"6, M.G. Road- Bakhtiar Plaza - Pune - 411001". This looks like some drab address of Pune Camp area.Till you stand in front of this building and look at it, then it's a far from some ordinary address. The building is almost 100 years old, with a vintage colonial balcony and adorned by two gastronomic epicenters. The Pasteur's Bakery and The Marz-O-Rin. The legendary Sandwich Bar, offering much beyond Sandwiches. This place offers, nostalgia, colonial ambiance, aromas, youthfulness, all on your vintage platter.
Started in 1965 by Mr. Sheriyar Sheriyajee and his wife Mrs. Vijay Sheriyar as a
Simple sandwich outlet, mostly for Take away parcels. This modest 3 items sandwich outlet has already completed 55 years and has become an icon of Pune's gastronomic scene.
A must visit place in your outing to camp area.
It all started when Pasteur's bakery and dairy as it was known at that time, and the root of Marz-O-Rin was doing brisk business selling its freshly baked goodies like, biscuits, macaroons ,breads, rolls and ice creams. This place was run by Mr. Sheriyar's mother, and the family thought of adding some more munches like sandwiches to their repertoire.
Mr. Sheriyar had a Coca Cola franchise,and was busy running his venture. Having a baking facility under their belt due to Pasteurs, they had advantage of baking fresh bread required for their sandwiches.
This made their sandwiches soft and luscious with their chicken or chutney fillings.Their chicken rolls ,which was next addition are also juicy,soft and stuffed liberally with stuffing.
Cold Coffee was quickly accompanied on menu by mango juice, rose milk etc. During their steady but speedy growth, the owners started to look into more healthy options and healthy ingredients .
By 2000 they moved away from conventional egg based mayonnaise to egg free variety.They started using margarine based spreads instead of liberal butter spreads, to reduce cholesterol risk. They pressure cooked their chicken and did away with frying in all their dishes. They also started offering healthier choice of multi grain bread, brown bread, whole wheat bread,etc. They made egg less varieties of cake and eliminated all possible sources of saturated fats.
In an interview with a famous food connoisseur and food critic, and blogger, Kunal Vijaykar, Mrs. Vijay Sheriyar stressed all these health measures. She stressed Marz-O-Rin continued with conscious efforts, in enhancing the healthy approach to their offerings, without compromising taste. While efforts with their offerings continued, they also undertook large scale renovation. They upgraded their the spartan look to more cozy and colonial style interiors. They enhanced their woodwork, and most importantly added seating space. An erstwhile take away joint today boasts of 100 plus seating capacity.
Along with their popularity,their menu has also grown substantially from mere three items at one time, to 120 items. From rolls to baked spaghetti, and many more delicious items, they added many drinking options like, slushes, shakes, etc. The whole experience of taste, flavour and texture of their rolls and sandwiches, cold coffee and other flagship products is what makes Marz-O-Rin different than any other joint.
Today it's reigns are in the younger and enterprising hands of their son Jamshed Sheriar. He is a thoroughbred Puneite from Bishops and is witness to his parent's efforts to make Marz-O-Rin from a name to a brand.
One can be sure that, In years to come ,their signature taste and flavour will waft through Pune and their legacy will continue and proliferate.
Disclaimer : None of these photos have been taken by me. Copyrights lie with the original owners.
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