This post is because I am missing a full-bodied Gujarati thali now, mostly thanks to the delectable aam ras that would definitely be a part of it at this time of year. It is about a hearty meal I had with my parents at Agashiye, in Ahmedabad, the last time I visited the city.
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The restaurant in question, Agashiye, is a part of House of MG, a boutique hotel located bang in the middle of the bustling Lal Darwaza area of Ahmedabad. The House of MG used to be the home of a Sheth Mangaldas Girdhardas (MG in short), a Gujarati textile magnate. This sprawling house, an extremely beautiful property at that, dates back to 1924. In the 2000s, the house was revamped and converted into a hotel, including a snack bar, a restaurant i.e. Agashiye, a sales area, and rooms for accommodating guests.
‘Agashiye’ means ‘on the terrace’ in Gujarati, and the restaurant gets its name due to the terrace seating it offers to its patrons. On its large open-air terrace, meals are served on traditional rope cots laid with cosy cushions. If you are not too keen on eating on a terrace, you can choose to partake of your meal in one of the formal, closed dining rooms of the restaurant, too. A dining room is what we chose – it was too hot! – and ended up completely overwhelmed by the wonderful meal served.
Like all Gujarati thalis, the Agashiye thali too stuffs you to the gills. There are straight-off-the-pan phulka rotis doused with ghee, a variety of pickles and traditional curries, home-made white butter, chaats, buttermilk, some Gujarati snacks and sweets included. Eat as much as you can, and wash it all down with fresh home-made ice cream and a paan beeda! The thali here is priced slightly higher than that in other local restaurants, but I would say it is totally worth it, for the food and the wonderful ambience of the place.
As much as the food in Agashiye is lovely, the decor is lovely too, surely worth a mention here. Be it the ceiling decorations depicting various Indian gods and goddesses in the terrace area, the reclining Ganesha outside the dining rooms, the stained glass windows, the pretty pavements leading to the restaurant, the fragrant marigold-and-rose filled urns adorning the entrance to the restaurant, or the huge stone tortoise that seems to be guarding the place, every piece is tasteful and has been chosen with extreme care.
A meal in Agashiye is definitely a must-have experience whenever you are in Ahmedabad. Don’t miss visiting!
PS: In case you are wondering, there are no pictures of the food because the three of us were too busy hogging to click any. 🙂
The Girl Next Door 