AGASHIYE MA BHOJAN

Gujarat. Gujarati. I am a Gujarati and as any other Indian would know, we gujjus are huge foodies and with the topic of food up here now, a traditional Gujarati food speciality is it’s authentic Gujarati thali which comprises of various kinds of snacks, drinks, accompaniments, breads, sweets, etc. which can make anyone go WOAHHHH!! I AM FULL AND CONTENT! at the end of the meal. And no one can better make and serve a Gujarati thali than a Gujarati himself. I am Mumbaiker but most of my family lives in different cities of Gujarat like Surat and Ahmedabad and this Diwali me and my family went to meet and stay at my aunt’s house in Ahmedabad for a couple of days.

So, on this trip she took us to a lot of places around the city which gave us a chance to see a different shade of the city that we had never got a chance to explore before. We visited places like The Riverfront Park and also street food hubs like Manek Chowk, etc. But, the most wonderful place that we visited was a restaurant called Agashiye which literally means a terrace or on the roof in Gujarati. It is part of a heritage hotel built by Shri Mangaldas Girdhardas also known as the “House of MG”. Not only are the interiors of the heritage hotel perfectly bliss, but also it’s atmosphere and aura are just mesmerising.

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We went there for lunch and boy, did we get our tummies full or not. So, once we placed an order for the type of thali we wanted at the main reception, we were very warmly escorted up to the main restaurant by a local who was dressed in traditional Gujarati clothes with a Gandhi topi. Once seated on our table, first we were greeted with small roses which they grew in their own garden and had a wonderful scent( I still have mine and even though it is dried up and stuff, it smells just the same). Then they helped us wash our hands by bringing us a pot and pouring luke warm water on our hands. That gesture was very different and surprising as not a lot of places help you wash your hands both before and after having your meal that too in such a courteous manner.

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Then came the main part of this entire visit to Agashiye- the thali. When we arrived at our table, they had already set it with some Kansa (an alloy of copper and tin which has a lot of medicinal benefits) plates, bowls and glasses. We were made to embark on this wonderful journey of amazing food with a small glass of juice and a chaas(buttermilk). Chaas is my favourite drink that I can have at any time of the day and so, I need atleast one glass of it everyday. So, when I came to know that we were going to be served unlimited chaas, I was much much much more than just happy. After this, they started serving us some starters like mini samosas, Papad and Dahi puri. Then, the served us their vegetables and gravies which we Indians like to call sabzi along with some dal, kadhi and also different pickles. We were served different types of sabzis and then offered various types of breads like rotis, theplas, etc. After eating all this absolutely heavenly food we were then served khichdi and rice with ghee (YUM!). After such a big meal, the main string of the meal was still left- the sweets. We were served sevaiyya, churma ka ladoo, hand-churned mawa icecream and to end with, a mitha paan.

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So as you can see, I had pretty much a very huge meal, but trust me, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. And anyone who wants to explore all aspects of Gujarati culture or anyone who is visiting Ahmedabad, should atleast once visit this place to understand and have a first-hand experience of eating a traditional Gujarati thali in it’s pure sense. Other than the thali, the hotel was also very nice to explore as it had a long history of being an old haveli built before independence and Mahatma Gandhi visiting it and it has just been renovated recently into a heritage hotel. All over the place, I found pictures of the MG family and also there were stores for selling their textiles, handicrafts and books. So, in short this is a perfect place for someone like me who loves to dive into the deep waters of history and culture and for those who are not will also fall in love with this place and it’s food in seconds of entering it’s main entrance. So, in a gist, this place is just plain fabulous and I had a very entertaining and memorable experience there with my family.

But,this is not the only fun I had during my visit to Ahmedabad. So, heer are some of the other pictures that I had clicked. Hope you like them and would love some feedback on them in the comment box below.

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Have you had  Gujarati thali or felt so content just by eating a particular kind of food? If so or not, feel free to write in the comment box below because I would love to hear some feedback from you readers. I would also appreciate if you guys would suggest any other topic that you would like me to write on.  And if you liked my blog and related with it, give it a like, share it with your friends and family and also follow my blog for further blog updates. You can also follow me on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/helzeeblog/ to make sure that you don’t miss reading any of my blogs. See you next time! Till then, always remember, Be brave. Be strong. Be great.❤

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