The Authentic South Indian Restaurant in the City of Vadodara, India

I had visited India recently during the months of December and January 2008. I stayed at the city of Vadodara in the Gujarat State of India, being my native place. During this stay, I was able to visit one South Indian restaurant serving authentic South Indian food delicacies. So far, we had been looking for such authentic restaurant serving South Indian food in Vadodara but were not successful. Our visit to this restaurant finally completed our search for such restaurant and I would like to share my views on the visit to this well-known South Indian restaurant so that my readers can visit this fabulous restaurant during their visit to city of Vadodara in India.

Vadodara is one of the major cities of the Gujarat State, which is commonly known as city of palaces, gardens, and the industries. The total population of this historical city is around two million people. The city is full of modern shopping malls and the most lavish restaurants. We visited Dasprakash Restaurant during last month when I was in India. Dasprakash is having the most popular chain of South Indian restaurants in India. In all, there are twelve such restaurants located all over India. The Vadodara restaurant has been opened very recently before around four months. This stylish restaurant is situated in the Shreem Shalini Mall on the most prestigious R.C. Dutt road in the Alkapuri area of the Vadodara city, which is hardly around ten minutes walking distance from the railway station. The restaurant is situated on the third floor of the mall. The escalators are available to reach up to the restaurant. As soon as you enter the restaurant, its decoration attracts you and gives a feeling as if you have entered in to the most stylish and trendy restaurant. We had gone for the dinner and reached the restaurant at around 7 pm in the evening. As it was the festival day of Uttarayan in India, the restaurant was nicely decorated with all types of colorful kites and the beautiful lighting all around. We were taken to our seats immediately and were handed over the menu. The menu book was very attractive and colorful. All the items from the starters and appetizers to the final desert course were available at this restaurant. We started with the most delicious Orange/Pineapple mock tail to begin, followed with the spicy vegetable Pakoras as the appetizer. These starters were served within five minutes of our ordering. Our subsequent main dish order was for Mysore Masala Dosai and the Medu Vadai. These items were served with the most delicious chutneys of three types and the authentic South Indian Sambhar. All the items of main order was served within around twenty minutes and were delicious and tasty.

There were around 17 types of fruit juices, 5 types of soups, 11 types of Dosai, 3 types of Idli, 10 types of Uttapas, and three types of South Indian Thalis in the menu. The North Indian items like Punjabi vegetables of around 27 types, Roti/Parountha/Nans of around ten types are also served at this restaurant for the North Indian food lovers. The menu also covered around forty five types of deserts, mocktails, and ice creams. The restaurant can also arrange a party serving the vegetarian buffet items as per your choice. There is also a large party hall, which can accommodate around 100 guests. One aspect that slightly bothered us initially was the rates of all the items. These were quiet high. For example, the cost of Dosai was in the range of around Rs.75 ($1.50) to Rs.120 (2.40) per plate. The cost of Medu Vadai was ranging from Rs.50 ($1) to Rs.80 ($1.60) per plate. The South Indian thalis were in the range of around Rs.150 ($3.0) to Rs.200 ($4.0) per person. However, we felt these charges as quiet reasonable while comparing with the quality of the food later. If you would like to visit this restaurant during the weekends, it is suggested to book your table in advance as there can be heavy rush in this restaurant, particularly during the evening hours. All standard credit cards are acceptable at this restaurant. The slight problem of parking may be there during the weekend days. The seating capacity of this restaurant is around eighty.

Based on my own experience, I have no hesitation in recommending this unique South Indian restaurant to all my AC friends visiting this cultural city of Gujarat State in India.