Park and shopping at Fergusson College Road.... For Veggies this place is ideal for stay as Pune's most of the Veg hotels are located in the same area just a minute away from Sapna. It has also round the clock room service; if you need at the middle of the night, you can have it. It is also guaranteed that if you’re hungry and not in the mood to go out, you just order and hotel staff will bring your meal right at your door step. No need to worry about burglars because hotel security is effective, assuring the safety of guests within the vicinity. My Thanks to Mr. Vijay Chavan and his Team for taking continuous efforts making it number one...