30 January,2022 09:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Phorum Pandya
Saraza, a casual fine-dine, opened in the first lockdown. The owners roped in chef-consultant Ajay Chopra of MasterChef India fame to bring gourmet food to Rajkot. The menu features Thai hot and sour, vada and pav spring roll, among other dishes
On every trip to Rajkot over the last three decades, my first food stop has always been a street vendor who makes bread katka (pieces). Take it from a Mumbaikar who loves her chaat delicacies, this offering is unique: chunky bread pieces are slathered in chutneys, topped with masala peanuts, and finished with a generous sprinkle of nylon sev. Bites are alternated with wiping hot tears brought on by the famous green chutney made of peanuts, lemon peels, asafoetida and green chillies; best paired with chips. There was no leaving out the fafda jalebi, bhungda batata (a fiery potato gravy served with fryums), dabeli, and of course, hand-churned ice creams and sweet milkshakes. The last visit in November, however, was different. Our gastronomic excursion began with the city's first outpost of Barista cafe chain. A cousin who grew up in Rajkot, but has spent the better part of her life abroad, summed it up perfectly: "Can't believe we are in Rajkot!" Overlooking freshly manicured gardens, the vibe reflects change.
Jay Mehta opened the cafe in the middle of the lockdown in November 2021 at Acrolawns, a new members' only club on Kalavad Road. "Until now, Rajkot has not had access to a big coffee brand. Rajkotians, as we are fondly called, dig brands, and it is a belief that if something is branded, it will sell well. Of course, quality, location viability, and accessibility are required. Here, the cafe concept is diluted since multi-cuisine restaurants are the norm. For example, if you visit any âcafe' in Rajkot, you will find paneer tikka masala, butter roti and biryanis," he explains.
While the club project launch got delayed due to the pandemic, the structure was ready. "There's never a right time to do anything. For the coffee shop, we did not advertise locally. Social media helped reach out to an audience of all ages," says Mehta, who runs educational institutions in Saurashtra. But, aren't Gujaratis tea drinkers? "Yes, they want their masala âcha'. Even when we bring our friends and family here and ask them what they want, they don't quite know what to order. They wear a blank face. Coffee is very new [to them]. It is on us to spread the awareness and educate customers. For now, they are coming for the ambience - âThere is a new place in town, let's try it'," he adds.
Street vendors who make bread katka (pieces) continue to see crowds
Mehta insists the strategy is far from aggressive. "We allow people to discover us and then come back for the experience they enjoyed. They, in turn, tell their friends and family about it too," he says. It has surely worked to create a buzz. Further down the road is Saraza, a casual fine-dine layout spread across 44,000 square feet that includes a banquet hall that opened just eight months before the first lockdown. It is conceptualised by a group of friends who work together on social projects for Rotary club of Rajkot Midtown.
"We are a versatile lot aged between 35 and 60. We are from different fields such as business, IT, real estate, finance, petroleum and architecture. This helped bring different skill sets to the table," says Kushal Anadkat, one of the partners. The idea, he explains, was to entertain guests with authentic gourmet food. "We travel a lot, and sometimes, if we want a good gourmet meal, we have to wait for our next trip abroad or to visit a city like Mumbai. We decided it was time for Rajkot to provide its own F&B offerings. While Rajkotians want their oily and spicy food, we tweaked a few dishes on the spice levels but left out the overuse of oil and butter," says Anadkat.
For the project, they roped in chef-consultant Ajay Chopra of MasterChef India 2018 fame. "The idea was to bring authentic gourmet food to Rajkot. People here are well-travelled. When they come back, they succumb to standard food. Similar to any other part of the country, people will try experimental foods the first three to four times. Then, they want their dal roti. We offer a mix of everything. When the partners approached me, they were clear: they wanted authentic al dente pasta and hand-rolled thin-crust pizza," says Chopra.
The most popular sharing dish is a pull-apart cheese-chilly pav, which has the backing of a perfectly fluffy laadi and filling of a spicy garlic chutney. For the local palate, there is a khatta meetha tikha salad, and even a vada pav spring roll. To woo a mixed crowd, soups such as classic Thai hot and sour soup and healthy broccoli and almond cappuccino soup feature on the menu. We take the macaron test and it is light and perfect. Interestingly, the bakery section was developed during the curfew to help retain and support their staff. With 50 products on the menu, including focaccia and baguette breads to desserts like lavender and burnt white chocolate mousse, the team began supplying to grocery stores in the city, informs Anadkat.
Barista opened in the middle of the lockdown in November 2021 at Acrolawns, a new members' only club on Kalavad Road
Last week, they also opened their first 500 square feet bakery and cafe format in the city on Akshar Marg. "We are doing a menu of waffles and ice creams along with all our bakery products," says Anadkat. Interestingly, the city is witnessing new offerings in all formats. A new entrant in the lockdown is Lassi Wala. A premium milk products outpost for creamy ice creams, hot kesar milk, kulfi and of course lassi with variations like choco almond, oreo and kaju mango. With four outlets in the city already and more franchisees in the pipeline, owner Hareshbhai Kantilal Davda wants to take the brand to cities beyond Rajkot, including Ahmedabad and Surat. "We have been in the business of milk and milk products for the past 35 years. Now, I am into real estate. I wanted to create a product that was pure and one that people would benefit from." Rajkot, he explains, is the hub of Saurashtra. "The city has seen a lot of investment from other cities and states, and a host of NRIs have returned, bringing in business and investments in the last three years," says Davda.
Chef Ajay Chopra and Jay Mehta
Vaishali Thaker grew up in and lived in the city until the age of 15 after which she moved to the UK and later the UAE, where she now resides. She takes us on a walk down her food memory lane. "My most treasured memory was Ratri Bazaar, which was like a food mela filled with different food items such as chat, Indian Chinese, pav bhaji, dabeli and bread kattka. They would be open till 3 am and served the best gulab jamuns," says Thaker. Her uncle Paresh Thaker opened Fill-in and soon after, her father, Arvind Thaker, opened Step-In. They were among the first outposts to dish out pizzas and burgers at Step-In in the 1980s.
"On my last trip in November, I even tried a Burmese menu at Wok on Fire. Rajkotians are also more open to trying different things now than they were back in the day. Rajkot has changed beyond expectation - from desi food dhabas to healthy eateries, there is something for every pocket size," she shares. While packets of Jai Siya Ram's kesar, chocolate and malai pendas are responsible for excess baggage on our return flight to Mumbai, this time, we are also taking back a box of macarons and a ragi sour bread loaf.
New-age generations are reviving and revamping old-school family businesses, too. Anaam Ghughara, a 32-year-old brand that started as a cycle rekdi in Patel wadi, is one such. We visit the outlet and are greeted with some interesting signage on the walls: "Ghughara is not a trend. It is a lifestyle. In Ghughara we trust, keep calm and eat Ghughara." The act of devouring fried pastries served with two chutneys becomes an experience. "It started with a humble shop, and then eight stores across Gondal, Morbi and a few in Rajkot. Handmade by the women of the family in their home kitchen, today, the ghugharas are made in a factory," he says.
Abhay Lakhani is an active contributor on Instagram handle @our_rajkot, which is part of a social media agency that posts about news, events and food in the city. "We consider it social work to keep Rajkotians updated on the happenings in the city. And, food, is a big part of our culture," he smiles. According to him, the city has seen an upgrade in the last five years. "Pizza places have been most popular. The city is obsessed with cheese!" he confesses, and lists lasagne, quesadilla and fondue as the current trend. As a food influencer, Lakhani has two priorities: one, to promote what's new in the city and secondly, document and announce street food ventures run on laris (thelas). "In the recent years, Sindhi dal pakwan is a hit among students, as it is a desi and filling snack."
Twenty-one-year-old Mukesh Raja started Balaji Maggi stall opposite Swaminarayan temple three years ago. "Now, you will see many such stalls," he boasts. The menu has Maggi in all forms: cheese, vegetable, Italian sauces. We ask him to whip up his most popular variety, the tadka Maggi. For this, he puts regular Maggi into the pan, and on another pan, he adds dollops of butter, garlic, red chillies. He grates a generous layer of cheese on to the Maggi and then finishes it with the tadka. "Even with the curfew hours, I manage to serve 50-60 dishes a day."
