Dinner Bell

Dinner Bell has a very special place in my heart. I have always been there for some special occasion. The food is what you get at any Punjabi and Continental serving place. The interior is not very out of the world. I enjoy the kebab platter they serve which has an assortment of kebabs and saves you from selecting and ordering just one. Other than that what I very clearly remember is the Banana Boat Ice cream that they have. Yummy. Do order this if you happen to go there on a dinner date because you cannot finish this all alone and have to share it with your partner. And what better way to start a relationship than sharing some sweetness with each other. ;)

Taste- 8/10

Ambience- 8/10

Service7/10

Value for money- 7/10

Saasuji

My Saasuji had announced that she would take us for her birthday treat to Saasuji, a Gujarati Thali restaurant. As it is not exactly located on the CG Road, it is a little difficult for non-amdavadis to find it. I thankfully knew where exactly it was, thanks to my tea breaks in Axis bank for which we would come to a tea stall outside Saasuji. The place serves typical Gujju Thali food- 4 veggies, dal, kadhi, 2 sweets, 3 farsans(gujju snacks), chaas, roti, bakhari, puri, bajra rotla, rice, khichdi and papad. Now the reason this place would earn some brownie points from me would be the karele ka sabzi (bitter gourd) that they served. I would have never guessed it is karela unless they would have told. Full of dry fruits and coconut, it did not have any bitterness in it. Sadly though, they don’t serve the same menu every day of the week. So the next time we went, there was no karela sabzi. But this time they compensated by serving Khandvi, chick pea batter strips are steamed and rolled before seasoning, another favourite of mine.

Taste- 8/10

Ambience- 7/10

Service- 7/10

Value for money- 8/10

Sankalp

Idli-Dosa macha?

I haven't seen many places serving authentic south indian cuisine in Ahmedabad. However, Sankalp has a decent menu of items to offer for those who wish to have a gujarati-influenced south indian platter. The idlis-vadas and dosas are good. However, the best part of this place is the accompaniments. Sambar, rasam, chutney - excellent - atleast in terms of taste (not authentic, but tasty) and quantity. Sankalp has a number of branches across Ahmedabad...

Taste- 8/10
Ambience- 8/10
Service- 8/10
Value for money- 8/10

Rasna

Once upon a time, there was a small part of Ahmedabad called Maninagar. While the western end of the city had lots of restaurants serving good food, there was very little in terms of gastronomic experiences in Maninagar.

And then came Rasna.

Rasna is an excellent place to visit for Punjabi food. Their Punjabi menu is loaded with all the regular items that one would expect from any standard restaurant. However, what works in their favour is the fact that there is very little competition for them. Of late, new joints have definitely come up, however, Rasna still has its own charm. This restaurant constantly changes its decor and has an excellent selection of food items.

I particularly love their stuffed naan, veg jalfraezie and the mixed veggies.

Taste- 9/10
Ambience- 8/10
Service- 8/10
Value for money- 9/10

Honest Restaurant

Bhaji Pav and Pulao - Two things that are wholesome as a meal by themselves. Honest Chain of Restaurants have established themselves as the best in serving these dishes. The punjabi food served there is pretty good - not haute cuisine, but tasty and great value for money. The tandoori items (served as the branch at Panjrapol) tend to have a light after-taste of ashes (probably from the coal in the tandoor), but the veggies are spicy and come in pretty huge portions.

I love the Aloo Gobi and Kaju Curry here.

Taste- 8/10
Ambience- 5/10
Service- 5/10
Value for money- 9/10

All in all, a good place to grab a hearty meal

High Street Food

So street food is not just limited to Indian Cuisine. Try out a lot of street food from across different cuisines and you will enjoy them. High Street Food brings varied cuisines under one roof with wonderful decor. Cheese Fondue was good, momos are my all time favourite and it is difficult for a restaurant to fail in making good momos. HSF does have good ones. Spinach Tortilla Cones were fab.

Taste- 8/10

Ambience- 9/10

Service- 8/10

Value for money- 8/10

Not Just Grill

On a cool summer evening, we set out for a long ride on the bike. We had not decided where we would be going to have our dinner. We thought we would just stop by at any place that catches our fancy on the way. And that’s how we landed up at NOT JUST GRILL, a very swanky place near Prahaladnagar Garden. The board read that they served Teppanyaki.

The interior is very good, elegant yet comfortable. The food was very tasty, to say the least. Now let my ratings say the rest.

Taste- 10/10

Ambience- 9/10

Service- 9/10

Value for money- 9/10