Tomatoes Ahmedabad
‘Tomatoes’ is a fine dine and yet casually ever YOUNG restaurant created by a Passionate Parsee who is bent on infusing some life into your dinning experience even in a alchohol free massively vegetarian Ahmedabad gourmet life. The menu card itself is inviting you to be as you are in its hospitality! It has created a USA -UK of 1950-60’s with beatles Elvis et al dominated by Monroe extending her legs from old posters !
They have different seating arrangements suited to tastes-Rissottos and sizzlers continental,asian and Indian-coastal punjabi as original as it gets they serve you the menu card that you will want to come here.
My personal favourites is Tiramisu MOcktail and Mexican food.
| Address | Mardia Plaza, CG Rd, Navarangpura, Ahmedabad 380009 |
| Contact No | 079- 26461998 |
| Timings | |
| Food Type | Veg & Non Vegetarian Asian, Bakery, Chinese, Dessert, Indian, Italian, Lebanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Thai, Continental, Fast Food, Pizza & Pasta |
| Credit Card | Accepted |
| Water | RO Water |
| Air Conditioned | Yes |
| Home Delivery | No |
| Price | Approx Rs. 250/- to Rs. 350/- per person |
Times Food Guide
The night was red and black! And why not, after all, it was the one that saw glitz, glamour and food unite to make the night one that Amdavadis will be raving about for a long time to come! With a delightful venue under the starlit night for a start and the razzle dazzle of celebrities and esteemed guests, the unveiling of the Times Food Guide was absolutely a visual delight.
Actor Payal Rohatgi, the chief guest for the evening dressed in bright blue, unveiled the Times Food Guide. The trendy and user friendly food guide provides a sneek peek into the city’s food citadels and takes you on an exciting journey of food.
There was definitely no dearth of laughter with popular RJ and host for the night, Dhwanit leading the night with his witty repartee and humourous take on Amdavadis fascination for food. Cricketer Parthiv Patel couldn’t have put it better, “Ahmedabad is full of restaurants, you can find them at every corner. Yet it is almost impossible to get a table without waiting for some time. I think, that says it all. Like any Gujarati, I too am a foodie and I am glad to be present at an event which honours restaurateurs and good food.” The city’s movers and shakers mingled and enjoyed the evening to the hilt. The guest list included Parthiv Patel, Devang Patel, Manjula Pooja Shroff, Dushyant Joshi, Anjou Musafir, Umang Hutheesing, Ishira Parikh to name a few. The Times Food Guide 2009’s title sponsors are Nutralite & Sugarfree, hospitality partner for the event is The Mayfair Banquets, and celebrity hosts – The Grand Bhagwati.
The winners take it all…
The evening kicked off with the Times Food Award ceremony that lauded some of the best food joints in the city and winners took home laurels for categories like Best Gujarati, Best Italian, Best Coffee shop, Best Confectionery shop, Best South Indian to name a few. Akash Kandoi, of Kandoi Sweets, the two-time winner in the sweets (Mithai) category sounded exhilarated as he said, “It is great that we have been recognised for sweetening people’s lives once again. It is wonderful to get the approval of Amdavadis once again and the timing couldn’t have been better.”
The glitteratti and the chatterati came together and the heady concoction of power and glamour seemed to have made the night even more bedazzling. Winner of the Best South Indian joint, Mukund Singh, the Vice President of Dasaprakash put in a word about the popularity of the Times Food Guide Awards, “We are delighted to have received the award as I feel that we can work with renewed enthusiasm after this huge win. It is always great to get recognition for your work.”
Singer and actor Devang Patel couldn’t have put it better as he says, “It is always great to be part of the Times Food Awards as I am a huge foodie. More so as an Amdavadi, I love experimenting with all kinds of cuisine. I think Amdavadis and their love for food just cannot be separated!”
On a platter
If the awards were any precursor to the revelry ahead, then the food was definitely the star of the night! From nachos, pastas, pizzas to our very own panki, food travelled the entire trajectory of tastes and sights and made for a delightful spread! Amid myriad cuisines, sumptuous desserts and exhilarating conversations, foodies just couldn’t have asked for more! As George Bernard Shaw had once said, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” With a night like that, are we ready to fall in love again or what!
Nano Mother plant getting ready
The country’s little car, Nano, was officially launched in the market on Monday. But the people of Sanand, a sleepy suburb in Ahmedabad, which is the chosen site for the mother plant of the car, will still have to wait for a while before they can witness the roll-out.
According to locals, there’s been frenetic activity at the site over the past few days. “Machines and equipment are coming in,” said a villager.
Adhering to their schedule to roll out Nano by the end of 2010, executives of Tata Motors have been working round the clock ever since the MoU to relocate the plant from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand was inked between Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the Tata Group.
Highly placed sources close to the project said the construction of ancillary plant buildings are in progress, and are expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks.
A drive down the road where the plant is coming up bears testimony to this, as beyond the barbed wire fencing, several sheds made of pre-engineered steel structures, have come up. Phenix Varco Pruden, pre-engineered steel structure building manufacturer, has bagged the Rs 50 crore-contract for constructing the ancillary plant buildings at the project site.
As much as 4,000 tonnes of steel components, designed with a heavy load bearing capacity with a mainframe structure to support the full load, are expected to be used for the construction of these buildings.
Construction of the power train facility, press shop, and assembly line is also in progress. If everything goes as per schedule, critical infrastructure is expected to be in place by this November.
Sources said Tata Motors is using multiple vendors to expedite the project.
Among the tasks which have already been completed are: fencing, construction of inner roads, compound walls, and pre-fabricated sheds. Work on the main building has also started.
The work of laying underground cables for broadband connectivity is also in progress near the site. The state government has also initiated a survey of widening of the roads leading to the site from the Sanand-Viramgam highway.
Tata Motors has roped in its leading private shareholder, Shapoorji Pallonji & Com pany (SPCL) for construction of the Nano plant on 1,100 acres of land, which once belonged to Anand Agiculture University (AAU).
But, dismantling components from the unfinished plant at Singur to the Sanand site is expected to take at least a year in view of the distance involved and the complexity of the machinery and the plant components.
Nano will trigger investment drive in Ahmedabad region
The proposed Nano plant is set to trigger a major investment drive in the auto-ancilliary and engineering sectors, worth Rs 14,963 crore, in the proposed Ahmedabad Metropolitan Region.
Some of the major strategic advantages for Nano plant are its proximity to Delhi-Mumbai Infrastructure Corridor (DMIC) and plans of connectivity via state highways to major ports like Dholera special investment region.
Of the total 156 km of the DMIC that will pass through Gujarat, almost 22 km would fall under greater Ahmedabad. Auto ancilliary, engineering and ceramic ware sectors, according to a December 2007 CEPT University report on DMIC, are capable of generating employment for 44,090 people in the state.
Apart from this, industrial clusters like textile and apparel, gems and jewellery, pharma, biotech and agro-processing units are poised to come up in this region. Residential township projects would also get a boost with these investments.
Another effect of Nano project, according to GIDC officials, is that inquiries for space for small-scale industrial clusters in Dholka, Bavla, Dhandhuka and on Bopal-Sanand road have received a new impetus. The 25-odd villages around Dholera SIR too are set to see phenomenal growth in service sector.
“In an almost 70-km radius around DMIC-Dhanduka investment region, state government has already either set up or identified land for seven industrial parks, 19 GIDCs and 11 special economic zones (SEZ), out of which two SEZs have been notified. Nano coming to Chharodi has come as a boost for regions around greater Ahmedabad and Sanand taluka where the DMIC will pass through,” says a senior Gujarat Urban Development Corporation (GUDC) official.
“One of the major motives of charting out special investment areas is to create a hassle-free operational regime, state of the art infrastructure and support services,” adds the official.
Taj Ahmedabad races for luxury upgrade
Call it the Nano effect if you will. Just days after Tatas considered the possibility of checking out of their Ahmedabad property over branding issues with the hotels promoters, the Taj group is learnt to be revving up to give the property a super-luxury upgrade.
With Ahmedabad all set to become a beehive of activity, thanks to the Nano project, the 100-room Taj Residency Ummed is now understood to be gearing up to emerge as one of Taj groups largest properties in India.
Promoted by Ummed Singh Champawats Royale Manor Hotels, the hotel is run by Taj group on a management franchise basis.
The hotel, located near Ahmedabad airport and nearly 40-odd km from the Nano plant site in Sanand, is Taj Group’s sole property in Ahmedabad.
According to sources, plans are afoot to enhance the capacity of Ahmedabad hotel by a whopping four times. While initially, an upgradation of the existing property will be kicked off, additional rooms would be set up later on an adjacent plot that the promoters have recently acquired.
When contacted, Champawat confirmed they were gearing up to add around 100 rooms to the existing property with plans to set up another 250-odd rooms at the additional 25,000 sq yd land they have next door.
“The Taj group was here and is here to stay. We are firming up plans to enhance the hotel into a far superior offering,” Champawat said.
The Taj group, which was the third chain to check into the hotel in 2000 after Sofitel and Oberoi group, had, as part of its recent rebranding exercise, decided that only luxury properties would carry the Taj prefix with the business hotels going by the Gateway brand and the premium properties going by another brand name.
Barack Obama a huge Mahatma fan
He names Mahatma Gandhi as a source of his inspiration and a portrait of the apostle of peace adorns his office. Now, Barack Obamas victory is also being seen as a triumph of Gandhian philosophy. And maybe, the portrait will go into the Oval Office in the White House!
As images of choked black Americans listening to Obama s Yes We Can speech were beamed the world over from Chicago, Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi s great-grandson, was sitting with US Consul General Paul A Folmsbee in his Mumbai office, just soaking everything in.
We discussed that the movement of Martin Luther King, who was inspired by Gandhiji, has reached its sublimity. Obama s win is in a way a victory of Gandhian ideals, Gandhi told TOI.
Indeed, what started off as Gandhiji s war against racial discrimination in South Africa, had in a way reached its sublimity in US. In my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things, Obama had said.
Also, while paying tribute to the Mahatma on October 2, he had said: Gandhi s significance is universal. Countless people around the world have been touched by his spirit and example. His victory in turn inspired a generation of young Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a century.
And more recently led to velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe and extinguished apartheid in South Africa… Through the power of his example and his own unshakeable spirit, Gandhi inspired a people to resist oppression, sparking a revolution that freed a nation from colonial rule.
Anil Gupta, a professor at IIM-Ahmedabad, who has adopted the Gandhian ideals in his grassroot innovators movement, says, Obama has stuck to Gandhi when it came to campaigning. Like the Mahatma, he too spoke of Unto the Last the last man in the queue and stressed on an inclusive and sustainable social development.
Education Mobile Bus to offer kids free ride on learning curve in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will be starting the first-ever Education Mobile Bus from November 15 to reach out to kids who have never been to school. It will start off initially as a pilot project for six months until April 30, 2009. The extension of the project will be decided later.The project is a collaboration of the AMC, City Primary Education Committee (CPEC) and Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) under the guidelines of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
AMC has identified 140 children aged between six and 14 from the Gomtipur and Rajpur wards in the city, who have never been to school.
“We got the approval for this pilot project from our standing committee last week, and with the help of AMTS and CPEC. We will begin around November 15,” said Lagdhir Desai, Administrative Officer, School Board, AMC. He further said, “In this education bus, apart from education we will be providing health kits to the kids. As promised by IP Gautam, Municipal Commissioner, we will be getting one AMTS bus free of charge. The salary of driver and fuel expenses will be borne by AMTS.”
Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), six teachers will be appointed on a pay of Rs 1,500 per month, Desai said. These teachers have already been given 60 days training for the purpose. “After the successful completion of this project, these children will be transferred to AMC schools. Every student will appear in an examination and later absorbed in schools on the basis of the scores they obtain,” said Desai. After getting feedback from the teachers and evaluating the performance of the kids, the project will be taken to the next level and more wards and children will be identified, said Desai, who expressed hope that the project will be a success.
Nano boom via Viramgam
Nano is revving up realty market in Ahmedabad. Small car project coupled with a number of infrastructure projects has created big time housing demand along the 65-km Ahmedabad-Viramgam stretch.
Infrastructure major L&T is laying down a pipeline for export crude oil insulated pipeline and gas pipeline from Barmer, Rajasthan to Salaya, Gujarat for Cairn India. While the company has moved in a lot of engineers for construction of the pipeline, there will be more workers coming into the region for the proposed highway project.
L&T is developing three highway stretches, including Halol-Godhra-Shamlaji, Ahmedabad-Viramgam-Maliya and Rajkot-Jamnagar-Vadinar. These projects are being executed on built-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.
As part of state governments road expansion project, L&T entered into an agreement for four-laning of these three highways involving an investment of Rs. 4,308 crore. Sources say Viramgam has a location edge as it is an important transit point in state linking Saurashtra, Kutch, north Gujarat and Ahmedabad.
Moreover, Viramgam also falls under Proposed Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). Whats more, based on a study conducted by CEPT University, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) has identified Viramgam, along with 35 other towns in the state as a tourist spot. Tourism Corporation will upgrade infrastructure in these towns with help of government agencies like road department, irrigation, collectorate, municipal bodies and even Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI).
After tourism, Ahmedabad now turns to the hospitality industry
After taking a decision on developing the city into a tourist hotspot, the state is now inching towards a fresh goal — turning it into a dynamic destination for holding meets.
With the recently concluded World Health Organisation (WHO) meet in Ahmedabad, Gujarat has taken one step ahead in attracting international-level conferences. Ahmedabad has hosted quite a few important corporate meetings in the past. This, perhaps, because of the economic activities happening in the city, as well as the state.
Tourism Minister Jay Narayan Vyas said: “While the WHO meet held recently in Ahmedabad was outside the capital for the first time, Gujarat is increasingly playing host to a number of conferences. This is an indicator of how our state is being perceived by corporate groups and that we are gaining importance in terms of being preferred as a destination for all kinds of activities.”
Ahmedabad alone has seen an influx of demand for ‘meeting locations’ and is thereby increasing a number of related facilities. Vyas further said: “The three and four star hotels under construction will add a whopping figure of 3,500 rooms, to the already existing hospitality industry in Ahmedabad in a year’s time. The figure is again an indication of the kind of demand that exists in the city. Gujarat will emerge as a prime location for conferences and meetings in a few years.”
Bangalore based hospital to set up medical college in Ahmedabad
Bangalore based Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital will set up a medical college in Gujarat on an investment of Rs.2.5 billion ($507 million). A 1,500 bed hospital is planned as part of the project that will come up in the state capital Ahmedabad.
Chandil Kumar, medical administrator of the hospital, told IANS: “We are working on the project and focusing on getting necessary approvals.â€
A fact sheet brought out by the Gujarat government ahead of January 2009 Vibrant Gujarat Summit said the Bangalore hospital’s project is part of the special effort being made to expand medical education facilities in the state.
Government sources said the state has begun to attract investments including foreign on a substantial scale. According to state data, there are currently 42,285 registered doctors and 17,751 trained nurses in Gujarat.
The fact sheet says besides Narayana Hrudayalaya, medical colleges are also being planned by the Fortis group, Bombay Hospitals and the Artemis Group of Hospitals belonging to Apollo Tyres Limited.
Artemis has proposed to set up a Rs.5 billion medical education hub on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad highway.
The Bombay Hospitals belonging to the Reliance Group is joining hands with MS Hospital in Vadodara to establish a medical institute that will offer both under- and post- graduate medical courses. Apart from these new projects, expansion projects are also on the anvil.
The Ahmedabad-based Sterling Addlife India Limited which is running a multi-specialty hospital in the city is planning to invest Rs.7 billion to set up a 150-bed hospital in Surat, 125-bed hospital in Rajkot and 100-bed hospital in the Mundra Special Economic Zone.
The Healthcare group (HCG) of Banglaore has already set up a multi-specialty hospital in Ahmedabad at a cost of Rs.1 billion.