Here’s Everything We Ate For A Kathiawadi Brunch With Savji Dholakia And His Family

Like always, Curly Tales’ Stories From Bharat episode in Surat doesn’t unfold in a studio or a boardroom. It opens somewhere far more unexpected, inside the world of Savji Dholakia, the man widely known as the “Diamond King of India.”

What Was Served In Savji Dholakia’s Traditional Gujarati Lunch Spread?

Kamiya Jani, our editor-in-chief, travels to meet Savji in Surat, and the setting itself feels almost unreal at his massive 50-acre private estate, Dhulada Van. It’s breathtaking, yes, but it isn’t presented like a flex. The atmosphere is calm, personal, and almost quietly intimate, like you’ve been invited into someone’s space rather than someone’s spotlight.

And then comes lunch! They enter the dining area, and it immediately breaks expectations. The seating is low, close to the ground, and it is the kind of arrangement that feels rooted in tradition. Savji smiles and casually says, “Main toh neeche baithkar khata hoon.” There’s something disarming about how natural it is for him. Kamiya sits down with him, and what follows is a genuinely warm and humble meal.

The dishes begin arriving one after another, and the spread is unapologetically Surat.

There’s a simple salad to start, followed by dhokla, called out as a Surat speciality, and honestly, it would’ve been strange if it wasn’t on the table. Then comes papdi sabzi, and Savji’s daughter mentions that the vegetable grows locally here, grounding the meal in the region’s soil as much as its flavour.

The conversation shifts when handvo is introduced. Savji shares something quietly telling; in the village, they didn’t always have khaman, so dishes like handvo became staples. It isn’t presented as nostalgia for the camera, just a matter-of-fact reminder of where he comes from. Handvo, after all, isn’t just food, it’s more like history baked into a Surat classic.

Also Read: Diamond King, Savji Dholakia, Who Gifts Flats To Employees, Meets Kamiya Jani On Stories From Bharat

What Is The Diamond King’s Favourite Dish From The Table?

More dishes follow, as laddu and a special barfi arrive. Then there’s bhakarwadi, mentioned as the town’s speciality, a detail that makes the meal feel even more rooted in place. 

And just when you think you’ve seen everything, aloe vera mithai appears; it is unexpected and slightly intriguing. Kamiya asks Savji what he personally loves most, and without hesitation, he names it: aloe vera barfi.

It’s such a specific answer, the kind people give when they’re tied to their roots. 

Kamiya also points out something the episode quietly keeps showing; the Gujarati habit of togetherness. Meals aren’t solitary events as families sit together, eat together and exist together. 

Also Read: India’s Diamond King, Savji Dholakia, Reveals How He Manifested Success In The Early 2000s

This lunch at Dhulada Van isn’t memorable because it’s extravagant, it’s memorable because it isn’t trying to be. It’s Surat on a plate, tradition in the seating, and a billionaire diamond merchant reminding you, very casually, that humility can be the most striking thing at the table.

Cover Image Courtesy: Internal