PRAVAS - An authentic Gujarati experience!

“Kem Cho? Maja ma?” said the voice from behind followed by a loud thud on my back. Those were the days in college, to and from monotonous lectures with life-saving canteen breaks in between. My BFF, probably the most jovial, healthy looking Gujarati in college and her over enthusiastic attempts at making little about my exam stressed demeanour have imprinted my mind for the better. Her bindass attitude helped make a timid shy suburban pav a carefree and confident woman and I can never thank her enough for her pep talks. All the while munching on garam dhoklas. Even after we were done with our finals, looking back I can’t seem to remember how her mother kept those juicy dhoklas hot. All that comes to mind was the fact that her tiffin filled with puran poli and dhoklas took us flying through some trying examination stress!

I recently had the opportunity to eat dhoklas at a SoBo restaurant which took me back an odd 15 years to my time spent with my BFF. I can vouch for the authenticity of those dhoklas cause they had the exact same taste my memory had associated with those stressed examination days. I am talking about “Pravas” a luxury train themed restaurant specialized in giving you an authentic Gujarati thali experience.“Palace on Wheels“ experience in real! And damn! They’re really good at it!

The restaurant is unique in its ambience, recreating the magic of travelling in a luxury train. I was speechless as I entered the place which takes you away from conventional restaurant like seating to a train dining carriage set up. I was overwhelmed by the resemblance of both the exterior and interior to a train and thumbs up to such detailed designing. The ambience enhances the dining experience, and even on a hot sunny afternoon, the place was very well cooled complimented with plenty of natural sunlight while not making the wooden dining cabin one bit uncomfortable.

The menu is simple – an authentic gujarati thali, allowing you only to decide whether you want to go in for an unlimited plan or a limited one. I would personally recommend the unlimited one because it includes the chaat station outside the train, giving you the same feeling of eating chaat at a railway station while waiting for your train to arrive! The chaat menu changes on a daily basis, and is lip smacking. I enjoyed the paani puri which is served very hygienically and very unlike my unhygienic memories of Juhu beach.

Since it was a Sunday afternoon lunch, and would involve a long drive back to the suburbs, we decided against alcohol based drinks. But it wasn’t disappointing. We tried all four of the non alcoholic beverages and believe me, they’re worth it! First up was the Bhavnagri Limade, a crispy lime drink, complimented by the spiciness of a bhavnagri chilly, making for a prefect summer cooler. This non sweet drink holds the freshness of the chilly and leaves a nice burning aftertaste. Next was the Damru Paan – a milky blend of vanilla and paan flavours, in the consistency of buttermilk. The Mango Cream Delite is a very rich creamy aamras drink which can easily pass off as desert. This is much thicker in consistency than the paan drink and can definitely compromise your appetite for the main course. Fourth on the list was the Ahamadabadi Masala Sorbet which is a kind of sizzling gola frozen in kokum syrup and decorated with kokum pieces.

The main course starts of with handwashing in style, giving a very royal start to the service. The thali was spotlessly clean, with enough vatis to accommodate all dishes, making the thali look smaller than it actually is. Since we were told that gujarati meals conventionally start with the sweet dish, we played along. The anjeer puran poli was hot and soft and was complimented well by the churma ladoo and fruit salad. The khaman dhokla was spongy bright yellow and sweet with a drop of sourness. The khandvi was soft with its small rolls melting in my mouth in its savoury mix of gram flour and yogurt. The vegetable dishes were a classic bhindi nu shak, tangy and piquant tomato paneer, a steady aloo nu shak and a very interesting racy methi papad nu shaak. I had repeated servings of the tomato paneer along with hot hot puris which eclipsed the rest of the dishes on my thali. My husband detests methi, but had to accept that the methi papad nu shaak had now convinced him otherwise. A very wholesome and nourishing dal on steamed rice closed up our meal. And finally a buttery chaas helped wash down the last bits of leftovers.

With its wacky desi-infused cocktails, interactive kitchen concept and scrumptious Gujarati thalis, this place has successfully broken the shackles of a mainstream Gujarati outlet. Every item on the menu is well curated and hand-made with the finest ingredients to bring out the delicate flavors of Gujarat. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty thali or want to surprise your taste buds with a zesty entrée from our a la carte menu, Pravas will definitely appease your palate.

Pravas truly renders an authentic gujarati dining experience, right from its distinguishing ambient embellishment to its genuine lip smacking food. A definite recommend on my books.

Do check out the video of the mocktail Ahamadabadi Masala Sorbet on my instagram profile kimparadise7 https://www.instagram.com/kimparadise7/

Pravas Special Gujarati Thali
A la carte Pravas Special
Summer platter – Dhokla puri with aamras (Combination of Puri and Dhokla)…..₹ 500
Vegetable Pan Hndvo (A Savoury veg cacke)…….₹ 280
Tava Puff Chanki (Plit lentil pancake with Panner, Tomato and Capsicum)…..₹ 250
Chokla nu Khichyu (Homemade steamed rice douch)…….₹ 250
Pankey with Mint Chutney (Rice Pancake served in folded banana leaf)……₹ 200