New Ronak Fry Centre, Ahmedabad

New Ronak Fry Centre
Near Fatewadi Bus Stop - opp side of the road and a little further away
Juhapura,
Sarkhej,
Ahmedabad
+91 9924446061

I headed to New Ronak Fry Centre to hunt for Tandoori Chicken on the recommendation of a friend (VD on Zomato), instead of my usual Shawai chicken from Magic Chicken.

I normally have no issues heading anywhere for good food, but for the first time in Ahmedabad, I was made aware of the fact that I was a single woman headed into an eatery (can't call it a restaurant - cooking is on the road and they have about 10 tables, some inside, some outside) filled to the brim with men.

However, given VD's strong recommendation, I just ignored the stares, ordered a tandoori chicken and gurda fry and waited. I have to say that the staff at the restaurant was polite, it was just some of the other customers that made me a little uncomfortable (but not unsafe)

The discomfort was completely worth it, when I opened the package at home. This is absolutely the best tandoori chicken I have ever had in Ahmedabad. Spicy, tender, juicy.

The bill for 1 whole tandoori chicken and a gurda fry was 210/-

The place is extremely basic, so I wouldn't recommend even attempting to sit down here and eat, even if you are a college student used to eating at low budget eateries.

They have quite a few options, but no menu as such, you have to ask the guy what he has, like a Udupi restaurant without a menu and ask for the prices, if you want to clarify. Chicken lollypop, manchurian, chilly, fried rice, hakka noodles, fry, tikka, biryani and butter chicken are what I remember.

I've been told to try their chicken butter fry. The description sounds quite unhealthy, but completely worth it.

I keep going back. I've picked up tandoori chicken from here when my family was over and they too loved it.

I've also found that the tandoori chicken from this new outlet is much more tender and juicy than the original.

I've also been given an insider tip, that if you want it really spicy - ask for the double masala tandoori chicken.

They open around 7 in the evening and are open till quite late.

Note: Given the general hygiene, its safe to have the cooked food (that is cooked on high heat) Avoid the salad and use your own lemons at home if you want to add lime juice.

Rating : 4 / 5

Buttercupp, Ahmedabad

Buttercupp,
4, Advait Mall,
Sandesh Press Road,
Vastrapur,
Ahmedabad

079 30257202

Such a relief to find a good cupcake place in Ahmedabad.

I first picked up 6 cupcakes on a whim when passing by, thinking of taking them on our road trip the next day. As soon as I reached home, we lifted the lid and we finished all cupcakes in the next 10 minutes, while doing our best to savour each one of them. We had the Oreo, Double Chocolate, Strawberry and Lemon. We loved the chocolate ones the most, but that's no surprise. The strawberry centered ones were a nice surprise to bite into.

Buttercupp offers cupcakes in eggless variety too. They always have a couple of options with seasonal fruits either in the cake or in the icing. The apple cinnamon and lemon and Indian blackberry are lovely, but my personal favourites always revolve around chocolate.

They have a couple of tiny tables in shop if you just can't wait to gobble up your cupcake, but I prefer to bring my cupcakes home so I can slobber all over them :) and lick my fingers clean.

The cupcakes are 60/- each. The ingredients are all the best possible quality and it shows in the end product.

The owners are a US returned couple and their attention to detail and quality is amazing and the end result are some really yummilicious cupcakes.

Added on 19th July
Buttercupp has now expanded to include erstwhile momoman too, so the space has doubled. They have put up some lovely plants behind glass, so the greenery adds a very soothing touch to the ambiance.

They also keep adding some innovative products to their menu. Their cheese cake is supposed to be really good, but I haven't had the opportunity to try that yet.

When I visited on the 16th, they had just debuted their castle orange Bundt Cake. A slice (100gms) was
70/-. Its a nice light tea cake, ideal for those who have been complaining about too much butter in their icing and cupcakes playing havoc with their waistlines.

They also have some brownie cookies which are a steal at 10Rs each. They are just so light and tasty and melt in your mouth. Th e chocolate chip cookies (20/- each) are quite yummy too) and the current flavour of the season is plum, which we loved.

Rating : 5 / 5

Mocktail Shots, Ahmedabad

Mocktail Shots,
Food Court - Alpha One Mall.
Vastrapur
Ahmedabad
+91 9924116784, +91 9904875698

Disclaimer : I am not from Gujarat, just posted in this city for awhile.
So honestly, I feel sorry for the flair bartenders here at Mocktail Shots, who have a really smart jazzy looking location with flashing colored lights, they dress up much more snazzily than the staff at the other surrounding outlets in the food court, they have hip music playing in the background, but not a drop of alcohol to play around with.

Also most customers that I have seen in the food court, prefer to have a fountain pepsi, cold coffee or chocolate shake. Rarely do you see anyone standing outside the "Mocktail Shots" outlet.

However, one day, out of sheer sympathy for the guys who were juggling cocktail shakers and bottles with no one ordering anything from them, I decided to try a few mocktails, but it ended up being too sweet for our taste. The combinations weren't bad, it was just overly sweet for me. If I do try them again, I will definitely ask them to lower the sugar in my drinks.


Their drinks range in prices from 69/- to 169/- There are also a few shots priced at 50/-

Rating : 3 / 5

VarieTea, Ahmedabad

VarieTea,
A 2, Aashna,
Behind Shell Petrol Pump,
Prahlad Nagar
Ahmedabad
+91 9099912565

Absolutely loved the place. Although I think, when we walked in, my husband and me were double the average age of the other customers - it seems like a college hangout joint. Yet, we loved the place and will definitely go back.

VarieTea has a table outdoors for those who would like a cigarette with their chai, The ground floor has a couple of tables, but its mostly for selling a ton of tea realted stuff - kettles, tea bags etc. However, they recommended that we go downstairs. The basement is a large open sprawling place, with sofa seating and low chairs. There is even a Japanese style floor seating in one corner. the basement can easily fit about 75 people. They even have a private room, for a small party / get together with a tv in it. Ideal for watching a cricket / football match with friends.

VarieTea has a really large selection of teas, from Ice teas to herbal teas to milk teas, stick teas, the works. Its the first genuine Chai bar that I have been to in Ahmedabad.

I had the kacchi keri ice tea which was excellent. It came in a really large glass - I suspect about 750ml (120/-) - It was just the right balance of sweet, sour and a hint of salt. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Looking at the place, the husband was a little wary as to whether it was just a place that looked good or if they actually could serve good tea. So the UPite in him decided to test their measure with an old staple - adrak chai (ginger milk tea - 80/-). When his chai arrived, he found that the flavour and consistency was excellent, he would just have preferred to have it served hotter. The chai was served in a ceramic teapot - about 2 cups - and came with 2 complimentary sweetish jeera biscuits

VarieTea has a large range of snacks, pizzas, sandwiches etc, but we had just finished a good Sunday lunch and just wanted some tea & a light bite. So I ordered a bun maska (49/-), which was really good soft bun with a nice thick layer of Amul butter. Heaven! and the Chef's signature chocolate bun(69/-), which was a similar bun slathered with chocolate in the centre and drizzled with more chocolate sauce on the top. This was a really good chocolate bun, exactly the way I like it and completely unlike the chocolate sandwich at Shambhus which has chocolate chunks and cheese between 2 slices of bread.

The bill was brought to us in a painted kitli (aluminium kettle) and I loved the way the coins in the change were placed in the upside down kettle cover for easy access.

Do note, that service is really slow, so this is not the place to go if you are in a hurry, but its an ideal place to go if you just want to relax and chill out with friends or family.

We loved the place and will definitely go back to try more of their VarieTeas.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Edited on 26 Jan 14 to add:
On multiple subsequent visits to VarieTea, we have had the opportunity to try their snacks, the french fries, sandwiches, pizzas have all been great. The Sweet Potato Fries are an interesting innovation and while a Vegetarian Philly Cheese Sandwich sounds ridiculous, it does taste good. Never been disappointed with their quality or flavour.

They also have a shop on top where you can buy fancy teapots, exotic teas and their home made cookies.

Asharfilal Kulfi, Ahmedabad

Asharfilal Kulfi
Food Court - Alpha One Mall,
Vastrapur
Ahmedabad
+91 9825067480

I really love the kulfi at Asharfilal. I honestly would choose their kulfi over the other ice creams and gelatos on offer in the Alpha One Mall Food Court.

The kulfis come in 3 broad categories - matka/pot kulfi (in a little mud pot 38/- to 50/-), tilliwalli/stick kulfi (like an extended lollypop - 25/- to 30/-) and roll/slice kulfi (36/- to 46/-) which is circular pieces of kulfi around the size of an idli.

kulfi is made from cream and sugar and then flavoured with fresh fruits or dry fruits and nuts. I'm not a fruit person, but friends tell me that their mango kulfi is really good. I prefer the kesar pista, roasted almond, rose coconut, real kesar flavours.

The trick to enjoying kulfi is to let it melt a little before you put it in your mouth, so that you can taste the flavours and sense the creaminess, too cold and your tongue can't feel or taste anything, too melted and you might as well be drinking flavoured milk.

The most brilliant thing about asharfilal is that they offer sugar free versions (35/-) too, so my father in law and my dad were really happy to be able to enjoy kulfi again after so many years of watching their sugar.

They have plenty of branches across the city and the supply is the same, so yo get wonderful kulfi from every location.

Rating : 4 / 5