One of the pleasures of being in a hill-station lies in being able to drive around. And when you have a nice, picturesque, gently-winding stretch of 18 km connecting two mountain spots together, it can be a most relaxing drive. That�s how it is between Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar.

Ideally, you wake up late on a Sunday morning, have some tea, skip breakfast and plan to drive down to Mahabaleshwar for a dekho. En route you pass the Panchgani Club, the Mapro and Mala Gardens, the Parsi Point, Anjuman School, the two Go-Carting places, the cluster of pine trees which indicate the famous Lingmala falls, many little wayside stalls serving fresh strawberry milk shakes, a few nurseries (Pingle�s Roses) selling plants and then you come to Hirkani � the pioneer of good Maharashtrian thalis. Can�t remember when one first ate at Hikarni, but he was the only one there. A small shamiana by the fields, four tables and that was all.

The Hikarni thali is still the same. And it serves the same fare, day after day. A corn sabzi, aloo bhaji, dal-bhat, lonchi (pickle), chutney, papad. Good, farmer food, which you eat, no, overeat, overlooking strawberry fields.

It is almost certain that should you eat on your way to Mahabaleshwar, which is just five minutes away, you are bound to discontinue your drive. You will want to turn around, return to your bed and continue with a lazy day.