There are a few places to eat in Pune that Sunil and I return to again and again. While we are never averse to trying out a new restaurant or cuisine, there will always be the favourites that we fall back on when we plan a meal out. Since the cafe effectively occupies our time during the day, breakfasts or dinners are usually when we explore the culinary scene in our adopted city.

One of our new favourites for breakfast (and all times of the day for that matter) is La Bouchee d’Or. Situated in a quiet by lane of Boat Club road, the setting for this French gem is unusual to say the least. Tucked away in a now defunct shopping mall, La Bouchee occupies a ground floor corner. If you squint in just the right angle, you can ignore the falling debris and closed down shutters around you and instead, fall instantly in love with the dove grey store front, the vintage chairs and tables and the rows of crusty golden baguettes beckoning you in.

Usually, on any visit to La Bouchee, we blindly pick up at least one baguette. At La Bouchee, they do their baguettes in the traditional or ancien style and they are honestly, the best we have had in India. Yes, that good! We have also tried their multi grain loaves and today, we experimented with the Nachni or Ragi flour loaf which they very helpfully sliced for us to take home.

The highlight of any trip to this delightful cafe will always be their stuffed baguettes. Made to order with the filling of your choice (ham / chicken / tomato with emmenthal cheese) these crusty, crunchy, perfect sandwiches will transport you to a cafe in Paris in a single bite. Testimony to the excellent quality of the ingredients used, there is only a generous smear of butter applied to the bread and believe me, nothing more is needed.

Apart from the breads, you must try the macarons and croissants as well. Available in a variety of seasonal flavours, the macarons may be considered a tad expensive by some. At 70/- per piece and given how gorgeous they taste, you will find no complaints from our side though.

A friend of mine referred to La Bouchee’s almond croissant as, “worth having a heart attack for” and we have to agree. Flaky pastry stuffed with a rich nutty almond filling, you can almost feel your arteries clogging with every bite. But what a way to go, we say! 🙂

La Bouchee d’Or also has a branch in Aundh for those on the other side of town. Their timings are 9am to 730pm every day so there’s really no excuses for you not to hustle on over and indulge in a little ooh la la of your own!