Roots go deeper...

The Iconic landmark on the map of any tourist or celebrity visiting Ahmedabad is Vishalla. One place which has been deep-rooted yet standing firm on the ground since 1978. Rustic, soothing, natural and humane are the core essential aspects of the age-old restaurant in town.

Vishalla is not only known for its authentic food which comprises of over forty items which are first served to the deity in the temple after an ‘aarti’; a daily ritual, and if you happen to reach there at 7pm then you can be a part of this truly divine experience. The food, therefore, is addressed more as ‘prasadam’. Moreover, the ingredients used are pure and natural with no entry of any artificial color in your platter. The authentic Gujarati food is served over disposable dry leaf plates or ‘pattal’.

Wall of Fame

The village-like rustic environment gets dramatic in the evening when the lanterns light up the mud houses and dining tops created with uneven logs of wood; retaining its natural shape. Your olfactory glands connect you with the core when you breathe in the air filled with the fragrance of earth after it receives the first shower.

Ambient sound is none other than a simple folklore music running in the backdrop, no fusion, no mixing... just pure and simple which takes you back into the past era,  all you can do is sit on the jute woven cots and enjoy or swirl and be a part of the dance. The folk stories are narrated in yet another corner where you can see men holding strings managing the moves of puppets.. That’s the auditory jugalbandi!!

The Heritage story doesn’t limit only to the food. Vishalla is a store house of 4500 plus utensils from across the globe. Apart from this, you can spot stirrups, nutcrackers, locks, inkwell with pen cases etc. This is one of the major attractions of Ahmedabad.

The massive courtyard of Vishala today, was host to a book launch. ‘Secret Sauce’, as the title indicates, is a book written by Priya Bala & Jayanth Narayanan on forty of India’s restaurants which in a world of fierce competition, have gone through tests of time. They have not only survived but have become a landmark in their own respective cities as iconic restaurants.

The unveiling of the book was done by Shri Surendra Patel, the soul of Vishalla and Priya Bala.

Last but not the least.. when I enquired about the “Gaushala”, after spotting cows on my way, Chirag Patel confirmed that this is a new section added in Vishalla!!

This isn’t just exhibition (when on one side we have multiplying number of up-market loud eateries) but a clear demonstration of our roots going deeper...