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Saras - The Indian Fast Food Restaurant
Saras is utterly unique. It is an Indian Vegetarian fast food restaurant. I know, I know—while you might sometimes think to yourself,
hmmm… "It might be nice to have some Japanese food tonight, or Korean, or even Indian," when was the last time you thought, “Tonight I have the biggest craving for Indian vegetarian fast food?” Not too often, I’d venture to guess, but that’s because you haven’t tried Saras yet. Once you do, you’ll understand. This is especially true for vegetarians, of course, but I’d venture to guess that even die hard meat lovers will also become hooked.
When I first arrived at Saras, I was quite surprised because, for being a “fast food” restaurant, it sure was nice. The proprietor, Mr. Gaurav Kejriwal explained that the concept behind this newly opened establishment is, “Fast food in a fine-dining atmosphere.” Because I’d arrived a bit early, I had the luxury of sipping on a delicious saffron milk-shake while taking in my surrounding and generally people watching before getting to sample a wide variety of menu items.
A few things struck me as I eavesdropped and observed. First was the crowd, for 2.30 in the afternoon, the place was exceedingly busy, and I was the only non-Indian or Indian-Thai in the restaurant. This was my first clue that having been open for four months, there hasn’t yet been a “buzz” surrounding Saras outside Bangkok’s Indian community, but within it, this is the spot. Then I listened in on the tables next to me, one comprised of three women in beautiful saris and a young man while they flipped between three languages, (Thai, English and one I didn’t recognize). They were going absolutely ga-ga over their food, “so good” “so crisp” “mmmm…perfect, no?” I couldn’t wait until my food arrived, which at a fast food place, wasn’t long.
The menu is also utterly unique - it has offerings from all regions of India at a very reasonable price! Do you prefer Western Indian (Gujarati), or Northern, Eastern, Southern, or Northwestern (Rajasthani)? Saras has it all—and in addition, they have great Indian-Chinese, Thai food, Pizza and Veggie Burgers too!
How do they manage to make all of the most popular dishes from each region and make it all so exactingly? The answer is in the kitchen, where there are eight cooks, each from a different state in India. In fact, they don’t even all speak the same language. Four of the chefs are “Maharaj,” which loosely translated means “home chef/home cook” and four are classically trained “proper” chefs. Saras also has a Thai woman, who at 55 years old, has been a professional-chef her entire career. At Saras, they lovingly refer to her as grandmother, and she prepares Thai dishes so deliciously that just last week, Saras was asked to cater at a party for 100 people at which they served exclusively Thai food- quite a testament to her skill, when an Indian restaurant is hired to serve only Thai food.
Between the eight chefs, they can prepare between 300 and 350 items. (That said, in an effort not to overwhelm the average customer, the menu is pared down to 218 dishes, but for those who know what they want, go ahead and ask, there is a good chance they can make it for you.)
I sampled a variety of items, and really, they were all divine! I started with a delicious samosa- perfectly flaky and nicely flavored and spiced, stuffed with potato and peas. Next I tried a few dishes from the Chaat menu, Chaat is a category of Indian food that, loosely translated means snack or street food ( For more information about Chaat ). The Papdi Chaat was a bite-full of heaven, with creamy homemade yogurt atop a crispy fried wafer. The Sev Puri and Dahi Puchka are must-tries too.
Then I moved onto some Chinese snack items - each of them were a wonderful combination of simple foods prepared and flavored perfectly. Be sure to try the dim sum, or momos! These can be ordered either steamed or fried and they are delectable. In terms of main courses, Saras has made it easy—they have sets to choose from that are categorized by region- they’ve already paired the perfect combinations of curries, vegetables and sides for their customers. A must try is the Rajasthani meal, because not only is it amazing, but Saras is the only place in Bangkok where you can order this meal.
Really, I could go on and on—Saras is such a wonderful and unique restaurant- you try it for yourself. However, I would be remiss not to mention one last thing that makes Saras completely different from any place else in the area—the desserts.
They have a huge deli - counter display case filled with dozens of varieties of Indian sweets, including; Angoori Rasmalai, Barfi, milk cake and my personal favorite, Gulab Jamun. You won’t find a selection like this at any other restaurant in Bangkok, and they offer the largest variety of delicious homemade Indian sweets in the Sukhumvit area. The quality of their sweets is unmatched because they only use premium quality ingredients. This quality of sweets at this price point is not available at any place in Bangkok except Saras. They have also started offering Thai Kanom.You can get them boxed up to go, too.
Saras is Located at 15 Sukhumvhit Soi 20, not far from the Asoke BTS station. They are open from 8.00 am until 10.30pm on weeknights and from 8:00 am until 11:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. Delivery service is also available through ChefsXP. Saras is able to cater parties, weddings, and meetings, just call or see their website at www.saras.co.th for more details.
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