I love Mediterranean cuisine. I have never enjoyed chickpeas as I enjoy it when it is turned into hummus. Chickpeas as a completely cooked stuff is something, I ignore. However, it works like a charm in Mediterranean cuisine.
When, I was invited to launch of Tahini, an exclusive Mediterranean cuisine, I was thrilled and looking forward to try my favorite dishes. Here are the details of the lovely cuisine, I tasted, and some few bits of the exclusive interview with Chef Andy Hiller.
Situated in Wide Angle, this small and outstanding restaurant will bring back the charm of the complex. Some years ago, Wide Angle used to be craziest and busiest place. With the time, and new malls mushrooming, it become an iconic and historic place (okay, by historic, I do not mean old but something that laid base for other such complexes.)
Tahini is located on the ground floor of Wide Angle. It is easy to spot this blue-white restaurant from a distance. The refreshing colors hit your eyes and you know, you are in for something yummylicious. The place is cozy and has room enough to accumulate 12-15 people at single time. The ambiance is snug-ish and tasteful. It is a step ahead in the QSR, where everything has been planned brilliantly. The kitchen is open and you can see your food being baked and cooked.
What I loved about this place:
The menu is simple. It works on the formula of personalization. You have three main base to choose from - Baked Pita, Rice Pilaf, and Cabbage Salad. Next, you choose a vegetarian filing or non-veg one – Green/spicy falafel or shawarma/fried chicken. Follow it by choosing any two toppings of your choice – T&C Salad, fried cauliflower, pickled cabbage, or boiled egg. End it with spreads of your choice. Pick any three from Hummus, Spicy Tahini, Tzatziki, Red Harissa, Green Harissa, or house Tahini.
The hygiene parameters of this place are incomparable with any other QSR. For every order, they build; they use fresh kitchenware and tools. Of course, the Chefs wear gloves before serving or making anything. All the spreads, filings, and toppings are there for you to see and choose. You can actual feel the colors and taste whilst standing for your order. It is quite treat to the eyes. They even explain and suggest you as to pick which spread or topping as per your preferences.
The Food & Drinks:
I choose Bake Pita with Falafel. My pita came with a mixture of both green and spicy falafel. The green one had lot of freshness in it. The colors of falafel vouched for its name. It was combined with T&C salad and pickled cabbage, which gave a sturdy and flavorsome base to the filling and the cover (pita bread). Since, I love spicy stuff; I went for green and red harissa with hummus – the specialty. The spreads provided a chewy touch to the entire meal. For just Rs. 140, I found it extremely scrumptious affair.
I also tried their varieties of smoothies – Lime Fresca, Matcha Fresca, and Chilli Guava. My favorite ones were Chili Guava and Lime Fresca. The Chili gave a pleasing touch to the Chili Guava smoothie. And undoubtedly, Lime Fresca was a power house of refreshing taste.
What the Owners Have to Say:
All the three founders, Siddhant Bhandari, Alex Hoffer, and Andy Hiller have comes from USA to set up there fast food restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine.
“Tahini is the paste from sesame seeds. Whether it is roasted, raw, or ground. It is like peanut butter. And Tahini is used very widely in Mediterranean cuisine. From sweet o savory dishes, Tahini sauce is obvious. It pops up across all the dishes. As we decided the name, so Tahini sounded symbolic to our theme,” says Chef Andy Hiller.
Hearing it from the owner, Siddhant Bhandari was there explaining us what we should combine with what. He said that the highlight is baked pita, and it can be combined very well with all other stuff.
“Our main item is Rs 140 and you can get a smoothie for Rs 90 (Rs 75 with meal). Moreover, we use premium ingredients and have worked hard to keep costs low everywhere else so that we can focus on the food. We use the same ingredient vendors as the 5-star hotels in Ahmedabad. For example, our smoothies are made from locally sourced fresh fruits – without any syrups or additives. We want to make it a delicious, affordable, and a great experience for our customers,” said, Alex Hoffer, co-founder.
I would certainly recommend this place. Awesome place to eat good quality Mediterranean food.
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