Designer Gaurang Shah’s vegetarian restaurant in Hyderabad offers terrific thalis

The interiors inspired by his favourite weaves  
Gaurang's Kitchen
Gaurang's Kitchen

For Gaurang Shah’s dream project to come true, a massive house that can accommodate 300 people was a criterion. Situated in the quieter lanes of Jubilee Hills, Gaurang’s Kitchen has already become a favourite for those who love vegetarian thalis. We entered the foodie destination on a Friday afternoon and were thrilled to find that all the seven rooms have been converted into seating spaces, with a theme. From Kanjivaram to Benaras and Kota to jamdani — the rooms are themed based on some of the designer’s favourite weaves. We were seated in the paithani-themed dining area and as we sipped on a chilled masala chaas, we patiently waited for our starters to arrive.

The appetisers included the Mini Onion Medu Vada with Sambar, Three Layer Dhokla, Palak Paneer Tikka and Sabudana Thalipeeth. Our favourite was the medu vada, which had just the right crunchy texture we were hoping for. The sambar served was perfectly balanced — not very watery or sweet. It had the right consistency and came loaded with vegetables like bottle gourd. A close second was the thalipeeth. It had a biscuit-like texture and was served with a fiery red chilli chutney — a flavoursome combination.

Starters
Starters

After the starters, our thali arrived. We were first served four types of bread — phulka, rotla, jeera puri, and biscuit bhakri. We paired them with the Achari Paneer. The paneer cubes were infused with quite a few masalas and true to its name; the gravy was spicy and had tangy notes. We also tried their Gujarati Bhindi — the stuffed okra was sweet, sour and spicy. Soon, we dove into the Chole Aloo, which came with true Punjabi flavours that had us engaged. Finally, we sampled a bowl of Andhra Brinjal Curry, the whole brinjals dunked in a pool of delightful groundnut-based gravy.

Thali
Thali

After the spicy Indian curries, we also sampled their Khichdi topped with a spoonful of ghee. The comforting dish worked well with the kadhi served alongside. For desserts, we had Pista Basundi, which was sweet and was sprinkled with crunchy roasted pistachios for that much needed mélange of textures. Soon we were surprised with a second dessert platter that impressed us with kulfis that were shaped like mangoes and oranges. This ever-popular Indian version of ice cream had us reaching for several seconds.

Dessert platter
Dessert platter

Rs 2,000 for two. At Jubilee Hills.

— bsuchitra@newindianexpress.com

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