I love those happy accidents when I find a place I have never been to before, and end up having brilliant food at it. One night, my old room mate and a friend came over and asked me to join them for a drive. Since none of us had dinner, the idea was to have something on the way. We had taken the old NH8 highway out of Baroda towards Ahmedabad. Around 9 kilometers on the highway, we stopped outside this place which we hadn’t seen before. Since the place had opened only two months ago, few people knew of it then.

I absolutely loved this idea of having small tents over each table. This way you can enjoy the cool breeze that is blowing, and yet maintain your small personal space. There are lights and pedestal fans inside the tent, for when the wind is not enough.

These are how the tents looks up close. There is enough space inside for a group of 6 to sit and eat comfortably.

Three of us were in the mood for Kathiawadi (belonging to Saurashtra region of Gujarat) food, so this is what we ended up ordering:

Wagharela Rotla (Broken flat bread that has been stir fried with spices and sauce)

There was Lasanya Bateka (Potatoes made in a gravy with loads of garlic)

The friends love Brinjal so we ordered Ringan/Baingan Bhartha (Squashed Brinjal)

And some Ringad ane papdi nu saak (Brinjal Sabjee with beans)

Of course we had piping hot rotis with fresh white makhan (butter) on them

Since I felt adventurous, we had fried sated chillies (which I didn’t eat , and my friends had to finish)

And this is how my plate looked when we were eating.

 

So, if you ever end up with a craving for Kathiawadi food, with some lovely ambience, I will accompany you here.

 

Written for day 7 of the A to Z challenge, 2014