One of the best parts about travelling in India is that you can experience regional food which is unavailable overseas.

Such an opportunity came on our way to Mumbai when we stopped briefly in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat state. Gujurat is a smaller state in the West of India. It’s known for its textiles, commitment to vegetariansim, and peace-loving son, Mahatma Gandhi.

While only there for 24 hours, we wanted to make the most of our time by trying the unique Gujarati cuisine at the renowned Agashiye restaurant.

Agashiye is a vegetarian restaurant that serves authentic Gujurati food. Everything is carefully prepared, down to the metal plates that the food is served on which contain special health-giving properties to purify the blood and restore memory.

The experience is unsual and elaborate. First, you choose between two sizes of meal, the contents of which change daily. We elected for the smaller meal - or more accurately the least large one.

After paying we were led to the top floor of the hotel, and guided into a brightly lit ante room which had touches of Japanese austerity in its decoration and low seating. We were given a welcome (non-alcoholic) drink, and two starter dishes to share. The first was small, coin-shaped fried potato cakes. The second was unlike anything I’ve tasted in India: cube-shaped pieces of soft, sweet, steamed bread (farsan) served with a mint yoghurt dressing.

After our starter we were taken to the restaurant proper. Set on a rooftop surrounded by a high wire fence, and overlooking the city skyline, I had a fleeting impression of being in New York.

We had no idea what to expect from the rest of the evening, but fortunately a bevy waiters soon visited our table bearing all kinds of interesting food.

The meal proper was an intricate, and filling, affair loosely made up of three courses. The first two were mains, built around roti, and a mashed lentil dish called “khichdi”. The third was a dessert course.

The main meal is served as a thali, a round tray containing numerous small sized dishes. The roti course comes with four varietes of vegetable dishes. Two use seasonal vegetables, one is gram based and the last is potato based. There was also a yoghurt palate cleanser, a dahl, and a large, sweet bowl of dessert (Gujuratis don’t hold with the silly notion that you only get dessert once you’ve finished your main meal) .

The dishes were thoughtfully prepared and not unpleasant, but the flavours tasted strange to my palate and I didn’t adjust to them during the meal. Unlike usual Indian curries and dahls, the Gujarati dishes are served very sweet. The only exception was the potato dish, which had a bitter, almost nettle like, taste.

After a feeble attempt at finishing our roti course, the waiters reappeared with the “khichdi”, which has a thick consistency like porridge. It is eaten with “kadhi”, a sweetish dairy-based sauce.

In a pleasant change from usual Indian thalis, the main meal also came with a large, fresh chickpea and tomato salad for us to share. Oh how I miss my fresh food! We were also given a colourful selection of chutneys and pickles.

The Agashiye etiqutte card, for people who can’t eat good

About half way through the meal we were presented with the “etiquette card”, an English language guide to the food on offer and an explanation of how to eat it politely. This was very helpful, although a little late, as I had already broken one of the three cardinal rules.

The dessert course was a delicate dish of creamy, home made ice cream, a highlight of the meal. It was accompanied by paan (betel nut leaves) which is traditionally chewed in India.

Despite having diligently read our etiquette card, Andy and I struggled to figure out what exactly we were meant to do with the paan (the fresh green leaves were stuffed with a powdery like substance). We ended by putting the leaves and all in our mouths… then spitting it out two seconds later when the mixture hit our tastebuds. Maybe that was right and it is an acquired taste… or maybe not.

While I didn’t enjoy the taste of Gujurati food as much as other dishes in India, I appreciated that the meal was so exquisitely prepared and found the experience of eating at Agashiye unique and thought-provoking.

Share This