The many culinary delights of Ahmedabad

The city offers both traditional and international fare, a cafe culture and a street food scene that satisfies and surprises

- Ruth DSouza Prabhu

The one thing Ahmedabad is known for, besides its incredible textiles and history, is its food culture. This weekend, the city is hosting the mega music act Coldplay at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It will be a pity to leave the city without giving a fair chance to its diverse-vegetarian and non-vegetarian-dining options.

The Gujarati thali is the best way to sample traditional fare-Rajwadu (Malav Talav Road) and Vishalla (opposite APMC Market Vishalla Circle) offer immersive experiences. At these restaurants, the reception is where you pay for your meal and you walk down a path that leads to multiple open-air performance areas. All around are charpoys with long cushions. Sit back, and watch live performances of Bhavai (a Gujarati dance where the dancer balances several earthen pots on their head), folk songs and other acts before you are led to the dining area.

The food is served in brassware. First comes a platter of freshly cut batons of carrots, cucumbers, radishes, along with a range of pickles. This is followed by an assortment of chutneys-garlic, chilli and mint, jaggery and a small clay pot of white butter. Your clay cup is filled with buttermilk and never remains empty. A parade of servers will fill your plate with patra (colocasia rolls), millet rotis, bhakhri, khichdi, dhan (made of cereals), kadhis, stir-fried green vegetables, vegetable curries and a range of sweets. Vishalla follows a similar pattern and menu, except the meal is served on sal leaves. The highlight of Vishalla is Veechar, their utensils museum, which has over 4,000 traditional artefacts.