Kolhapur is the heart of Maratha country and the Marathas are hardy eaters who enjoy their meats and spices. Meals almost always include mutton in some form or the other and a meal without it just wouldn't be filling or complete enough. That doesn't mean, however, that lunch and dinner in Kolhapur are devoid of any greens and grams. The Brahmin influence in the city has over the years incorporated a plethora of delicious traditional Maharashtrian vegetarian fare into the diet of the city, albeit with a spicy Kolhapuri twist.

Wood House Restaurant in Kolhapur's Tarabai Park area serves only vegetarian cuisine from noon to 3 p.m. and 7 to 11p.m. Its bamboo- panelled interiors give this small dhaba style eatery its name.

The restaurant is tiny, it looks like a bamboo cottage that you might have expected to read about in an Enid Blyton fairytale. Not find off a busy road in the heart of Kolhapur city. A metal sign stands outside the restaurant that says, in Marathi, that meals are ready. As do similar signboards outside small eateries in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

There are three sitting areas. One is the main restaurant, all bamboo walls and dim lights, and very crowded. You will have to jostle past waiters even as you make your way to the table... provided you get one easily. If you don�t, please wait. The wait will be rewarded by the meal. Then there are two smaller eating rooms beyond the main dining area of the restaurant. These are on the way to the kitchen and have about them the air and aromas of a happy Maharashtrian kitchen in full flow. The seating is unpretentious: it is benches and tables. Nothing fancy. Nothing fancy about the menu, too, that the harried waiter will plonk before you and dash off to serve the next customer.

The food is well priced and tasty, and a stomach satisfying meal could cost under Rs. 50. Opened by Mr S. S. Alvekar ten years ago, Wood House is popular with people looking for home-style meals. The menu features typically Maharashtrian dishes like Methi Bhaji (a fried fenugreek preparation), Pale Bhaji (a leafy green vegetable), Bharleli Vangi (aubergines stuffed with masala) and stuffed Dodka or ridge gourd. Jhunka Besan is another favourite, a simple to make common man's staple appreciated by all. Flour, chopped onion, salt, chilli powder and a little water are stirred till of a thick consistency in what's known as a phodni, a basic Maharashtrian seasoning with an oil or ghee base and mustard seeds, turmeric and asafoetida. Besan is then separately mixed with water, salt and chilli powder till it is liquid enough to pour and then added to the phodni.

Wood House also serves a tasty Sandaga dish. A combination of various daals and besan mixed with cumin seed and diced green chillies, made into balls and then dried in the sun. The sandaga balls can be stored for months and either deep-fried or boiled and added to gravy as and when needed. To accompany the meal there's Kolhapur's famous kharda, a tastebud tingling crushed green chilli, garlic and coriander chutney as well as lasan chutney, a fiery red ground garlic and dried coconut mixture. The matki dhai served in small earthenware pots cools things down a bit while the phulkas and javari bhakris, typically Maharashtrian rotis, are made fresh and hot by three colourfully dressed ladies in a small rear portion of the restaurant.