The Fergusson College Road held out a bustling yet inviting welcome to us. It was a refreshing sight to be among the more happening sections of this beautiful place. Amidst all the sights of street vendors selling assortments of essentials and treasures worth thrifting for, we made our way to our destination, Café Goodluck. Both my friends Blesson and Atharv were very hungry as we continued hunting for restaurants. For me, it was more about witnessing and experiencing the hospitality of one of the most famous cafes in Pune. But of course, I too was here for the food that had captivated the Punekars for so many decades. We waited at a traffic intersection where three statues that represented artists were constructed. This was the Kalakar Katta, which was a small open space for all budding artists. At the interjection of the Kalakar Katta, there were a few benches and stool stumps for people to watch open street performances or to paint portraits. The three statues reminded me of the mission or the bigger responsibility I was here for. The three statues were those of a dancer, a portraitist, and a filmmaker, respectively. Facing towards the right of the filmmaker, was the red hued café. The building had a primary red colour, owing to its Coca-Cola livery. The whole look of the café made us a bit apprehensive as we felt that the ambience might not live up to the hype that all the food bloggers and critics had built. We entered the café and slowly looked around the whole place. It looked like a postmodern work of art, which was trying to incorporate the advancements of the modern world but also wanted to retain the old charm and panache of a classic Irani café.
The famous Marathi pace of life had found its place in the dedicated waiters who donned red ‘Café Goodluck’ polo shirts. They served refreshing and aromatic cups of coffees and bun maskas to all the guests who were busy in their own conversations. We noticed a group of middle-aged men also reading their newspapers and sipping their teas as we opened the menu. We had heard a lot about the kheema pav served at the place and ordered it. But the waiter who had arrived to take our order had other plans. He suggested that we take one kheema pav instead of two and ordered bread slices to go along with it. The grin on Atharv’s face after that incident explained exactly how we felt. But I am glad we took his recommendation, as the kheema pav had enough quantity to serve both Atharv and me. Blesson went on to order a bun maska which was also equally appetising. We shared our food and were impressed with this treasure we discovered. We enjoyed every single morsel of food that we ate. We also enjoyed observing the vehicles passing by from the open windows of the café as we sipped our coffee.
The crooked and unpolished mirrors that constituted the walls of the café and the aromas of the coffees and tea inspired us to introspect and to enjoy the little things in life. We also noticed the plastic chairs and huge ceiling fans. Those elements coupled along with the coolers filled with diet colas made the place glimmer. We talked about cinema and how we had to have more outings like this. Our discussions were diluted by the honking of the vehicles and the constant chit-chats that seemed orchestral. The beauty of Goodluck Café was in its belief of maintaining its beautiful past along with the city that believes in preserving and dwelling in its rich history and culture. That is what makes it one of the signature landmarks of Pune. We wanted to order more signature delicacies, but our wallets did not want to cooperate. I also noticed that some students from Fergusson College were ordering bread pudding. The shrill cacophonies of the traffic helped me decide exactly what I was going to order the next time I visited.
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