March 28, 2024

Memories of an Agashiye meal

Red wallsThere are Gujarati thalis and there are Gujarati thalis and then there is Agashiye. According to the website, Agashiye means ‘on the terrace’ – and so it is.

Part of the House of MG in old Ahmedabad, Agashiye has khatiya seating in an open terrace and more formal tables inside. It is a bright and colourful space, with painted wooden puppets hanging from the ceiling. There are stone urulis scattered around, filled with fragrant flowers and in the mild December sun, it seemed like the perfect place to be.

A marigold welcome

The staircase

Hanging HanumanI have heard very good things about the House of MG – built in 1924 – but since we were not staying there, I was not able to look inside. But from what I could see on the way up to Agashiye – plenty of flowers, cheerful sunlight, lovely old stairs – it is a place I’d definitely like to stay at some time. We climbed up the three floors, admiring the clever use of glass bangles as lamp shades, and enter the terrace, to find a reclining Ganesha.

Reclining Ganesha

It was only when we walked out after the meal that I realized that like us, he must have stuffed himself silly at Agashiye and could barely move.

On the terrace

All Gujarati thali places are known to serve so much food that diners have to finally beg the waiters to stop feeding them any more. And that’s exactly what happened in Agashiye – except that the waiter who served us was super friendly and had a great sense of humour. And oh, he did laugh at the clear struggle between greed and prudence we were going through.

First came the fresh juice and a plate of mini kachoris stuffed with green peas. Then a plate with cups of pickles, slices of lemon, chunda and a whole cup of butter in the centre. And then the food – rotis and a variety of dals and sabji and an unending supply of hot jalebi (that I would never complain about). “Keep space for ice cream – it’s freshly made” – our waiter kept reminding us periodically, even as he ladled more food on to our plates.

Fried sin

Pickles that tickle

The service

The thali

The jalebis

For me, a meal that deserves five stars – not just for the quality of food but the service and the decor as well. A meal well worth looking forward to having again.

6 thoughts on “Memories of an Agashiye meal

  1. I visited this place when I went to Ahmedabad last year. Loved both the decor and the food. Would love to go there again, for both. And, yes, sometime, I would love to stay at the House of MG too.

    PS: You remind me that I have still not put up the pictures of our visit to Agashiye last year. 🙁

  2. The thing with Agashiye is that they just transform time. Its like they take you through a time warp, and suddenly you find yourself in a place where you are feeling like an aristocrat and they are here to pamper you. You are welcomed into a terrace where you are seated for some starters and a glass of water. After this is when it starts to become interesting. After the starters when you are ready to indulge in the meal they take you over to the main dinning area. We were offered a round table with rose petals and 4 chairs. You are served in “Khosi” (Marwadi way of saying it) metal utensils which are believed to be good for consuming food in. The spread is laced with vegetables, farsan, dal, rice, roti’s and many more small things. They finish it off with ice cream and plain pan in the end. The experience of using your hands and eating and also he fact that they help you clean your hands in a Nawabi style is interesting addition to the experience. To the disappointing side: For a price point which can range upto Rs. 700 I feel that they do not have a lit of variety attached to their serving. Some small changes to add more things on the platter would go a long way in making them totally worth the money, but not at this stage. I was also surprised to not find either Haldi ki sabji (Turmeric vegetable) nor Undhiyu (Gujju speciality) in their serving. Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 VFM: 3/5 Overall: 4.25/5 but would still give them 4.5 for the experience.

  3. Coudn’t agree more with you ‘There are Gujarati thalis and there are Gujarati thalis and then there is Agashiye’… Lunch at Agashiye 24 hours back was Simply an Amazing Experience.

  4. A meal at Agashiye definitely has a charm of its own. You cant compare it with any other thali experience. Its almost like fine dining in the category of Gujarati Thalis.

    1. Thanks for dropping by, Aradhana. I have had various Guj thalis in Ahmedabad and Bombay but Agashiye was a completely different experience!

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