Tilla Shop & Café — Restaurant in Gujarat

Cafe tilla #NewFind #Highlyrecommended

Spotted this place last Monday whilst on my way to a friend's studio in the vicinity and immediately made a mental note for a Saturday Night dinner plan.

Set in a pretty neat bungalow off the bustling roads neighbouring the National Institute of Design, India this cafe is in fact run and operated by three NID alumni. Two of them are practising designers in their own accord and have a fully operational studio in the same premise. Why I offered a background?! because it is essential to know there are many like all of us who love food to an extent that it becomes a hobby for them besides their primary professions!

The pristine decor of this place is very calming. A handpicked collection of music from a mix of genres accompanies you while you wait for the food.

FOOD

Saunf Sherbet: True to its word this deliciously cooling drink has fragrance and flavour fennel in each sip with no added colour or artificial additives.

Dahi Sandwich: Spiced hung curd spread between the layer of lightly grilled bread slices. It’ll make you question the invention of OTS mayonnaise.

Onion Mushroom Soup: A mushroom cappuccino! Rich and filling.

Korma with Set Dosa: This creamy Indian vegetable korma amplified the fun of dunking Set dosa in it! Loaded with mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes; it is a comfort meal!

Sattu Paratha: The roasted gram filling was very well spiced. The highlight of this dish was the fresh in-house pickle made from tindora-marcha-gaajar and split mustard seeds. We binged on this pickle, shamelessly so.

Sauteed Baby Potatoes: The beauty of this preparation lies in its simplicity and nonchalance. The boiled/baked potatoes are marinated so perfectly that the flavour seeps right through the centre of it! The herbs and oil, together make this the perfect starter, main course or just a snack!

Barley Apple Pomegranate: Barley so perfectly cooked; made for a pleasing salad!

Banana Chocolate Pancakes: One word. Perfect. I cannot believe I’m advocating an eggless pancake. The butterscotch crunch inside broke the monotony of the pancake-chocolate-banana in such an enjoyable manner.

Caramel Cake: Oh my! The cake along with the fudge-y caramel sauce on the top was a winner!

Lemon Cake: Tad dry for my taste. But perfect in flavour!

Vanilla Charcoal Icecream: The colour so gorgeous, the taste so subtle!

Rose Coconut Icecream: Loved the delicateness of the two nuances.

Guava Icecream: Freshly made, it was like eating a frozen guava. Surreal.

We polished All of this between the three of us. Speaks for the ingredients and the love whilst making the food. The Cafe invokes an appreciative sense of eating. The effortless interaction by the owners is very welcoming.

Location: Narayan Nagar Road, Opp.Union Bank, Paldi Timing: 12pm to 11pm....

It's a small, inconspicuous looking cafe amidst a mostly residential area and is a bit difficult to locate when you are going here for the first time. Since it is surrounded by residential buildings, parking is a major issue, especially for cars. There isn't enough parking space even for a few cars. The ambiance is quite bright and refreshingly different from most other cafés. The interiors have been carefully designed - the plants on the shelves near the ceiling stands out brightly against the white backdrop of the walls. Even the seating is quite comfortable, both outdoor as well as indoor. The service wasn't quite up to the mark, as the waiters and servers were quite confused while interacting with patrons and they aren't even quite familiar with the menu. The menu is quite a weird combination of dishes from various cuisines, which don't quite go well together, however, most of the dishes on their own are quite good.

On my plate

Paneer samosa - these seemed a bit overpriced to me, but they tasted good enough, so, no complaints here.

Sautéed baby potatoes - surprisingly, I liked these quite a bit. The baby potatoes were properly boiled and then sautéed and tossed in a delectable combination of spices.

Korma with set dosa - the Korma was quite good, although a bit too sweet for my liking. However, the dosas served with the korma were just average and not quite fluffy. Needless to say, I don't think the dish is anything extraordinary.

Sattu Paratha - the beet chutney and the freshly-made pickle served with these parathas was delectable. However, the filling inside the parathas was quite dry which cause the parathas to crumble - not making it easy to be eaten like a Paratha. The taste, however, was quite good, and I would have loved it if the parathas didn't break before I could eat them.

Stir fried vegetables with rice - this is one of the most curious dishes I tried here, generally, in Ahmedabad, I presume, when they say stir fried vegetables, that it is going to taste like Chinese. However, the stir fried vegetables that they served was a curious concoction of peanut butter, sesame, and other spices, and I absolutely loved it. Even the rice were perfectly cooked.

Value for money - the portion sizes are considerably if not very large, thus, offering great...

Located near NID, cafe Tilla is a cozy outlet which surely turns out to be an underdog in the food industry. It gets a bit difficult to locate the cafe and parking here is also an issue that's to some non-cooperative neighbours. However once you are here, the ambience will surely appease you. All decked in white the interiors make you feel at peace. Soft music in background and a bunch of plants on the walls make it a really soothing dining experience. The menu is in the form of a small booklet and consists of various mixed cuisines. We tried out

Sautted Baby potato's -A perfect blend of spices and baby potatoes. A sure shot delicacy.

Sattu paratha - A crunchy paratha stuffed with chana served with beetroot chutney. Found the stuffing to be a bit dry. Not the best but surely something different. The chutney and pickle made it a better deal.

Set Dosa with Korma - Have tried it at a couple of famous south Indian joints, this one was surely the best. The Dosa was amply soft and one can feel it to be pretty fresh. The korma too tasted great.

Paneer samosa - 5 pieces if tiny samosa stuffed with paneer and chilli. The dish is a must have.

Stir fried vegetable with rice - The vegetable gravy was more on a peanut base and did not go well with all, but surely suits a peanut lover.

Found the rates to be pretty fine for the quantity offered.

PS. The serving portions are not too huge so do check out for the exact portion served...