What brings a smile on a hungry man’s face? What fills the mini breaks of our routine life? What connects people all over the world? What is the ultimate fantasy of a foodie? What soothes a stressed out person? The only answer to all of this is FOOD!!! .. and some more of FOOD!! ! Being a hardcore foodie myself the only thing I can think of to write about is food.
A lot can happen over bhajiyas and dhoklas and that is the universal mantra for Barodians of all sorts .Baroda has had its own cuisine and ideas of enjoying life as a foodie. Like every other city we have our unique spots to get together and are the addas to share our daily dose of thoughts,ideas and drama but also are a staple diet to many. The fact that each and every barodian is a ‘khavaiyo’ is undisputed. We don’t need reasons to binge over delicacies. Our food fits in all diet plans as its magical potion that keeps us healthy and happy. With the encroachment of chain outlets the ones that are endemic to the city have been subdued over time .the transition from a little old town Vadodara has grown to one of India’s most sought after cities to live in which has brought along huge brands and names of cafeterias, hotels and food joints yet the taste isn’t lost and the charm isn’t forgotten. The oldies that have made their mark and then the newbie entrepreneurs that experiment with our taste buds make sure that the food culture in town is alive and happening. their warm and welcoming attitude adds to their modest yet larger than life plans of blending culinary art and business and this successful formula has got them loyal customers in Vadodara and round the globe. Here is a sneak peek in to know what’s on Vadodara’s carte du jour.
1) Chai ki Tapri
The Tannin in tea is oxygen to us and the ‘nukkad ka chaiwala’ is our life support system. One cuppa tea kick-starts our day, makes us survive through the day, gives us a reason to make endless conversations. And despite all that, it gives the rush to keep minds alive and cheers our spirit. Vadodara houses brands like the very famous Mohanlal’s tea launched in 1949 and was amongst one of the first few tea packaging companies of India. Today conceptual cafés like VarieTEA have a melange of aromatic and flavoured tea and delectable snacks with an ambience that gives you a glimpse of tea gardens and the takes the simplistic affair of having a cup of tea to a whole new level .but the regular supply of our favourite brews we get is from the tea stalls and tapri round the corner be it green tea at Mohan’s tapri or golden aadu at Sayajigunj circle and ofcourse the chai addas Vishnu’s and Arif tea stall. Vadodara has to have its daily dose of caffeine and nothing else than a cutting can make it a perfect day!
2) Down the street
Street food is the party popper of our mundane routine meals, its salt and pepper to a bland soup and we practically live in a city where each street owns a treat to taste. it’s a festival of where one can pick according to one’s mood and yet end up celebrating whatever he pops in .there is a delight customized for seasons and celebrations and then there are all time favourites. Homemade Hot steaming ‘lot’ with a dripping oil and masala topping is all we look for after dancing away calories in Navratri along roadsides If its Uttarayan and you are off to the patang bazaar Shriram tamtamwala is your place to go ..Its mixture with fruit toppings is a big time hit. A rainy day seems incomplete without the hot flavoursome lala kaka na bhajiya and manmohan ka dalwada and samosa. For the people on the go mahakali sev usal is the everyday destination …you can possibly never get a hang of it ..the unlimited ‘tari’ offer is just too tempting .roaming in the mini congested lanes of mangalbazaar you might just stop by and have a mouthful of Pyarelal’s spicy and savoury kachori or walk across and tuck in unlimited edition of pani puris right outside the red court. A gujju lies in anyone and everyone of Baroda who can never get contented without gobbling down puffy khaman and dhoklas at Raju’s. Craving for some sweet and spiced peanuts? Bhai bhai dabeli has it for you. Looking for the perfect place to give a treat to your friends and you can never go wrong with the any bite of Vishal’s range of sandwiches or a cheesy buttery vadapav at Tasty’s. An eggy meal in your thought cloud? Raju omelette centre is the only place that pops outta your mouth .well Rajesh bhai who got a Times food award for his appetizing and scrumptiously buttered array of egg delights says it for all that his customers have been the backbone of the success and shall continue to serve us his plateful of magical eggs .Talking of green pockets vadodara is a wonderland of such economic yet kill for money food joints and stalls turn anywhere around.
3) Café culture
The concept of cafe was introduced in the early forties with places like cafe Karnataka, madras café and Canara coffee house. These were the happening hangouts in the then buzzing areas like Mandvi and Dandia bazaar … the ambience takes us back to that era with its antique interiors and authentic simple yet lip smacking south Indian delicacies and a hot cup of coffee is sure to make your day . Known for its puna misal Canara coffee house is still the most crowded café in Baroda being one of the oldest its flavours have never got out of fashion. Kalyan was the onset of modern cafés in Baroda. It was a hotspot for the college crowd being right in the centre of city. Its still a perfect place for the first date with hot chocolate and yummy bites. Amidst the stretch of CCD , Barista, McDonalds, Subway and dominoes places like Goodies, Jojo’s , Frigtemp, Moneez ,Fusion bites ,Pizza on the rocks are local and have a lot to offer. A not so known café J.J’s right next to marble arc is quite place to hangout with its bizarre brews and chillers .Of course with the growing number of entrepreneurs we are sure to have more of such places. Undoubtedly we can never imagine running out of choices.
4) Sweet tooth
There is no second thought on barodians being the sweetest species you come across not just because they have a heart of gold and the happy go lucky spirit but more importantly for they have the biggest sweet tooth one can imagine of. Sweets and desserts are the soul of our festivals, meals and moods. The ever crowded Samrat icecream, Rajasthan kulfi wala, Dairy den are amongst the oldest local joints to serve frosty creamy bites for more than a couple of decades. In the shades of winter one gets to witness an ice cream eating competition at ICE CREAM ON THE ROCKS which literally stands to its brand name, I mean literally. From the early times of Baroda and Gandhi bakery patisserie has evolved to names like Cake Shoppe, Juvenas and Tava’s.
To sum it all up, all that is left to say is go out and try out these amazing places for yourself if you haven’t yet and exploring dishful happiness each day. As each one of us truly believes in “khavanu pivanu and majaaani life.”
