Gujarati or Kathiawadi: which thali should you order

Both thalis are unlimited and both are vegetarian, but they come from different kitchens. The Gujarati thali is the food of Ahmedabad homes: four shaak, a sweet-sour dal, kadhi, thin rotlis and puris, a sweet and two farsan. The cooking is gentle, a little sweet, and leans on jaggery, kokum and green chilli rather than heat.

The Kathiawadi thali comes from Saurashtra, where the land is drier and the food is heartier. Instead of thin rotli you get thick bajra rotla, eaten with a lump of white butter and a piece of jaggery. The shaak are spicier and often heavy with garlic: ringan no olo, a smoky mashed brinjal; sev tameta, tomatoes cooked down and topped with crisp sev; and lasaniya bataka, small potatoes in a red garlic masala. Raw onion, green chilli and chaas sit on the side to cool it all down.

If it is your first visit and you like mild food, start with the Gujarati thali. If you like heat and smoke, or you grew up eating rotla, take the Kathiawadi. Many tables order one of each and share.

The Kathiawadi thali costs ₹40 more because bajra rotla is rolled and cooked one at a time by hand over a slow flame, and it takes our cooks longer than rotli.