WoW Mughlai Handi and BBQ Grill, Ahmedabad

WoW Mughlai Handi and BBQ Grill
1st Floor, (actually 2nd floor if you take the lift)
Rangoli Complex,
Opposite V S Hospital,
Ashram Road
Ellis Bridge,
Ahmedabad

079 - 2657 5808, 2658 1059

I was in the Ellis Bridge area today and looking at the zomato reviews and ranking, we first tried to visit the Khana Khazana at Inder Residency. The staff there told us that the only restaurant they had, was a 24 hour coffee shop called 24 Carat, which didn't look in the least bit interesting, so we headed over to our second choice - WoW Mughlai Handi and BBQ Grill.

When we reached the building, the approach quite deterred us. Shabby old building, dirty staircases, exposed wires, bathroom smells, lift not working properly etc (sound familiar? Our first impression at the entry to Jaliyan was pretty similar, but the state of affairs at WOW was much, much worse) The stairs were so dirty and smelly, we could not even consider using them, even though the lift doors tok more than 10 attempts to close properly. (We were later told by friends to use the stairs outside and that even though it was 2 flights of stairs, they were very well done up and you can avoid this unpleasant welcome)

When we finally arrived at the restaurant itself, the decor threw us off for a moment - a jumble of elements. A giant pizza slice and half a bumper of a car formed the base of one table, mix of typical Indian Chinese restaurant tables and these modernistic, over the top decor in parts etc - but because of the reviews and ranking, we sat down to give it a try. They said the tandoori and grill items and the open air terrace were only available at night. I must mention that the open air section on the terrace looked lovely.

We tried some Chinese, Biryani and a sizzler. All of them were pretty decent. The Crispy chicken (225/-) wasn't crispy, but it tasted quite nice - some kind of cross between a dry manchurian and chicken salt and pepper. My dining companion liked the buttermilk (30/-) but did not appreciate the crushed ice mixed into it, in this chilly weather.

Since the tandoori items weren't available, I asked for a biriyani - the least oily + most spicy of the lot. The chicken dum biryani (185/-) was recommended and it was actually quite good. One of the much better biriyanis that I have had in Ahmedabad. (they wouldn't even be in the top 20 in Mumbai though) The accompanying raita was also good.

My companion, ordered a WoW special sizzler. It was absolutely humongous and included a whole portion of prawn fried rice and a dish each of chicken, fish and rather large prawns (in 3 different Chinese style sauces), some flat noodles, grilled veggies and a 2 egg omlette - all for the princely sum of 345/-

The reviews on zomato - rave about the tandoori, but given the approach and location, I don't think I can brave it again.

Service however was extremely good and the staff was extremely attentive and helpful, but unlike Jaliyan, I don't think the food is worth the unpleasant experience at entry. If WoW was located in a slightly cleaner and hygenic area, I would definitely give it another try.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Jai Bhavani Vadapav, Ahmedabad

Jai Bhavani Vadapav,
Sahajanand Complex,
100 Feet Road,
Satellite,
Ahmedabad

+91 942675525

I normally pick up Dabeli (for visiting friends and family who want to try this Gujarati street food delicacy) from the Shambhus that is around the corner from our house. But, recently a local friend recommended that I try the dabeli from Jai Bhavani Vadapav.

(Dabeli is a street food snack - kind of a cross between vadapav and pav bhaji with groundnuts - its a semi firm veggie mixture of peas, potatoes, groundnuts and spices, stuffed into a pav bun with chutney - add-on options include butter and cheese depending on where you choose to eat your dabeli at)

Since this outlet of Jai Bhavani was the closest (amongst its chain locations around the city), I headed here before returning home and picked up a variety of dabelis and vadapavs. They were all equally delicious, the butter versions were rich and dare I say it? "unhealthy, but yummy"

The normal (oil) dabeli costs 20, the butter version 27 and the cheese one is 45. Chatni pav (vada pav without the vada - so its almost a sandwich) was 20 as was the oil vadapav. Butter vadapav was 27 and cheese was 45.

The oil versions themselves are quite rich, fortunately they don't overdo the cheese to the point of making one sick. All items are available in Jain versions too.

There isn't any indoor seating at this location. There are a few plastic stools scattered outside on the footpath, for those who want to sit down and eat their snacks straight off the tava.

There's a chaat guy outside who makes some pretty decent pani puri (slightly above Ahmedabad's average) I also picked up some sada khaman and masala haman that were light and very homestyle in flavour and taste.

They also have sandwiches on offer, which I might try next time. Other options include maggi, pav bhaji, pulavs, pizza, hot dogs

Proof of the pudding - for future guests, who want to try dabeli? I'll be taking them to Jai Bhavani

Rating : 4 / 5

Juice Lounge / Truly Fresh, Ahmedabad

Juice Lounge has now been renamed Truly Fresh. Only the name and packaging has changed, everything else remains the same.

Juice Lounge,
Food Court - Alpha One Mall,
Vastrapur
Ahmedabad

The guy at Juice Lounge is very obliging. We normally give him a complicated order. Eg: 1 Watermelon juice, no ice. 1 watermelon juice no sugar, 1 apple juice no ice, no sugar and so on and he always fills our order with a smile.

Juice Lounge is the healthiest place in Alphaone mall to grab a drink, because he can make wonderful fruit juices and will not add any sugar, if you request him.

He has the standard, watermelon, lime, pineapple etc for 45/- range. He also has exotic drinks like iron booster, hangover cure etc, which are blends of different fruits and vegetables that are good for you in the 80/- range. The menu clearly mentions what juices make up a particular combination.

We have tried quite a few combinations. Obviously if you go for spinach + beetroot + carrot + no sugar, then you need to drink the juice without bothering to taste it. But some combinations are quite good.

The best part is everything is clean and there are no flies, so it feels very hygienic and hence extra healthy.

Rating : 4 / 5

Cellad Eatery, Ahmedabad

Cellad Eatery,
Gulmohar Park Mall,
Satellite
Ahmedabad

079 33901313, +91 997440585

The first thing that strikes you when you enter Cellad Eaery is the stark white all around you. This is what they have chosen as their USP, so that all the colour is visible in the food.

Cellad has a very limited menu and it practically forces you to choose the buffet. However, the buffet does offer a huge spread for 350/- (on weekdays, on weekends its 400/-)

At the Gulmohur Park branch, it is worth it to arrive early to get your food fresher, since they do not have a large turnover and if you arrive after 2:30 pm, the salads would have been sitting there for a couple of hours and lose their crispness and freshness.

The taste is pretty decent and you can choose what you would like to eat, avoiding the cheese and mayonnaise items if you want a healthier meal. If you want just 1 item from the buffet, it will cost 130+, so choosing the buffet does make sense.

The buffet typically offers 2 different types of soup, 2 fresh starters served at the table which could range from pizzas to grilled sandwiches or garlic toast. Around 8 - 10 different salads, a pasta dish, something baked (mousakka, baked handvo etc), a dhal, vegetarian curry and some Indian breads. There's also normally a choice of 2 desserts, one slightly more indulgent and the other based on fresh fruits.

They offer chaas and fresh lime soda  and coffee a la carte. In season, they even serve Matla nu Undhiyu for 370/-. I've had Undhiyu that a friend once ordered from the original Cellad location which was very good quality. But the undhiyu we had at the Gulmohur Park location last weekend was extremely average quality.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Jaliyan, Ahmedabad

Jaliyan,
412 A & B, 4th Floor,
Sheetal Varsha Mall,
Satellite,
Ahmedabad
079 40029004, 079 40029003

I've finally found a good Gujarati Thali restaurant close to home, for the days that we don't want to drive all the way to Agashiye. The reasonable prices don't hurt either.

Jaliyan is located at Sivranjini Crossroads in Sheetal Varsha Mall. Their biggest problem is their location. The mall is completely empty, except for a couple of shops and the mall is in very bad condition - broken floors, semi functioning lifts, a bad smell, badly constructed floors, perpetual noise etc.

But if you are willing to brave these inconveniences, the food served at Jaliyan is definitely worth it.

Jaliyan offers 2 types of Gujarati thalis. One for 200/- and one for 325/-.

The 200/- thali came with 2 sweets - kesar pista basundi (not a patch on Agashiye's basundi) and puranpolis (my favourite dish of this meal). 2 farsaans - Mix pakodas/bhajiyas (potato, onion, methi gotha, stuffed chillies, onion, batata wada) and Chinese Wontons (just in shape, it was a thick maida batter, with a tasty filling though) with sweet chutney and green chutney. Bundi Raita and a corn kakdi Capsicum salad. Both the raita and the salad were excellent.

For the main course, we had Baingan bharta (spicy smoke brinjal pate), Undhiyu (baked winter vegetables), Rasawala Bataka (curried potatoes), Mixed Kathol (beans of various kinds), Gujarathi kadhi (curd based gravy), Gujarati dhal (lentils) and phulkas and bajra rotlas (with ghee and gud).

The meal was rounded up with plain rice, khichdi (average), lasun ki chutney (garlic chutney), papad, chaas (buttermilk - very good) and mineral water.

The other thali has all of this and also pineapple juice, an extra sweet, mix utthapams as an extra farsaan, theplas and bhakris, Rajasthani Dhal bati, something called rai marcha and ice cream too.

Even though we had the simpler thali, it was extremely satisfying and filling. I would rank Jaliyan second (after Agashiye) amongst the Gujarati thalis that we have had in Ahmedabad. Definitely worth visiting. They also have a takeaway lunch for 130/- if you need to carry a packed lunch away (but this would be limited quantities)

The ambiance is much nicer than Govardhan and it wasn't overcrowded either, so service was very attentive and at a very comfortable pace. The interiors are quite fancy for a restaurant that only serves thalis, even thought the place mats were fabric covered in plastic, the place still has a slightly classier feel to it, once inside.

Rating : 4 / 5

Knife & Fork , Ahmedabad

Knife & Fork ,
3, Rivera Arcade,
Near Union Bank,
Opposite HDFC Bank,
Prahlad Nagar
Ahmedabad
079 65405555, +91 8866671555

We decided to try Knife and Fork for Sunday Night home delivery as a change from Punjab King.

I ordered the Hugwani Tangdi and Purdah Biryani based on the descriptions provided and also the K&F Special chicken curry, Chusta Kebab, rotis and naan.

Our total bill came up to around 1200/- definitely higher than Punjab King (our base standard for price / quality of North Indian Food Home delivered in this area), but was it worth it?

The Hugwani Tangdi was good (chicken leg stuffed with chicken mince and baked in a tandoor), but Upper Crust's Chicken Shikhari Tangdi was juicier and tastier (same concept) However Upper Crust charges 240 for 3 pieces and Knife & Fork charges 121 for 2 tangdis. Taste wise, Upper Crust worked better for us. Pricewise, K & F is more reasonable.

The chusta kebab was chicken tikka wrapped in chicken sheekh kebab and further in a mutton sheekh kebab. The concept sounded great, but the execution was average. The chicken and mutton sheekh mince paste taste and texture was more pasty than a sheekh kebab should be and the outside was blackened a little more than we like. the overall flavour was good enough, It costs 511, but maybe because you are actually getting 3 plates of kebabs in one dish?

The K&F special chicken curry came with one huge chunk of chicken, which promptly went into the fridge as leftovers, because with all the other meat we had ordered, this large chunk looked just a little too much to bother with. There was a lot of curry and although it did taste like jazzed up butter chicken, it was still quite tasty.

The tandoori rotis were nice and soft when they came, unlike other delivery places where the rotis turn hard before they reach home. The butter naan had a lot of butter in it.

I had extremely high expectations from the Purdah Biryani given Vijayendras description on Zomato. But what finally arrived was chicken biryani with an omlette placed on on top. I'm not sure if this is what we received because it was a home delivery or whether this is how they serve it, but I was expecting eggs to be cooked on top of the rice.

The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't overwhelmingly great either, it was good enough, but Punjab King still gives us better tasting kebabs at a lower price.

We will try them again for their Chinese and then decide and maybe also try eating at the location to see if anything changes.


As I'd mentioned above,  I promised myself that I would try out their Chinese before dismissing Knife and Fork.

I'm glad I tried their Chinese, it was much better than their Indian. The soups (lemon coriander and hot & sour) were really good. The spring rolls, were really large rolls. Not bite sized pieces, but pieces that oozed stuffing (noodles, veggies and shredded chicken) when you bit into them, but the spring roll was worth the mess. Well balanced and tasty. I will defintiely visit their outlet, just to try this fresh. When it came in, in home delivery, it had come a little soggy, but the taste was very good.

The chicken hakka noodles and chicken schezwan fried rice were tasty, but a little too oily for my palate. The dragon chilli chicken was interesting.

Maybe this place, deserves an in-person visit.

Edited on 24 Jan 14 to Add:
Knife & Fork, called up all their customers a couple of days before Uttrayan (Jan 14th) to tell us that they were making a special chicken undhiyo for the festival. I ordered a kilo for around 400Rs. I was expecting something very different, but what arrived was something of a meatball curry. The gravy was very tasty, but the meatballs were a bit on the harder side.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Punjab King, Ahmedabad

Punjab King,
12 A, Riviera Arcade,
Near Auda Garden,
Prahlad Nagar
Ahmedabad
079 30257202

Punjab King does not have a dine in facility and I normally use them as a takeaway or order in a home delivery.

My absolute favourites on the menu are their lemon paneer tikka and the veg assorted platter. Coming from a die-hard meat eater, this says a lot for the quality of these dishes. Unfortunately, Punjab King has recently discontinued the Lemon Paneer Tikka :(

The non veg kebabs are good, but it is the veg ones that stand out. The chicken achaari tikka and the mutton boti are good. Biryani is average, Curries are hit and miss.

Edited on 27 Mar 14 to Add:

Ever since Punjab King dropped their Paneer Lemon Tikka from the menu and I discovered Tandoori chicken at Ronak Fry in Sarkhej, I haven't ordered much from here.

Today though, we were in the mood for non-veg Chinese home delivery and I hadn't found an Indian-Chinese delivery in Prahladnagar, that I have liked yet. So on a chance, we decided to try the Chinese from Punjab King and we were amazed at how good it was.

The Chicken 65 tasted more like a Chilli Chicken manchurian mix, but was excellent. One of the better lollipops that we have eaten in Ahmedabad. The Chicken Chowmein and hot and sour soup were excellent too. So its settled, I now know where to order from, when the Chinese home delivery bug bites.

Rating : 4 / 5